One of my most popular reels on Instagram and Tiktok needed a recipe to accompany it. Apologies for the delay, but I’ve typed it all out below! HERE is a link to the video reel.
NOTES
I made the crème patissiere before I made the brioche dough. The pastry cream needs to chill for an hour or two, and your kitchen counter won’t get too overcrowded if you make the dough and cream at different times.
I use a 2-inch circular biscuit cutter from Target’s Magnolia collection to shape the doughnuts. I wouldn’t recommend using a wider diameter cutter, especially if this is your first time making doughnuts. The doughnuts are better sized, easier to handle, and easier to fry without overcooking/burning if you stick with a 2-inch cutter and 1/2 inch height. After their second round of proofing (see recipe instructions), the doughnuts will puff up while frying, giving the brioche its pillowed, aerated texture.
You need a deep-fry thermometer for this recipe as the oil must remain around 350 to 360 F. This means you may have to play around with the stove and lower the heat as the oil gets too hot (the temperature of the oil will change throughout the frying process, so keep a close eye on it). Moreover, if the oil gets too cool, the brioche will absorb more of it and need to fry for longer to be fully cooked, so your doughnuts will turn greasy and may even become over-browned. A well-proofed and perfectly fried doughnut will be golden brown with a “tan line” running through its center.
As the doughnuts are fried off, place them on a wire rack for excess oil to drip off before rolling them in sugar.
FOR THE DOUGH:
67 ml whole milk
4.7 g (standard half packet) instant dried yeast
171 g (about 1.5 cups) all-purpose flour
20 g granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
33 g (2.5 tbsp) unsalted butter, soft at room temperature
Vegetable oil, for frying
Cane sugar, for rolling
Warm milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches 120-130 F (lukewarm to the touch). Stir in the yeast until it is dissolved, then set aside to proof for 5 minutes.
While the yeast proofs, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt) in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Pour the milk-yeast mixture in the bowl and mix on medium-low (I use 4 on my KitchenAid) until roughly combined. Then, add in the eggs, and mix for an additional 1-2 minutes until well combined. Set the mixer to medium (I use 6 on my KitchenAid) and let the dough knead for 5 minutes, until a rounded, smooth ball has formed around the base of the hook.
At this point, you want to start adding in the softened butter, 1 tbsp. at a time. Once all the butter has been incorporated, set the mixer speed to medium-high and lock in the head (I use 8 on my KitchenAid). Knead for another 5 minutes, until a dough ball is velvety and fully formed around the base. The stand mixer may start rocking as the dough is kneading.
Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough ball in it. There is no need to further handle the dough after it has kneaded in the stand mixer. Let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about an hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Once risen, punch it back down to deflate it. At this point, you can proceed to make the doughnuts, or place the dough in the refrigerator overnight to use later.
When you’re ready to fry the doughnuts, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to get it to a 1/2 inch thickness. Make sure the flattened dough is even from the top. Then, use the circular cutter to cut out doughnuts and place them on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Cover the cut out dough circle with a light kitchen towel and place in a warm place to further proof for 20 minutes. Do not exceed this time or you will have over-proofed doughnuts.
While the dough circles are going through their last round of proofing, begin to heat the oil in a medium, heavy-set pot over medium heat. Use a deep fry thermometer to make sure the oil stays consistently between 350 and 360 F. Once the doughnuts have proofed, work in batches to fry them 1 minute per side (or until golden brown), and then transfer them to a wire rack to drip off excess oil. Then, roll them in sugar (while they’re still warm so the cane crystals stick), and fill with the pastry cream.
FOR THE VANILLA SUGAR:
Crush scraped vanilla pods in a food processor, then roll with granulated sugar until it’s speckled. Use this sugar to coat the donuts after they’ve cooled post-frying.
FOR THE PASTRY CREAM:
2 yolks
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla pod, beans scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tbsp cup all purpose flour or cornstarch
Whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, salt and cornstarch until pale and fluffy (you can do this by hand, or use a stand mixer/electric beaters).
Simmer together heavy cream, vanilla, and milk. While continuously whisking the egg mixture, slowly stream down a ladle of the heated milk mixture. Repeat with 3-4 ladles, then add the egg/milk mixture back into the pan.
Whisk vigorously over medium heat, concentrating on the edges of the pan, for a few minutes until it thickens (will thicken further as it cools). Strain through a sieve, cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill.
To finish, sprinkle some crushed vanilla shortbread cookies on top.