Can you tell what I made this weekend? Maybe this will give you a hint...
I tried a new gluten free donut recipe and despite using non-stick pans and greasing said pans, the donuts stuck like nobody's business.
This one looked almost donut-like after I glopped on the icing. And here's the crazy thing -- they were delicious despite their ugliness. I'm thinking next time I will grease and flour the pans and if that doesn't work, maybe I'll just bake them in cupcake liners.
The recipe came from the new online gluten free magazine -- Easy Eats.
Thanks for being so "real". I wish they would post pictures like this in cookbooks or on baking sites. It made me laugh and recall some of my stuck disasters. Frosting works wonders. I once made an egg cup in bread dough that was supposed to fit in muffin cups. EGG ALL OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE OVEN!!!! And then there was the chocolate bowls made over blown up balloons. Chocolate all over the cabinets and my granddaughter's dress. Wish I had taken pictures. :)
Posted by: Rosemary C | Tuesday, September 06, 2011 at 03:26 PM
Some of my best tasting treats have been completely ugly.
Posted by: Becky | Tuesday, September 06, 2011 at 04:04 PM
IMHO, if they taste good, they don't really qualify as a disaster - just a mini-disaster. I miss going to Lincoln Park Zoo - I lived in the Lakeview area until we moved here in 86 when my girls were 10 & 13. I have some wonderful memories of LP Zoo - we used to go about once a week except in the coldest weather when they were very young. We have a membership to Brookfield but I just don't enjoy it as much. LP is the zoo I went to as a young child & the zoo I took my kids to when they were little - so to me Zoo is always LP Zoo!
Posted by: Donna | Tuesday, September 06, 2011 at 06:27 PM
Julie - saw your comment on Silvana's post. Came over to see your post.
I can't speak to this recipe specifically but I've made Silvana's recipes before with good success. But I also know that with GF baking, anything can happen.
I've certainly had my share of GF baking wrecks and it is even a category in my blog index!
I've had stuff fall apart (a lot) and stick (also a lot). A couple of things come to mind when I look at your photos.
First - what was in your GF Flour mix? Some flours are more apt to be crumbly than others and sometimes a little x or guar gum help.
And second, I find using cooking spray (I use Spectrum Canola Organic)generously in the pan - I have the same pan) works really well. It will look goopy and like it is swimming in the spray but the donut always just pops out that way. And from your photo I can tell that you might have overfilled the donut pan with batter - that is why they baked together at the top. I've done that, too. Try only filling just barely a bit more than halfway.
Silvana can probably speak better to the recipe and answer your questions- but just thought I'd mention my experience with the same donut pan and baked donuts.
Wrecks sometimes lead to some great successes so don't give up especially when they taste good.
Posted by: Lisa @ GF Canteen | Wednesday, September 07, 2011 at 12:18 PM
HI! Curious too what blend you used for the flour for the recipe? Was hoping to try these sometime too...we'll see how it goes! :-)
Posted by: Sabrina | Wednesday, September 07, 2011 at 01:46 PM
Oh, no! Thanks Lisa for giving out great advice!
I've made these—and so many other gluten-free, dairy-free doughnuts—through the years. All with great success.
Let's start at the beginning:
1) What flour blend did you use and was there xanthan gum in your flour blend?
2) Did you use enough grease, specifically cooking spray? I always grease the pan generously.
3) How high did you fill the pan?
4) Did you swap out any ingredients?
5) What chocolate chips did you use, if any, and did they sink to the bottom? (Actually, now looking at your pics again, I don't see any chocolate chips!)
6) Do you think you might have overbaked them?
Let's figure this out! There's no reason they should have failed. Sorry they gave you grief...I hope they tasted okay!
Talk soon,
Silvana
Posted by: Silvana | Wednesday, September 07, 2011 at 08:29 PM
I've made many versions of Silvana's donuts and had great success with the same pan. I do suggest filling the donut cavities about 1/2 way and only letting them cool slightly when you remove them from the oven. I use a small plastic knife to loosen the edges and lift them out and then I let them cool longer on a plate. Don't let one mishap in the kitchen get you discouraged. These donuts are amazing.
Posted by: Gretchen Bailey | Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 02:55 PM