Soft and fluffy lemon brioche donuts filled with lemon mascarpone whipped cream and lemon curd & coated in lemon sugar.
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lemon brioche donuts
Hello hello! Spring and Summer means it’s time for allllll the citrus bakes. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors so I’m super excited to share these with you today. These lemon brioche donuts start with a super light and fluffy brioche dough. After frying, they immediately get coated with a mixture of lemon zest and sugar, and filled with a lemon mascarpone whipped cream. Below I have a lot of tips and tricks on dealing with yeast bread that I hope are helpful, but please feel free to leave any questions you might have below on the post.
Now let’s get into it! ☺︎
why you’ll love these lemon brioche donuts:
- They’re super soft and fluffy: the dough is a brioche dough – meaning it’s enriched with milk, eggs & butter.
- Lemon sugar: these donuts are coated in a mixture of lemon zest & sugar for fresh lemon flavor.
- Lemon mascarpone cream: the perfect light and fluffy pairing to the lemon flavor.
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!
ingredients for lemon brioche donuts:
Brioche donuts:
- All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness. 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.
- 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.
HOMEMADE LEMON CURD:
You can use store-bought lemon curd, but this lemon curd is super easy to make and has more flavor (in my opinion) than store bought.
- Egg yolk: thickens up the curd.
- Granulated sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the curd.
- Lemon: the star of the show – we’ll be using both the zest and the juice for maximum flavor.
- Unsalted butter: helps thicken the curd and make it creamy. You can substitute in salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the curd! You can also use your favorite dairy-free butter stick as a substitute.
Lemon mascarpone whipped cream:
- Mascarpone: for a rich and creamy texture.
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream.
- Lemon zest: for fresh lemon flavor.
- Lemon extract: optional, for more lemon flavor.
- Granulated sugar: just a tiny bit, for sweetening the whipped cream.
lemon sugar coating:
- Granulated sugar & lemon zest
how to make lemon filled donuts:
Here are some of the photos of the process of making these lemon brioche 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, make the lemon curd so that it can chill in the fridge while making the donuts.
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces, then roll each piece tightly into a ball.
- Place each ball on a small sheet of parchment paper. Push each ball down to flatten it slightly, then let the dough rise again.
- Fry the donuts.
- Immediately coat the donuts in lemon sugar. Once they cool down to room temperature fill them with mascarpone whipped cream & lemon curd & enjoy!
lemon brioche donuts recipe q&a
how to store lemon 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. I recommend refrigerating the dough overnight to make it easier to work with and more flavorful. However, if you are making the recipe all in one day, and using instant yeast, let the dough rest for just 10 minutes as the first rise (or whatever the instructions are on your yeast packet), then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
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. When ready to make the honey almond brioche cake simply take it out of the fridge and proceed with the recipe.
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
Lemon Brioche Donuts
Ingredients
Brioche Donuts
- 80 g whole milk (⅓ c.)
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 180 g all purpose flour (1 ½ c.)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 56 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp.) room temperature
Lemon Curd
- 1 egg yolk
- 35 g granulated sugar (3 tbsp.)
- 20 g lemon juice (1 tbsp. + 1 tsp.)
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 14 g unsalted butter (1 tbsp.) room temperature
Lemon Sugar Coating
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- zest of 1 large lemon
Lemon Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 75 g mascarpone (⅓ c.)
- 140 g heavy whipping cream (5 oz.)
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 tsp. lemon extract
- 25 g granulated sugar (2 tbsp.)
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.)
Lemon Curd
- While the dough is rising, make the lemon curd.
- Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt to a small saucepan.
- Whisk the mixture vigorously over medium heat until it thickens, and reaches at least 170°F / 76°C.
- Remove the curd from the heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and any accidental cooked egg.
- Immediately mix in the butter until it melts and the mixture is completely smooth.
- Transfer the lemon curd to an airtight container and store it in the fridge until you're ready to fill the donuts.
Shaping, Frying & Coating
- 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.
- Make the lemon sugar coating: add the sugar and lemon zest to a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar, and set aside.
- 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 3-4 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 and immediately toss them in the lemon sugar.
Lemon Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- In a small mixing bowl, beat together the mascarpone, lemon zest, sugar, and lemon extract (if using) until just combined.
- While beating the mixture, slowly stream in the heavy whipping cream. Continue beating until soft peaks form.
- Once the donuts have cooled to room temperature, use a sharp knife to poke a hole in the top of each donuts.
- Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a round tip, leaving room on one side of the piping bag to put in the lemon curd. Pour the lemon curd into the bag as well. Fill each donut generously with the whipped cream & lemon curd, then serve and enjoy!
Made these for Mother’s Day, and they turned out perfect. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much Jess, I’m so happy you liked them! ☺︎
One of the best doughnut recipes I’ve come across…and I’m a chef.
if you leave the dough to rise overnight, do you still need to let it rise in a warm area for an hour when you pull it out of the fridge?
Hi! Nope, if you let it rise overnight that takes the place of the first rise!
I would love to try this recipe for a brunch but won’t have the time to do the second rise and fry that morning! Do you think I could make them the night before and fill them in the morning? What is the best way to keep them fresh? Thanks so much!