Description
Indulge in these easy crème brûlée donuts featuring a soft, fluffy dough enriched with a rich tangzhong starter, filled with smooth, creamy crème pâtissière custard, and coated with a delicate, crisp caramel glaze. Perfect for a decadent treat that combines the classic French dessert flavors with the beloved comfort of donuts.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dough Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp milk (50g)
- 1 tbsp flour (10g)
- 3/4 cup milk (180g)
- 1.5 tsp yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (400g)
- 2 tbsp milk powder (15g)
- 1/4 cup sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 5 tbsp softened butter, in 2 parts (70g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Crème Pâtissière:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar (110g)
- 2 tbsp corn starch (20g)
- 2 cups milk (460g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Caramel Coating:
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare Tangzhong: In a nonstick pan over medium heat, stir together 4 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp flour until a thick paste forms. This will serve as the tangzhong starter to keep the dough soft and moist.
- Activate Yeast: Combine the tangzhong with 3/4 cup cold milk and 1.5 tsp yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let rest for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes lukewarm to activate the yeast properly.
- Make Dough: Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 large egg, and 1/2 tsp salt to the yeast mixture—reserve half the softened butter. Knead with a dough hook at medium-high speed for 5 minutes until the dough starts to come together.
- Incorporate Butter: Add the remaining 5 tbsp softened butter in parts and knead for an additional 5-8 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- First Rise: Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, refrigerate overnight but do not partially rise at room temperature then refrigerate.
- Shape Donuts: Roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 4-inch circles using a cutter. Place each circle on small pieces of parchment paper and transfer to a tray. Let rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes until slightly puffy.
- Fry Donuts: Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a wok over medium heat to 350°F (175°C). Remove parchment from a test donut and fry for about 2 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Adjust frying time as needed. Fry all donuts, keeping un-fried ones in a cool place to prevent overproofing.
- Cool Donuts: Place fried donuts on a wire rack to cool at room temperature while preparing the filling.
- Make Crème Pâtissière: Whisk together 2 eggs, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup sugar until combined. Heat 2 cups milk with 1 tsp vanilla extract in a nonstick pan until boiling. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously, then return all to the pan.
- Cook Custard: Over low heat, stir constantly until the mixture thickens to a custard-like consistency. Remove from heat, stir in 2 tbsp unsalted butter until smooth. Strain the custard to remove lumps; blend for 30 seconds if needed. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Fill Donuts: Transfer the chilled crème pâtissière into a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck tip. Puncture each donut and fill with custard until the donuts feel heavy.
- Prepare Caramel: In a nonstick pan, combine 1 cup sugar, 4 tbsp water, and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat without stirring until sugar dissolves and caramelizes to a deep golden color. Remove from heat immediately once desired caramel color is reached.
- Coat Donuts: While caramel is hot, dip one side of each donut quickly in the caramel to coat lightly. Reheat caramel if it hardens before coating all donuts. Allow caramel to cool and harden to form a crispy coating.
- Serve: Enjoy the donuts fresh for optimal texture and flavor.
Notes
- Best consumed within a few hours for optimal freshness and texture.
- Keep donuts uncovered at room temperature to maintain crispiness of the caramel coating; covering will cause sogginess due to humidity.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
