Apparently National Donut Day was just last week, but if I’d realized that, I would have gotten my act together and perfected this recipe in time to post it then. But really, do we need a special day of the year to enjoy a good donut? NOPE.
I’d recently bought half a peck of peaches from the Abbott Farms stand, and I was eager to use them in some sort of dessert recipe. I’d also been wanting to experiment with buckwheat flour, so out of my test kitchen came these earthy, peach buckwheat donuts that are surprisingly good for you!
Buckwheat flour is a gluten-free flour that is higher in fiber, protein, and minerals than regular white flour. You can use it in many recipes in the place of white flour, such as cookies, muffins, breads, and pancakes. And now . . . donuts!
Although it seems ridiculous to make a donut that’s actually good for you, I am a dietitian, and I was up for the challenge. In addition to using buckwheat flour instead of white flour, I sweetened these peach buckwheat donuts with coconut sugar, used peach puree instead of oil (except to grease the pan), and flax seeds in the place of eggs. I also baked them instead of frying them, which makes them much better for you than traditional donuts!
Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by the results! I was expecting a dense, gummy texture from the peach puree, but what I found was a moist cake that held together well but wasn’t too dense. I actually enjoyed the earthy flavor of the donuts by themselves or with a peach slice on top, but if you’re not a complete purist, a simple glaze really makes these donuts a decadent treat! If anyone knows how to make a good glaze without confectioner’s sugar, please let me know!
I’d love to say that these buckwheat donuts are simple to make, but there’s one step that can be a bit of a pain, and that’s peeling the peaches for the peach puree. After some quick research, I discovered an easy way to remove the peels (thanks, Internet!).
How to Peel Peaches
- Wash peaches and score each one with one or two large X’s.
- Place peaches in boiling water for about 30 seconds.
- Quickly transfer peaches to ice water to shock them.
- Drain peaches and pull peels away with your fingers. The peels should come off easily. If not, repeat process.
- 3 ripe peaches, peeled, pits removed
- ¾ cup buckwheat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Optional: pinch cinnamon
- 2 flax eggs (2 T. milled flax + 6 T. warm water)
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 T. pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Optional: zest of ½ lemon
- Glaze: 1+ cup confectioner's sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease donut pan to prevent sticking.
- Puree peaches in a blender. Measure out ⅔ cup to add to the wet ingredients in step 4 and reserve remaining puree for glaze (if making). Set both aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: buckwheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: flax eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon zest, and ⅔ cup peach puree.
- Pour wet into dry and stir to combine completely.
- If using a 6-welled pan, spoon half of the batter into a plastic sandwich bag, cut off one corner, and pipe the mix into each donut well until about ⅔ full.
- Bake 16-17 mins. Allow to cool 5-10 mins, gently run a knife around the edges of the donuts, and flip them out onto a cooling rack to continue cooling.
- Wipe out the donut pan, re-grease, and repeat process with the other half of the batter.
- Serve donuts as they are or topped with peach slices, or make a simple glaze by whisking together 1½ T. leftover peach puree and 1 cup confectioner's sugar. Add more sugar until you reach a glaze consistency. Place wax paper under the cooling rack and drizzle each donut with glaze. Serve!
You can omit the glaze, or make it as thick as you like. As you can probably tell from the photos, I made two batches with different glaze thicknesses. Both were treats my whole family loved, and I felt good about letting them eat them!
Also try my Blood Orange Muffins!
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