Soft and fluffy burnt honey brioche donuts coated in sugar and filled with a burnt honey custard whipped cream.
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burnt honey brioche donuts
Hello hello! ☺︎ Today I have for you the perfect light spring donut. It starts out with a super fluffy and soft brioche which gets coated in sugar for a little sweet crunch, and gets filled with a burnt honey custard that’s lightened up with whipped cream. If you haven’t heard of burnt honey, I’m thrilled to be the one to introduce you to its deliciousness. It’s essentially just caramelized honey – we make it by cooking honey on the stove until it turns amber in color which gives it even more flavor.
There’s definitely a few components to this recipe but to make it less daunting you can make the dough and burnt honey custard the night before to fry and finish them off the next day. I know donuts and pastry cream can feel a little intimidating but I’ve got allllll the tips and tricks you need to successfully make these below. So let’s get into it!
why you’ll love these burnt honey brioche donuts:
- They’re super soft and fluffy: the dough is a brioche dough – meaning it’s enriched with milk, eggs & butter.
- Burnt honey custard: truly the star of the show here, it’s ridiculously delicious.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before you’ll need them.
the dough will take a while to knead
Kneading this dough will take a longer time than you are probably used to. This dough is enriched with eggs and butter which makes it take longer for the proper amount of gluten to develop. Kneading in the mixer can take me anywhere from 10-20 minutes. The dough is ready to be used when it passes the windowpane test and has pulled away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are weighing your ingredients, just trust the process! If you are using cup measurements and the dough just is not coming together after 15 minutes, try adding in 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
be careful heating the milk
Heating the milk is important for bringing the yeast to an optimal temperature for rising. The milk should be heated to ~100°F / 38°C but it does not have to be exact. As long as the milk is between 95°F – 110°F, it is good to be used. If the temperature exceeds 110°F, wait for it to cool down before using so that you do not kill the yeast!
how to tell your dough is done kneading: the windowpane test
The windowpane test is (in my opinion) the best way to tell that your dough has been properly kneaded. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl, it is most likely ready. However, just to be sure that it’s good to go I check if it passes the windowpane test. To do that, take some of the dough in your hands and start to slowly stretch it out. If it can get thin enough to where light passes through it before tearing, then it’s good to go! If not, keep kneading until it does!
my best tips for making BURNT HONEY custard
- When adding the milk into the burnt honey, be sure to *slowly* pour it in while mixing so that it comes together as one. If it happens to separate, don’t panic! It will come back together as the milk heats up.
- Be sure to constantly whisk the eggs while slowly streaming in the hot milk to avoid scrambling the eggs.
ingredients for burnt honey brioche donuts:
Brioche donuts:
- Bread flour: for structure and chewiness. I recommend using bread flour because it has more protein which gives you a chewier, fluffier donut. You can use all purpose flour in it’s place, but please be sure that you are using a high-quality flour that has a high protein %, such as King Arthur (11.7%) so that your gluten will develop. If you’re using a low protein flour, the gluten will not develop enough and you will have to add a lot more flour to the brioche, which will alter the dough!
- Active dry yeast: for making the dough rise. You can easily substitute in instant yeast if that is what you have on hand. You will just skip the step of combining the warm milk, sugar, and yeast!
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the brioche. Salt also “controls” the yeast to make sure that it does not overly expand.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetening the brioche and for helping the yeast with rising. We’ll also coat the donuts in some granulated sugar.
- Egg: for binding and adding moisture.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the brioche rolls and giving them a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. I would not recommend substituting in salted butter since salt is important to controlling yeast growth and the amount of salt in salted butter is quite variable.
- Whole milk: for tenderizing and hydrating the dough. Whole milk will provide the softest rolls because the extra fat helps tenderize the dough. You can however swap in 1%, 2% or your favorite non dairy milk alternative! Just note that the dough may be a little less soft and fluffy due to the varying fat content.
Burnt Honey Crème Légère:
- Honey: for sweetness and where most of our flavor is coming from. Use your favorite honey here.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness.
- Salt: to balance and bring out the flavor of the custard.
- Egg yolks: for richness and to thicken up the custard.
- Corn starch: to thicken up the custard.
- Whole milk: for richness and for a creamy texture.
- Vanilla: for flavor – vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract will work perfectly.
- Unsalted butter: makes the custard glossy. You can use salted butter here with no need to reduce the amount of salt you add in.
- Heavy whipping cream: to lighten up the custard and to transform it into a “crème légère”
how to make burnt honey brioche donuts:
Here are some of the photos of the process of making these donuts. The full recipe is at the end of this blog post!
- Make the brioche dough and let it rise until it doubles in size.
- In the meantime, start making the burnt honey custard so that it has time to chill in the fridge.
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces, then roll each piece tightly into a ball and slightly flatten them.
- Let the donuts rest, then fry them off and roll them in sugar.
- Make whipped cream, then fold the burnt honey custard into the cream.
- Once the donuts have cooled off to room temperature, fill them with the burnt honey custard cream and enjoy!
burnt honey brioche donuts recipe q&a
how to store brioche donuts
Fried donuts are definitely going to taste the best the day that they are baked, and I highly *highly* recommend serving them on the same day. Filled, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 hours at room temperature. I recommend filling them no more than 2 hours before serving so you don’t have to refrigerate them, which will change the texture a bit.
can I double this recipe?
Yes! I can’t emphasize using a kitchen scale enough for especially this recipe already, but if you are going to double or half the ingredients it is even more important that you weigh your ingredients. The dough is very hydrated and slight alterations can change the texture of the dough.
can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Definitely – just pop all of the dough ingredients into your mixing bowl to start kneading! Just be sure to keep. an eye on the dough as it should double in size faster.
can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, and I highly recommend it! Brioche dough is a very enriched dough that can be hard to work with when warm. Simply knead the dough together, cover it, and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight.
my yeast mixture isn’t foaming, what should I do?
The mixture should start foaming around 5 minutes in. If it has not foamed after 10 minutes, the yeast is likely dead. You want to make sure that the milk temperature does not exceed 110°F / 43°C or it will kill the yeast. If you try it again and it still does not foam, the yeast you are using may be expired and you will want to purchase some more before proceeding.
why are my fried donuts hollow?
While they will still be delicious, this has happened to me and it’s definitely frustrating! This could either be that the donuts did not rise for long enough, or that you didn’t get enough air out of the dough when punching it down. Note that every environment is different and while they should only take ~60 & ~30 minutes for the first and second rise in a warm environment – it could take longer if your kitchen is on the colder side. The dough is ready once it has doubled in size!
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Burnt Honey Brioche Donuts
Ingredients
Brioche Donuts
- 80 g whole milk (⅓ c.)
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 180 g bread flour (1 ½ c.)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 56 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp.) room temperature
- vegetable oil for frying
Burnt Honey Crème Légère
- 2 egg yolks
- 35 g granulated sugar (3 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 12 g corn starch (1 ½ tbsp.)
- 40 g honey (2 tbsp.)
- 225 g whole milk (8 oz.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 14 g unsalted butter (1 tbsp.)
- 150 g heavy whipping cream (⅔ c.)
Sugar Coating
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ c.)
Instructions
Brioche Donuts
- In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat the milk to 100°F / 38°C. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar. Set aside until the mixture begins to foam. (~5 minutes)
- While waiting, add the flour, salt, egg, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. When the yeast mixture begins to foam, add it in to the rest of the ingredients.
- Knead the dough on low speed for 1 minute to allow the ingredients to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the dough passes the windowpane test. (This will happen after the dough has cleaned the sides and bottom of the bowl)
- Once the dough is done kneading, butter the inside of the bowl, form the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl. Then cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap. At this point, you could set the dough in the fridge to rise overnight, or continue with completing the recipe in one day. If doing in one day, set the dough in a warm area and wait for it to double in size (~1 hour.)
Burnt Honey Crème Légère
- Start on the burnt honey custard while the dough is rising. Add the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to a small mixing bowl. Whisk the mixture together until it turns light, pale, and fluffy. Set aside.
- Add the honey to a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat. Let the honey cook, stirring occasionally, until it significantly darkens in color.
- While constantly whisking, very slowly stream in the milk. Stir the mixture occasionally until it comes to a simmer.
- While constantly whisking the egg mixture, slowly stream in about half of the hot milk mixture. Then, pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan and put it back over medium heat.
- Constantly whisk the custard until it thickens, then whisk it for an additional minute.
- Remove the custard from the heat and pour it through a fine mesh sieve into another mixing bowl. Mix in the vanilla and 1 tbsp. of butter until the mixture is cohesive and smooth.
- Press plastic wrap directly on top of the custard, then place it in the fridge to cool until you're ready to fill the donuts.
Assembly
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove excess air, then transfer it to a clean, lightly floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 6 equally sized pieces, and roll each tightly into a ball.
- Cut out 6 parchment squares that are ~4" each and place them on to a lined baking tray.
- Transfer the dough balls each to their own parchment square. Press down on each of the balls to slightly flatten them, then cover them loosely with a towel.
- Allow them to rise in a warm environment for ~30 minutes, or until they have slightly puffed up. Pour the sugar out onto a shallow dish.
- Once the buns have puffed up, fill a large saucepan with at least 2" of vegetable or any neutral oil. Heat the mixture to 365°F / 185°C.
- Carefully place the donuts in to the fryer with the parchment paper (2-3 at a time, depending on what your pan can fit). After ~5-10 seconds, remove carefully remove the parchment from the donuts using metal tongs.
- Fry the donuts on each side for 2-3 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown. You can also check if they are done by making sure the internal temperature is at least 190°F / 87°C.
- Remove the donuts from the oil with a metal slotted spoon and immediately toss them in the sugar.
- While the donuts are cooling to room temperature, finish making the burnt honey crème légère. In a medium sized mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- Add the cooled custard into the whipped cream*, and gently fold it together until cohesive and smooth.
- Once the donuts have cooled to room temperature, use a sharp knife to poke a hole in the top of each donut.
- Transfer the burnt honey custard to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Fill each donut generously with the custard, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Hello, these look fantastic! We don’t have a stand mixer – how frustrating would this dough be to knead by hand…?
Thank you so much! Unfortunately this dough would be pretty frustrating to knead by hand since it’s pretty hydrated, and would be super sticky for the majority of the kneading process.
I just made these, and they were soo good! I had to add a little extra flour while the dough was kneading to get it to pull away from the bowl, but otherwise they were perfect.
Thank you so much Poppy, I’m so happy you enjoyed the donuts! 🙂