I used Hand + Heart's Gluten-free Sweet Dough Mix (formerly Lorraine's) to make these wonderful copycat gluten-free Krispy Kreme donuts. These yeasted donuts are light and airy, and the fried dough melts in your mouth!
To make the dough, combine the package of Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix with the three included yeast packets in the bowl attached to your standing mixer. Fit the standing mixer with your paddle attachment. Give the yeast and flour a light whisk and set it aside.
Add the warm milk, melted butter, and eggs to the flour mixture and mix on low for 30 seconds to gently incorporate the flour. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix the dough for 5 minutes.
Scrape the sides of the dough with a spatula to form it into a ball. Add the dough to a lightly greased large bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and store it in a warm, draft-free place in your home for 1.5-2 hours to rise. After the dough has risen, place it in your fridge for 2 hours (longer okay). Chilling the dough will make it much easier to handle. (Alternatively, allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place it in the fridge overnight. I prefer this method and find that the dough is puffier as a result.)
Divide the dough in half. You can either use all of the dough to make 16 donuts, or use half the dough for 8 donuts, then use the other half of the dough to make another recipe (suggested recipes available on my website include babka, monkey bread, and cinnamon rolls).
Roll the dough into a log on a lightly floured surface, then cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Form each of the 8 pieces into a round roll and place on a piece of parchment paper to rise for another 40-60 minutes. (Repeat these instructions for the second half of the dough if you're making 16 donuts.)
About 20 minutes before you're ready to fry the donuts, add 3-5 cups of oil to a heavy-bottomed pot (a smaller pot will require less oil). Heat the oil over medium heat for 20 minutes until the temperature is about 320º F.
Using a small cookie cutter, punch a circle/hole into the center of each donut. Reserve the extra dough to make donut holes.
Add 2-4 donuts to your pan (depending on the size) and watch them lightly cook for about 30 seconds on one side before flipping them to cook on the other side. You'll want to flip the donuts 3-5 times to cook them slowly. This will allow the inside of the donut to fully cook without burning or over-cooking the outside of the donut.
Remove the donuts from the oil and place them on a wire rack to cool. Repeat the process until all the donuts and donut holes are cooked.
For the Glaze:
Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. The glaze should be thin but not watery. Add more water and/or powdered sugar to get the right consistency.
Drizzle: Drizzle the tops of the donuts with the glaze and allow the glaze to set in place before handling.ORDipping: Dip the donuts in the glaze to coat both sides. I did this method but felt like it was too much glaze and wish I had used the drizzle method instead.
Enjoy immediately for the best results. Store leftovers in a sealed container or zip-top bag on your countertop or fridge for about 1 day. The donuts will still taste good on Day #2, but not as good as on Day #1.
Notes
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe. Please see Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix for nutrition information.Make-Ahead Instructions: Make the dough ahead of time and cut it into a donut shape. Freeze the dough until you're ready to fry it. Bring the frozen dough to room temperature, then cook the donuts in the oil. I do not recommend frying the donuts and then freezing them. They taste best when freshly fried.Substitutions:
This recipe works only with Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix, which includes flour, starches, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, and yeast. You cannot use this recipe with any other mix or flour blend. You can find Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix online.
You can use dairy-free milk and butter to make this recipe dairy-free.
I have not tested this recipe without eggs, but it is not recommended without eggs. The eggs will add structure and rise.