Pon de Ring — the connected-ball donut design from Mister Donut Japan — became one of the most imitated donut formats globally because the shape solves an eating problem: the individual balls allow you to break off one sphere at a time, controlling the amount you eat and making each bite a complete, chewy unit. The ring format produces something you could share or eat section by section.
The key ingredient: mochiko (glutinous rice flour). Unlike regular donut dough (yeasted wheat flour, puffy and airy), mochi donut dough is dense, slightly gluey before frying, and produces a chewy interior when fried. The exterior becomes crispy from the oil contact; the interior stays slightly stretchy and dense — the opposite of what regular donuts do.
Why Glutinous Rice Flour
Regular donuts use wheat flour for its gluten network. The gluten traps CO2 from yeast (or baking powder), producing an airy, light crumb. The texture is soft and pillowy.
Mochi donuts use mochiko (glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour). Glutinous rice flour has no gluten but very high amylopectin content — the starch that creates the sticky, stretchy texture of mochi. When fried:
- The surface contact with hot oil sets quickly, creating a thin, crispy shell
- The interior remains dense and chewy, held together by the amylopectin starch network
- The result: crispy exterior, chewy-stretchy interior
Glutinous rice flour is not the same as regular rice flour. Do not substitute.
Ingredients (Makes 6-8 Pon de Ring donuts)
Dough:
- 200g mochiko (glutinous rice flour / sweet rice flour)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg
- 100ml whole milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (or neutral oil)
Frying:
- Neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or rice bran) — approximately 1 liter for deep frying
To finish:
- Powdered sugar (classic)
- Or see glazes below
Method
1. Make the Dough
Combine mochiko, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add egg, milk, and melted butter. Mix until a uniform, slightly sticky dough forms. The texture should be firmer than pancake batter but not as firm as bread dough — pliable but sticky.
If too sticky to shape: refrigerate 30 minutes. The cold firms the starch and makes it easier to handle.
2. Shape the Rings
Pon de Ring method:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut parchment into 10cm squares (one per donut).
- Divide dough into 8-10 portions (each donut uses 8 balls).
- Roll each ball to approximately 2-3cm diameter by rolling between palms.
- Arrange 8 balls in a ring on one parchment square, touching each other. The balls should be connected.
- Chill the assembled rings for 15 minutes while heating oil.
Alternative: Simple ring (no individual balls) Roll dough into a log, join the ends into a ring. Simpler; less visual.
3. Fry
Heat oil to 170°C (340°F) in a deep pot. Use a thermometer — too hot and the exterior burns before the interior cooks; too cool and the donut absorbs excess oil.
Lower each parchment square (ring on parchment) gently into the oil. The parchment separates from the donut within 30 seconds — remove with tongs and discard.
Fry 2-3 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden all over. The donut should feel slightly firm when tapped; the interior will continue to set slightly as it cools.
Drain on a rack (not paper towels — the bottom will steam and soften).
4. Glaze or Dust While Warm
Classic powdered sugar: Dust generously while still warm. The sugar adheres to the oily surface.
Matcha glaze: 100g powdered sugar + 1.5 tablespoons matcha + 2-3 tablespoons milk. Whisk until smooth. Dip cooled (not hot) donuts — the glaze sets on a cooled surface.
Ube glaze: 100g powdered sugar + 2 tablespoons ube halaya (ube jam) + 1 tablespoon milk. Blitz together. Dip. The glaze is purple and has a subtle earthy sweetness.
Black sesame glaze: 100g powdered sugar + 2 tablespoons black sesame paste + 1-2 tablespoons milk. Dark, nutty, slightly bitter.
Kinako (roasted soybean flour): Mix kinako with powdered sugar (1:1 ratio) with a tiny pinch of salt. Dust over warm donuts. The roasted soybean flour tastes like a Japanese peanut butter — nutty and earthy.
Eating Timeline
Warm, within 15 minutes of frying: Best texture. The exterior is at maximum crispiness; the interior is perfectly chewy and slightly warm.
At room temperature (1-2 hours later): The exterior softens slightly. Still very good — the chewy interior is actually more pronounced once the exterior has relaxed.
Refrigerated: Firm and harder. Reheat in an oven (not microwave — the microwave makes mochi gummy) at 150°C for 5 minutes to restore some crispiness.
The Variations
Korean twist — hotteok mochi donut: Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon brown sugar to the dough. The result tastes like a mochi donut version of the Korean sweet pancake.
Japanese sesame donut: Add 2 tablespoons ground white sesame to the dough. Finish with sesame glaze. The sesame flavor permeates the entire donut.
Pandan mochi donut: Add 2 teaspoons pandan extract and 2 drops green food coloring to the dough. Glaze with coconut icing (powdered sugar + coconut milk). Pandan's floral, vanilla-adjacent flavor against the mochi texture is one of the best donut combinations outside Japan.
Mister Donut and the Pon de Ring Story
Mister Donut Japan (a separate company from the US Mister Donut franchise since 1971) introduced the Pon de Ring in 2003 — named after the Brazilian street food pão de queijo (cheese bread balls), which uses tapioca starch for its chewy texture. Japanese food scientists adapted the concept with glutinous rice flour to create a uniquely Japanese-Brazilian-American food hybrid.
It became Mister Donut's most successful product. The name is still used in Japan as the generic term for ball-ring mochi donuts. The fact that it was itself a fusion product — Japanese rice flour + Brazilian cheese bread concept + American donut format — makes it a prototype Borderless Kitchen dish.
The full recipes live in the book.
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