Burnt Honey Brioche Donuts
Soft and fluffy burnt honey brioche donuts coated in sugar and filled with a burnt honey custard whipped cream.
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
Affiliate links: Kitchen Scale (my favorite) | Kitchen scale (great starter option) | Oven Thermometer | Cordless Hand Mixer | Stand Mixer
*If you want to make the same design on top of your donuts, set aside a small amount of the honey custard before adding it into the whipped cream. I used a V-shape piping tip to pipe a little wavy design of the crème légère on top of the donuts, then piped little dollops of the honey custard on top of it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1donutCalories: 489kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 8gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 240mgPotassium: 159mgFiber: 1gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 825IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 1mg