Vanilla Cream–Filled Doughnuts

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Keller + Keller

For years before I opened Flour, I had a notebook where I kept menu ideas for when I finally had my own dream bakery. It was filled with all of the pastries I had read about in cookbooks, learned to make at my jobs, and savored on my travels. When it came time to write a menu for the bakery, I realized it was impossible to include everything I wanted to offer. These doughnuts barely made the cut. After all, we were opening less than a block away from an outpost of the ubiquitous Dunkin' Donuts chain. But they ended up being a Flour best-seller. I first learned how to make doughnuts at Payard. A French pastry chef taught me how to make doughnuts that make Americans swoon, though they scarcely resemble what you get at the competition down the street. We only make them on Sundays, and they sell out every week.

Yield
Makes nine 4-inch doughnuts

Ingredients

    • 1 package (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast or 2/3 ounce (18 grams) fresh cake yeast
    • 2/3 cup (160 grams) milk, at room temperature
    • 3 1/2 cups (490 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 1 1/3 cups (270 grams) sugar
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • 3 eggs
    • 7 tablespoons (3/4 stick/100 grams) butter, at room temperature, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
    • Canola oil, for frying
  1. Vanilla Cream Filling

Preparation

    1. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast and milk. Stir together briefly, then let sit for about 1 minute to dissolve the yeast. Add the flour, 1/3 cup (70 grams) of the sugar, the salt, and the eggs and mix on low speed for about 1 minute, or until the dough comes together. Then, still on low speed, mix for another 2 to 3 minutes to develop the dough further. Now, begin to add the butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to mix for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is soft and cohesive.
    2. Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 15 hours.
    3. Lightly flour a baking sheet. On a well-floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch square about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2- to 4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 9 doughnuts. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to proof for 2 to 3 hours, or until they are about doubled in height and feel poufy and pillowy.
    4. When ready to fry, line a tray or baking sheet large enough to hold the doughnuts with paper towels. Pour oil to a depth of about 3 inches into a large, heavy saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until hot. To test the oil, throw in a pinch of flour. If it sizzles on contact, the oil is ready. (It should be 350 degrees if you are using a thermometer.) Working in batches, place the doughnuts in the hot oil, being careful not to crowd them. Fry on the first side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown. Then gently flip them and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown on the second side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts to the prepared tray and let cool for a few minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
    5. Place the remaining 1 cup (200 grams) sugar in a small bowl. One at a time, toss the warm doughnuts in the sugar to coat evenly. As each doughnut is coated, return it to the tray to cool completely. This will take 30 to 40 minutes.
    6. To make the vanilla cream filling: While the doughnuts are cooking, whip the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold it into the pastry cream . You should have about 3 cups.
    7. When doughnuts are completely cooled, poke a hole in the side of each doughnut, spacing it equidistant between the top and bottom. Fit a pastry bag with a small round tip and fill the bag with the filling. Squirt about 1/3 cup filling into each doughnut. Serve immediately.

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Nutritional Info

  • Calories536
  • Carbohydrates73 g(24%)
  • Fat23 g(36%)
  • Protein9 g(17%)
  • Saturated Fat9 g(47%)
  • Sodium342 mg(14%)
  • Polyunsaturated Fat3 g
  • Fiber2 g(7%)
  • Monounsaturated Fat9 g
  • Cholesterol93 mg(31%)

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Reviews

  • Made these today. They're ok. I wanted spectacular, especially for the amount of work. I don't think I'll make again. - The dough is simple to make & easy to work with, but I dislike the long resting time - you really have to plan! - 350 is too high for frying these, at least on the stove; might be fine in a deep fryer. At 350 on the stove (in a Le Crueset Dutch), they burnt in about 30 secs. Much better at 300-325. - The pastry cream is delicious! But I think it's way to light for these; it gets lost, which is unfortunate.

  • Ugh, oily, heavy and dense. No one could eat them. The dough was easy enough and they rose fine. They also weren't sweet. My daughter said it just tasted like oily bread. It wont let me give ZERO forks. Hope you have better luck. My cookbook club bought the Epicurious cookbook but after so many bad recipes we gave up on it. Live and learn.

  • Could you cook these doughnuts in the oven instead?

  • This is a fabulously simple but delicious donut. The recipe was very straightforward, and even though I chilled the dough overnight, the donuts came out light and fluffy. I also made the pastry cream the day before. Given the simplicity of the recipe, I think I'll add some other ingredients next time I make it, ie lemon zest or choc chips or maybe some cinnamon. Lovely recipe,thanks!

  • Hi, I love these doughnuts they're amazing. I did want to check though if I'm proofing them correctly. Could anyone tell me the approx temperature I should be proving them at for the 2-3 hours? Thank you

  • Dear aasmith, try letting the yeast and milk mixture sit a minute or two longer. Your kitchen might be cooler. Hope this helps. Sometimes adding the salt after the yeast mix has sat helps. Yeast is slowed down by salt.

  • Try this recipe: pastry cream(by Francois Payard), but heat the mix in a metal bowl over a med simmering pot of water like a double boiler in the final stage of this recipe. Cream works best.

  • Made this recipe without the filling. Doughnut hole sized, then bite sized, served first, rolled in cinammon sugar, then with caramel, cream cheese frosting, and apricot dipping sauces. Killer! Making for Thanksgiving dinner!

  • I tried twice to make this recipe and was not happy with the out comes. First attempt, I didn't get the proofing of the dough correct. Second attempt, I proofed the dough in the oven (turned off) with the pan of boiling water. The dough puffed up but I am not sure it was as high as it should have been. They just didn't seem as light as the picture looks. Baking is something I am trying to get better at so if there are any tips, send 'em my way! The Vanilla Cream Filling is DELICIOUS though!

  • TOTALLY AMAZING. Tried 4 other recipes for doughnuts which were tasteless.This was not a lot of work (I thought), came together beautifully and tasted awesome. I used jelly filling instead of pastry cream.I used a plastic cake decorator with a long tube to insert the jam.

  • the words Pastry Cream is a live link to another recipe, in which you learn how to MAKE pastry creaam (incl vanilla)

  • Where do you buy Pastry Cream? Is there a recipe for it? Made a mistake before asking for pasta cream DUH!

  • Where do you buy pasta cream? Is there a recipe somewhere for it?

  • the vanilla is in the pastry cream.

  • my name is nanda kumar user name kumarnandaanan

  • There's vanilla in the pastry cream...

  • There is NO vanilla in the ingredients listed.....