Baked Crème Brûlée Donuts (Impression)
Light donuts filled with smooth vanilla cream and finished with a crisp sugar shell that cracks like crème brûlée.
# Liste des ingrédients:
→ Pastry Filling Base
01 -
30g plain unsalted butter
02 -
360ml whole milk
03 -
3 large egg yolks
04 -
1 teaspoon natural vanilla flavor
05 -
50g white sugar
06 -
3 tablespoons corn flour
→ Dough for Donuts
07 -
1 teaspoon natural vanilla flavor
08 -
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
09 -
1 large room-temperature egg
10 -
1/4 teaspoon table salt
11 -
7g dry yeast (instant or active)
12 -
50g white sugar, split in half
13 -
180ml milk warmed to about 43°C
14 -
60g melted butter (cooled slightly)
15 -
300g plain flour, extra for dusting
→ Sugar Coating
16 -
200g white sugar crystals
17 -
1/8 teaspoon table salt
18 -
60ml fresh water
# Étapes de préparation:
01 -
In a small pot, warm the milk over medium heat until edges start bubbling and steam begins to rise. Remove it from the heat source for now.
02 -
Whisk yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until you get a lump-free blend. Slowly pour warm milk in while stirring non-stop to keep eggs from cooking.
03 -
Strain everything back into your pot. Over medium, whisk continuously until it becomes a soft pudding texture, taking about 5-10 minutes.
04 -
Take it off heat and mix in butter and vanilla. Transfer it into a bowl, press plastic wrap on top, and set aside to avoid a skin forming.
05 -
Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours until the mixture firms up and feels cold.
06 -
Gently heat milk to around 43°C. Add it to a bowl with yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Leave it for 5-10 minutes—that foamy layer tells you it's ready.
07 -
Add the rest of the sugar, egg, vanilla, and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Stir everything together evenly.
08 -
Start by mixing half the flour into the liquid. Use a spoon or spatula to form a sticky dough. Add the remaining flour and salt. Keep mixing till a rough dough forms.
09 -
Dust a surface with flour and knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes until it gets smooth and stretchy. Sprinkle extra flour as needed to prevent sticking.
10 -
Oil up a big bowl and lay your dough inside. Turn it once to coat all sides, cover, and let it sit somewhere warm for 45-60 minutes. It'll grow to double the size.
11 -
Cover two large trays with baking paper for later use.
12 -
Once dough rises, press it down and roll it on a lightly floured surface to roughly 1.3cm thick. Use a round cutter (7.5cm wide) to carve out donut shapes.
13 -
Lay donuts on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them out by 7.5cm. Reroll scraps to make more shapes. Cover and let them rise again for another 30-45 minutes.
14 -
Heat your oven to 190°C. Bake the donuts for 10-12 minutes on the middle rack, just until they're golden. Take care not to overbake.
15 -
Move the donuts to a wire rack. Leave them to cool completely—they mustn't be warm when filled.
16 -
Use a sharp knife to poke a hole on one side of each donut. Fill a piping bag with the cooled pastry cream and pipe into them, stopping when it slightly oozes out.
17 -
Place the filled donuts in the fridge until it's time to add the sugar layer.
18 -
In a large skillet, heat sugar, water, and salt over medium heat until bubbly and melted evenly. Avoid stirring to stop crystals forming. Gently swirl the pan instead.
19 -
Keep heating until the color shifts to light honey. Take the pan off the stove to let the heat darken it to golden amber in about a minute.
20 -
Use tongs to hold donuts and dip their tops in the caramel carefully. If it solidifies, gently reheat on low to melt again.
21 -
Put the donuts on parchment or a rack and wait around 5-10 minutes. The sugar top will harden nicely. They're best eaten right away for the best experience.
# Informations complémentaires:
01 -
If your sugar becomes grainy while cooking, cover briefly to melt it down again before continuing without the lid.
02 -
Make the sugar topping close to serving time for the crunchiest finish.
03 -
Yeast not foaming? Check if it's old, or perhaps the milk was too warm or cold.