What Gives Mochi Donuts Their Light, Chewy Texture?
Every culture around the world seems to have a version of a sweet, fluffy, and fried dessert. There are sfenj, rosquillas, gulgula, Berliners, beignets, and of course, donuts. Stateside, we have a lot of tasty variations on the donut, including yeast, cake, filled, and a Japanese-American fusion item that first took off in Hawaii: the mochi donut. This style of donut, which typically comes shaped in small spheres or a ring of spheres, stands out from other fluffier variations because of its chewy and light texture.
The type of flour used for mochi donuts is what creates this standout texture. While yeast and cake donuts are made from wheat flour — sometimes cake or bread flour — mochi donuts found in the United States are made from sweet rice flour, also called glutinous rice flour. This naturally gluten-free flour is also used to make chewy mochi treats, like the famous mochi spheres stuffed with ice cream. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, is actually what gives bread and baked goods a light airy texture. Without that gluten, mochi donuts are denser and more elastic.
In Japan, there is another type of mochi donut called pon de ring. It's often called a mochi donut because the texture is mochi-like. However, this variation is made from tapioca flour. Both the donut's name and flour choice are inspired by the Brazilian cheese bread pao de queijo. Tapioca, like sweet rice flour, leads to baked goods with a chewier texture than ones made from wheat flour. While it's also gluten-free, pon de ring donuts sometimes also contain a mixture of tapioca and wheat flour.
The process of making mochi donuts
How some mochi donuts are made also influences their texture. First, half the ingredients — like milk, sugar, butter, and water —are mixed together in a pot and then heated. Then, the other key ingredients, like the glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch, are stirred in. Tapioca starch is often used in gluten-free baking, typically working as a binder. The crumbly dough is mixed and spread in the pan frequently, helping to build a stretchy texture in a few minutes. When glutinous rice flour is heated and cooked, the starches begin to gelatinize, creating the chewy texture.
There is no yeast in the dough, so there is no need to let the mixture rise, as is needed with yeast-based donuts. Heating the dough is unique to mochi donuts, and not a part of the process for making yeast or cake donuts.
After the stove top, the hot dough goes straight to a stand mixture to be pulled and stretched for a few minutes more. Note that not all mochi donut recipes call for the dough to be heated on the stovetop. Some are simply whisked and mixed by hand or made with a stand mixer. After being shaped, mochi donuts are fried in oil, just like a typical donut you would grab fresh at Krispy Kreme. The final result? A delightfully light and crispy exterior with a surprisingly bouncy, chewy interior. These donuts are best enjoyed with a Japanese-inspired glaze, like an ube or matcha-flavored icing.