These yeast gluten-free jelly donuts are golden brown on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside, and filled with sweet raspberry jelly. They are the perfect festive treat for Hanukkah and year round!
In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp yeast. Mix and set it aside for 5 minutes. The yeast is activated when the mixture is bubbly on top.
In a second small bowl, combine the cold water and psyllium husk. Mix and set it aside for 5 minutes to form a gel.
In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the ingredients together, then form a well in the middle of the mixture.
Add the egg, yeast mixture, and psyllium husk mixture to the well of the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping the sides as needed. The mixture will be dry but will start to come together.
Add the softened butter and continue to mix for another 2 minutes on medium-high speed until a sticky ball of dough forms or a sticky dough ball can be formed by hand by pulling the dough together.
Lightly grease a medium-sized glass bowl. Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place it in your fridge to chill for 2 hours or overnight. Cold dough is easier to work with.
Cut eight squares of parchment paper and place the papers on a baking sheet.
After sufficiently chilling the dough, remove it from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for one minute to reduce stickiness, then roll it into a fat log. Divide the log into eight even portions. Weigh each portion with a kitchen scale to ensure they're equal in size, about 80 grams each.
Roll each of the eight portions into a small ball, smoothing out any cracks as possible. Place each dough ball on one of the parchment squares and press down on it to slightly flatten the bottom. Repeat until all dough balls have been formed.
Cover the dough pieces with plastic wrap and place them in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours. If your house is cold, you could turn your oven to the lowest setting and allow it to heat up for a few minutes before turning it off. Then place the baking sheet in the warm oven to rise (proof). The dough will about double in size.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, add the vegetable oil until it's about 2-3 inches deep. Heat the oil until the temperature reaches 320-330º F.
Place 2-4 donuts in the oil at a time, depending on the size of your pot. To avoid splashing and misshaping the dough, place the dough into the oil on top of the parchment square, then use tongs to remove the parchment paper. Cook the donuts for about 2 1/2 minutes on each side.
Remove the donuts from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a wire cooling rack to cool slightly.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and whisk the ingredients together. While the donuts are warm (but not hot), coat them with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place them back onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
Fill the donuts with jelly using a jelly injector tool (or a large syringe) or a piping bag fitted with a tip (I recommend a Bismarck tip). Before adding the jelly, use a skewer or straw to poke a hole into the top or side of the donut and try to clear out space for the jelly filling, then add the jelly until it starts to overflow from the hole.
Serve the donuts immediately for best results, or store cooled donuts in a zip-top bag at room temperature for 1-2 days. The donuts will taste best immediately, and the quality will fade with time.
Notes
Nutrition information is approximate and not inclusive of the frying oil.If your yeast doesn't bubble once you combine it with the warm milk and sugar, it might be old and dead. Make sure the yeast is frothy on top. This means it's been activated. Always use fresh yeast when possible.Chilling the dough will ensure it isn't too sticky to handle. If the dough is sticky, you can knead in a little extra flour as you shape it into eight dough balls.You can fill the donuts with any jelly of choice. I used raspberry jelly.See my full blog post for instructions and details for recommended gluten-free brands of psyllium husk.I've tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend and my combination. If you enjoy working with various flours, use this combination of flours in place of Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour:
160 grams tapioca starch
130 grams of brown rice flour
25 grams of gluten-free oat flour (or sorghum flour if you can find it)