Mochi Donuts: Chewy, Delicious, and Gluten-Free -

What transpires when the American donut institution, Mister Donut, plants its roots in Japan? They craft an innovation tailored to local tastes, thus giving rise to the mochi donuts, affectionately known as the pon de ring. This delicacy, inspired by the Brazilian pão de queijo, boasts a unique structure—eight interconnected mochi spheres, mimicking the aesthetic of a child’s teething ring.

What Bestows Mochi Donuts Their Distinctive Chew?

The heart of mochi donuts lies in their foundational ingredient: glutinous rice flour, which imparts the signature chewy, elastic texture that sets them apart. Variations abound, with some recipes calling for all-purpose flour, others incorporating tofu, or even tapioca flour. My preferred method maintains a gluten-free approach, relying on glutinous rice flour and tapioca flour. The result? The ultimate mochi donut experience—delightfully chewy, irresistibly crave-worthy.

Crafting the Perfect Mochi Donuts

The technique behind mochi donuts parallels the creation of choux pastry. If you’ve ventured into the realm of éclairs or cream puffs, this process will seem familiar. The journey begins with bringing a liquid mixture to a boil before quickly integrating both glutinous rice and tapioca flours. The key lies in stirring vigorously until the mixture coalesces into a cohesive mass. Initially, it appears dry and crumbly, but through continued folding and kneading, the dough transforms—becoming stretchy and supple, reminiscent of mochi. By the end, you’ll have a dough that’s firm enough to shape by hand, yet pliable enough to pipe if desired.

Personally, I find that utilizing a small cookie scoop to form uniform dough balls is the most efficient method. Speed is of the essence, as the dough tends to dry out over time, making it more difficult to fuse the balls together. A good practice is to keep the dough covered with plastic wrap to preserve moisture. If adhesion becomes an issue, simply dampen the edges with a touch of water to act as a bonding agent.

Ingredients

For the Donuts:

2/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 cups (300 grams) glutinous rice flour (such as mochiko)
2 tablespoons (20 grams) tapioca starch
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

For the Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 of a vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Steps to Make It

Make the Donuts

Collect the necessary ingredients.
Cook the butter, milk, sugar along with the salt, water and sugar in a medium-sized pot at medium-high and bring it to a boil.
Incorporate the tapioca starch and glutinous rice in one go. Reduce the heat to low and stir until it is an incredibly goopy and firm ball, which takes about 2 minutes. At first, it appears dry and clumpy. Just continue stirring fold, then spread the dough over the sides and the bottom in the pan.
Pour the batter into the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Knead the dough at a medium speed until you let steam go out for about 2 minutes.
Scrape off all sides. Then add half of the egg. Continue to knead at moderate speed until the dough has a chance to come back together about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl once more and add the remainder of the egg and continue to mix until the dough is smooth and well-combined approximately 1 minute. Add the baking powder, and blend for one minute. This dough is extremely sticky.
Cook the vegetable oil until 350 F in a large, deep pan (or your preferred cooking vessel). While the oil is heating form the donuts.
Then cut a sheet of parchment into eight 4 inch squares and set these on the baking tray. Choose one of the parchment squares and draw a 3 inch circle together circular cutters or a glass. This is your reference.
To form the donuts into rings: lightly grease your hands, and then a teaspoon with a small amount of cooking oil or vegetable spray. Scoop the dough out using the teaspoon, then form the dough pieces into balls. There will be 8 balls for each donut.
Put the guide underneath a different square of parchment paper. Then put the balls on the circumference of the circular area, ensuring that all balls are in contact with each the other. Press gently onto the ball to ensure they’re sticking to one the other. Repeat the process for the remaining dough. This dough is piped, too! (see Recipe Tips)
Pick the parchment using the donut in the ring, then drop it in the oil donut-side up. Keep the parchment in place. If the donut rises up to the top, take off the paper with an tong and dispose of. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes per surface until it is well-browned, for a total of 5-6 minutes. Don’t overcrowd the pan, and also regulate the temperature of the oil to ensure it stays at a constant temperature.
Remove your donuts together the tongs, or by placing them and place them on an untidy wire rack to cool.

Make Mochi Donuts

in a mixing bowl combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, melted butter and vanilla until they are smooth.
Douse the top of each donut in the glaze before placing them onto the rack. The glaze should dry for around 15 minutes. Eat immediately.

How to Store

Donuts are excellent consumed the next day however, they can be kept within an airtight jar at room temperatures for up 2 days.

I would not recommend freezing the donuts, or making the dough ahead.

Recipe Variations

For matcha or chocolate glazes include 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon matcha powder in the glaze recipe.
For black or raspberries sesame sauces Add 2 tablespoons of frozen-dried raspberries or two teaspoons of of black sesame seeds that have been finely crushed (just barely a little bit of making a paste) in a mortar pestle or food processor to your recipe for the glaze.
To make ube glaze, Add 1/2 teaspoon of Ube extract to the recipe for glaze.
You can garnish donuts with sprinkles coconut, nuts candy, chocolate, cereal and more.

Mochi Donuts: Chewy, Delicious, and Gluten-Free