We've all heard about cronuts by now -- that mythical cross between a croissant and a donut that has most of Manhattan lining up before sunrise to try. I had been despairing about them for awhile. How could culinary science come up with something that looked so delicious -- and so full of gluten?
Luckily, Glutino came to the rescue. They sent me a recipe for gluten-free cronuts (written by Beth Hillson) and a package of their Gluten-Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour Mix so I could try my hand at baking cronuts myself. Spoiler alert: they're amazing. I'm so happy to share the full recipe with you!
Ever since going gluten-free, I really haven't baked anything. I was nervous! I miss nice, warm bread, cupcakes, cookies, cake, biscuits, etc., etc., but what if they tasted terrible? What if I messed it up?
It turned out this was the perfect recipe to enter the world of gluten-free baking. It involves an investment of time and a little hard work, but with fantastic results. The warm, crispy cronuts tasted just like fair food (fried dough, or elephant ears, or funnel cake...whatever you want to call it) and pleased everyone who tried it -- even those who aren't gluten-free.
It would be so much fun to make a tower of these for a birthday party or other special event. It was really satisfying to bake something delicious again, and I can't wait to try another pastry project. Thanks, Glutino! (Full recipe after the jump.)
Dough
2 1/3 cups Glutino Gluten-Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour Mix
¾ cup sorghum flour
1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
¾ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1cup milk
½ cup half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter Square
20 tablespoons (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cold
3 tablespoons Glutino Gluten-Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour Mix
Additional Glutino Gluten-Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour Mix for rolling out the dough
Grape seed oil or safflower oil for frying
Glaze (combine and mix until smooth)
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons half-and-half cream
To start:
In a large bowl, combine Glutino Gluten-Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour Mix, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk for 1 minute. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the yeast and whisk again for about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Warm the milk with the cream until it reaches about 100 degrees F. Add the vanilla. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour and sugar mixture. On low speed, add the warm milk. Beat until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes. The dough will be smooth. Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature preferably in a warm, draft-free area for 30 minutes.
Spray a large sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable spray. Turn the dough out onto the wrap and press gently into a rectangle, about 1 ½ inches thick. Shape, but don’t press too hard. Cover well and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. This can also sit overnight.
Cut the butter into small pieces. Place in the bowl of a standing mixer and add the 3 tablespoons of Glutino Gluten-Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour Mix. Using the paddle attachment, on low speed blend the butter and flour until smooth and blended. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, this can take 30 to 90 seconds.
Turn onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 9×9-inch square. The butter should still be cool but workable. If it’s too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes while rolling out the dough.
Take the dough from the refrigerator and roll out to a 12.5 x 12.5 inch square. Place the butter square in the center of the dough. Roll the sides of dough over to meet in the center on top of the butter so that this becomes a 9-x- 12.5 inch rectangle, and roll out just enough to blend the folded edges of the dough into the butter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, place the dough so that the seam is horizontal and roll it out to about 15 x 9 inches. Brush excess flour from the dough’s surface and fold it in thirds, like the shape of a business envelope. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set on a tray or baking sheet. Let rest in the refrigerator for 40 minutes. That’s one turn.
You’ll want to do this twice more. Be sure the dough is well-chilled between turns.
The rectangle might get larger each time you roll it out. That’s okay. Just remember to fold it in thirds each time.
Once you have completed your last turn, chill the dough again for 30 to 40 minutes.
Dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour blend. Set the dough on the paper and cover with a second sheet. Roll the dough out to about 2 inches thick (the depth of your donut cutter). Use a donut or biscuit cutter to cut the dough. Or cut out 2 ½ to 3-inch rounds, then cut out the centers. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
Heat 2 inches of grape seed or safflower oil in a fryer or deep frying pan until the oil reaches 350 degrees. Add two cronuts at a time and fry until golden brown. They brown quickly so don’t take your eyes off these. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat, frying two at a time, until all the cronuts have been fried.
Drizzle cronuts with glaze and eat while they are warm.
Beth Hillson is the author of Gluten-Free Makeovers and created this recipe on behalf of Glutino. It is reprinted here with permission.
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