Brioche Doughnuts with Vanilla Custard Filling
Heavenly fried brioche doughnuts are worth every minute. It’s a rich, buttery and fluffy doughnut that that may look intimidating, but this recipe will walk you through all the steps for making the perfect dough. A favorite filling for these doughnuts is vanilla custard, but feel free to swap that with others such as jam, nutella, etc.
Servings: 12 Doughnuts
Brioche Doughnuts:
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Canola Oil, for frying
Vanilla Custard
6 egg yolks, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
For the Vanilla Custard:
Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat to bring to a boil. Immediately turn off and set aside.
In large bowl, place the eggs, vanilla and sugar and whisk until light and thick. Sift in the cornstarch and whisk until there are no lumps. Whisk in 1/4 cup of hot milk and mix until incorporated. Add in the remaining milk and whisk.
Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the pot. Cook over medium heat, while whisking, until thickened and slightly boiling. Cook while whisking for another minute after thickened and boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Let the custard cool slightly then cover with plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap lightly against the surface to prevent a crinkly skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator until its ready for use.
For the Doughnuts
In a mixing bowl, or your stand mixers bowl, mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, undisturbed, until you see bubbles starting to form on the surface.
Add in the flour and eggs, and with your paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for about one minute. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead for about 8 minutes.
Add in the salt and about one tablespoon of butter at a time and continue to knead for another 8 minutes. The dough should look smooth and glossy and it won’t stick to the sides of the bowl.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a light towel and allow to rise in a room temperature setting for 2 hours. The dough should be doubled in size. Once risen, remove the plastic wrap, punch down the dough and gently knead back into a ball shape and place it back in the oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise over night, about 12 hours, in the fridge.
After the dough has rested overnight, its time to divide and shape! Put the dough on a floured counter and divide in half. Roll each half to 1/2 inch thick. Using a circle doughnut/cookie cutter, cut out the doughnuts. Place the pieces onto a parchment lined baking tray, cover, and let it rest again at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In big cast iron pot, or deep pan, fill it up to the halfway point with oil and heat to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. I always do a test doughnut to make sure the rest of the doughnuts come out perfect. Fry the test doughnut for about 1-2 minutes on each side before removing from the oil and placing on a cooling rack. Gently place the doughnuts into the hot oil, trying not to deflate them. Don’t overcrowd the fryer - do two or three doughnuts per batch. And continue to fry the doughnuts about 1-2 minutes on each side, they will be golden brown. Let them cool for a few minutes.
Transfer the custard, or any desired filling, into a pastry bag fitting with a small round tip (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a large Ziploc and cut a small opening at the corner of the bag). Poke a hole in the side of each doughnut and fill with the vanilla custard. The doughnuts are best served as soon as they are filled. Enjoy!
