Brioche Donuts Honey (Printable Version)

Light-as-air brioche donuts with a creamy burnt honey center and crunchy sugar outside. Sweet and toasty at the same time.

# Everything You’ll Need:

→ Brioche Base

01 - Vegetable oil for frying
02 - 56 g unsalted butter, at room temp
03 - 1 large egg, let sit at room temp
04 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
05 - 180 g bread flour
06 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
08 - 80 g whole milk, warmed up to 38°C

→ Burnt Honey Cream

09 - 150 g heavy cream, cold
10 - 14 g unsalted butter
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - 225 g whole milk
13 - 40 g honey
14 - 12 g corn starch
15 - 0.125 teaspoon salt
16 - 35 g granulated sugar
17 - 2 egg yolks

→ Sugar For Coating

18 - 150 g granulated sugar

# Steps to Cook:

01 - After your doughnuts are cool, grab a knife and poke a hole at the top of each one. Load a piping bag with the burnt honey cream and stuff each doughnut generously.
02 - Whip chilled heavy cream with a mixer until super fluffy. Scoop in the cooled burnt honey custard and fold together till smooth and even.
03 - Grab the doughnuts out of hot oil with a slotted spoon, drop them in sugar right away, and coat all over. Leave to cool down.
04 - Working in batches, carefully lower each dough ball (with its piece of parchment) into the hot oil. Pull out the parchment with tongs after a few seconds. Fry until both sides are rich golden and insides hit at least 87°C. Each side takes 2-3 minutes.
05 - Fill your big saucepan with at least 5 cm of oil and get it hot—aim for 185°C.
06 - Lay dough balls on 6 parchment squares (about 10 cm), set them on a tray, press each gently, then cover with a towel. Let them puff up for around half an hour somewhere warm.
07 - Punch down the risen dough, flop it onto a floured counter, slice into 6 parts, and tighten each bit into a ball shape.
08 - Take the pan off the heat. Strain custard through a mesh sieve into a clean bowl, mix in vanilla and butter until smooth. Press plastic wrap right on top and chill it.
09 - Gently pour half your hot milk over the egg mix, whisking to blend. Tip it all back into the saucepan and cook over medium while stirring non-stop until thick. Give it a bit longer—about a minute—to make sure it’s set.
10 - Put honey in a saucepan and heat until it gets noticeably darker. Slowly whisk in your milk. Let the mix come to a simmer and stir once in a while.
11 - Whisk egg yolks, sugar, salt, and corn starch in a bowl till it’s light and airy. Set aside.
12 - Rub some butter inside your bowl, shape dough into a ball, cover tight, and let it plump up somewhere warm for about an hour. Overnight in the fridge also works.
13 - Knead everything on low for a minute in a stand mixer with a dough hook, then bump up to medium-high for 10–20 minutes—until smooth and stretchy (you want it to pass the windowpane check).
14 - Tip in bread flour, salt, egg, and butter (room temp) into your mixing bowl. Pour in the foamy yeast mixture too.
15 - Warm milk to 38°C in the microwave, then stir in yeast and sugar. Wait a few minutes until you see some bubbles forming.

# Extra Suggestions:

01 - Letting dough sit in the fridge overnight makes it tastier and improves the crumb.
02 - Burnt honey brings a strong, caramel taste that plays so well with the soft filling.

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