The cupcake, cake pop, and cronut may have had their 15 minutes of fame in the food world, but these days it’s all about the mochi donut. A fusion of American donuts and traditional Japanese mochi made with glutinous rice flour, these fluffy pastries are both delicious and Instagrammable, and are gaining popularity across the United States. With several unique shapes and flavors available, including alcoholic options, it’s no wonder they’re getting so much attention.
Compared to most doughnuts, the ingredients of a mochi donut are relatively simple: a mixture of water, sugar, salt, and vegetable oil or butter is stirred together until it forms a soft mass and then kneaded for a few minutes. The dough is then cut into ring-shaped pieces, fried in a skillet until they’re light golden, and then covered in sweet sauces or fillings. This recipe for a glazed and chocolate-coated mochi donut is easy to follow and results in the perfect balance of chewy and crunchy.
Mochi donuts are a popular choice for special occasions, especially in Asian cultures. The fried dough is said to symbolize a long life for the person eating it, and they are traditionally served at weddings, birthday parties, or other celebrations. Mochi donuts are also often stuffed with savory or sweet fillings like ground pork, crab, shrimp, chicken, and cream cheese.
It’s no wonder, then, that they’re becoming increasingly popular in the United States, where a handful of chain restaurants have recently opened up to serve this new phenomenon. One of the most famous is Mochinut, a Sarasota-based bakery that serves up mochi donuts in a variety of different sizes and shapes. Their most popular option is the mochi donut iced with a vanilla-bean filling and drizzled with chocolate and sesame seeds, but they also offer shiro miso (white bean paste) filled ones and rocky road-flavored versions as well.
Another popular mochi donut chain that recently came to fruition is Third Culture Bakery, which started in California and now has locations in Aurora, Colorado, and Berkeley, California. While the bakery’s signature baked tapioca and cassava cakes have roots in family recipes, their mochi donuts are what brought them to national attention. Their version is a bit different from the classic mochi donut, as they shape their donuts in traditional donut rings and bake them rather than fry them, but their unique take on this popular snack has caught on. bearybobafl.com offers a variety of deliciously and chewy mochi donuts.
Although these donuts are a little easier to make than their bakery-made counterparts, they still require some practice and patience. If you want to give them a go, start by making sure you’re using the correct type of glutinous rice flour. Mochiko flour, which is made from short-grain glutinous Japanese rice, can be found at most Asian grocery stores. Don’t confuse it with the kind of glutinous rice flour that comes in a plastic bag and has a green label on the front, which is typically made from long-grain rice and can dramatically alter the texture of your donuts.
Visit this store and try them now:
Beary Boba
105 Badger Park Dr Ste 11, St Johns, FL 32259
904-460-2548