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The Bakery 100 · make it at home

Custard doughnuts

Overnight, 1 hr hands-on · 12 doughnuts

Brioche doughnuts fried golden, rolled in sugar and filled until they bulge with vanilla custard.

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The real one

You need

• Dough: 500 g bread flour (4 cups)
• 60 g sugar (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 10 g instant yeast (1 tbsp)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 150 ml whole milk, cool (2/3 cup)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 125 g soft unsalted butter (1 stick + 1 tbsp)
• Custard: 500 ml whole milk (2 cups)
• 1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla paste
• 6 egg yolks
• 120 g sugar (2/3 cup)
• 40 g cornstarch (1/3 cup)
• 30 g butter (2 tbsp)
• 150 ml heavy cream, whipped (2/3 cup)
• Sunflower oil for frying, sugar for rolling

How to make it

1. Dough (20 min, then overnight): Knead flour, sugar, yeast, salt, eggs, milk and zest for 8 minutes, then add the butter in pieces and knead 8 minutes more until glossy. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Custard (15 min plus chilling): Heat milk and vanilla to steaming. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch, pour on the hot milk while whisking, return to the pan and cook, whisking, until it boils and thickens, 1 minute more. Whisk in the butter, press plastic onto the surface and chill completely. Before filling, beat it smooth and fold in the whipped cream.
3. Shape (15 min): Divide the cold dough into 12 pieces of about 70 g and roll into tight balls on an unfloured counter. Set on squares of floured parchment.
4. Proof (2 to 3 hr): Cover loosely and proof until nearly doubled and very airy.
5. Fry (20 min): Heat 8 cm of oil to 175C (350F). Lower the doughnuts in on their parchment (peel it off as they float), 3 at a time, and fry 2 1/2 minutes a side until deep golden with a pale ring around the middle. Drain, then roll in sugar while warm.
6. Fill (10 min): When cool, poke a hole in the side with a knife and pipe in custard until each one feels heavy.

Tips

• A thermometer is non-negotiable: too cool and they soak oil, too hot and the inside stays raw.
• For Venetian frittelle, fold raisins and pine nuts into a softer dough and drop spoonfuls into the oil.

Chef Amazing's own home version of custard doughnut, in our words; not any bakery's recipe.