Brioche Donuts (Brioche Doughnuts)

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This is an easy recipe for homemade brioche donuts.
• It uses fairly simple ingredients and makes amazingly pillowy donuts, making it the best brioche donuts recipe.
• With a soft and fluffy texture, these homemade donuts are simply irresistible, you will keep reaching for more.
• You can break the process of making these fluffy brioche donuts into 2 days, hence you need not spend too long in a day to wait for them to proof. The refrigeration overnight sorts out the proofing time, saving you the waiting time.
• With a whole lot of filling options, this basic donuts recipe is a perfect choice for those looking to try out customized donut flavors.

Like this homemade brioche donut recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Homemade White Bread Loaf (A Basic Bread Recipe)
• Old Fashioned Homemade Yeast Doughnuts
• Homemade Fried Dough Recipe (Dough Bites in Simple Syrup)
• Peanut Puffs (Perfect Tea Time Treats)
• Chocolate Brioche Bread (Easy Brioche Loaf)
• Easy Yeast Rolls for Beginners (How to Make)
• Ube Rolls (Soft and Fluffy Twisted Bread Rolls)
• Coffee Rolls with Coffee Cream Cheese Glaze
• Coconut Rolls with Coconut Glaze
• Cinnamon Rolls with Raisins

📋Ingredients

Dough

• All purpose flour + salt - salt should not be added directly to yeast as it will kill the yeast. Best way to add is to mix it with flour before adding or adding it to the yeast after the flour.
• Instant yeast - there are 2 types of dry yeast i.e. instant dry yeast and active dry yeast. Instant yeast does not require activation (i.e. mixing with warm liquid and waiting for it to froth or bloom). You can mix the yeast with room temperature liquid, and then proceed to add all the other ingredients and knead without having to wait for the yeast to froth or bloom. This recipe uses instant yeast.
• Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - Granulated sugar will dissolve more readily and is better compared to coarse sugar.
• Eggs - use large eggs.
• Butter - both salted and unsalted butter will work for this recipe.
• Whole milk - can be at room temperature. Do not use hot milk as it will kill the yeast.
• Oil for frying - use neutral oil like sunflower oil or canola oil.

Coating

• Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - use fine sugar to coat the fried doughnuts.

🧾Substitution and variations

• Instant yeast can be substituted with active yeast, but make sure you mix it with warm milk (lukewarm) and allow time for the yeast to froth or bloom before adding the other ingredients. Do note that the milk has to be warm but not hot. Hot liquid can kill the yeast. If the yeast does not bloom or froth in 10 to 15 minutes, the yeast is no longer active and should be replaced with a new batch.
• Granulated sugar for coating the donuts can be replaced with powdered sugar. Sift it first.
• Flavor options:
  • For cinnamon flavored donuts, add half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder (ground cinnamon) into 1 cup of granulated sugar. Mix well and coat the fried donuts with the cinnamon sugar.
  • To make vanilla flavored donuts, add one teaspoon of vanilla extract along with the egg and other ingredients when mixing the dough. Shape and bake as usual.
  • To make lemon flavored donuts, add one teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to one cup of granulated sugar. Mix well and use it to coat the donuts after frying.
• If you wish to make filled donuts, instead of shaping as ring donuts, shape the donuts into round balls like in these yeast rolls. Place them on the parchment paper squares, proof and deep fry as usual. Once fried, coat them with the sugar. Use a pair of kitchen scissors and snip a hole on the side of each donut. Fill the donuts with filling of your choice. Using a piping bag will make it easier to pipe the filling.
• Filling options for filled donuts include jams like strawberry jam or mango jam or spreads like Nutella, peanut butter or Biscoff. You can also fill the donuts with chocolate fillings like chocolate ganache, or slightly tangy fillings like lemon curd or cream cheese frosting.

👩🏻‍🍳How to make

• Start by dissolving the yeast in milk for about a minute or two in a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. And then add in all the rest of the ingredients except for butter into the yeast and milk mixture and knead it over medium speed for a good 5 minutes until it all comes together nicely.
• Next, add the butter (also at room temperature) in small pieces to the yeast mixture and continue to let your mixer do the kneading at low speed for another 6 to 7 minutes until the butter is well incorporated and the brioche donuts dough is all smooth and elastic.

The first rise (First proof)

• Scrape the sides of the bowl and turn the dough out onto a clean workspace. Knead to form a ball and place it in a deep bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap before putting it away to proof.
• The next step is another one that differs from the typical process of yeast proofing. While most recipes call for the donuts dough to be placed in a warm environment or spot to double or triple in size, you need to place this brioche donuts dough in the refrigerator. Leave it in there for a minimum of 8 hours (but not more than 20 hours) to proof. It will proof well in the fridge despite the cold temperature.
• Since long hours of proofing (for dough rise) is required with the refrigeration technique, you can mix the dough the night before. That way, it will have enough time to proof. And you get to break the process into 2 shorter steps over 2 days. 

Rolling the donuts

• Once the dough is removed from the fridge (it should have almost tripled in size), turn it onto a lightly floured surface and give it a quick knead for a good minute or two.
• It can be slightly sticky at times. If that happens, sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and knead it until it is more manageable.

Shaping the donuts

• I love to shape my brioche donuts the old fashioned way – with a hole in the center. If you have a ring cutter, you can simply roll and cut the donuts out with a ring cutter.
• If you don't you can still make the ring-shaped donuts. All you need is 2 round cutters, one larger than the other.
• Start by dividing the dough into equal-sized portions. You can do this via rough estimation or weigh out the portions so that they are all equal-weighted.
• I chose to weigh mine so that my donuts are all in the exact same size. I weighed them to be 40 grams each. Once you have the portions all divided, shape each into smooth balls and flattened them by hand such that they are about the size of the larger of the 2 round cutters.

Second proof

• Leave the shaped brioche donuts to proof in a warm place for a good 1 to 2 hours. They should triple in size. Temperature is very important for the donuts to rise well. So they need to be put in a warm spot for proofing and be given sufficient time to proof.
• And I prefer to place the donuts on lightly flour-dusted, individually cut parchment paper squares. When frying, I simply lift the donuts along with the paper underneath. And I slide them off the papers into the oil. This way, I do not have to touch the donuts. That really helps in making sure they do not deflate. Also, since the dough will triple in size, make sure there is plenty of room in your baking tray for the donuts to rise without sticking to each other.

Frying the donuts

• For best results, use a deep fryer or a deep pot or pan. You can use any neutral vegetable oil like sunflower oil or canola oil. Make sure the oil is well heated up before adding the donuts in.
• To test the oil, pinch a small piece of dough and drop it in the oil. If it floats up immediately and have bubbles all around, the oil is ready. The optimum heat for frying is between 173 to 175 degrees Celsius (approximately 345 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Use a slotted spoon to turn the donuts half way through and to remove them from the oil once they turn golden brown on both sides (the bubbles around the edges of the donuts should have subsided). The slotted spoon helps drain out the oil as you take the donuts out.

🍽️Serving & storage

• These brioche donuts are best eaten on the day they are fried. They do last for a day or two but the texture tends to become a little stiff and dry with time.

💡Expert tips

• This brioche donut dough is best kneaded with a machine. The dough is sticky and kneading by hand can be a little tricky. If you still wish to knead by hand, you may need to use a bench scraper to help with the kneading. Do not add too much flour as the dough is meant to be soft and tacky.
• For a fluffy texture, the dough must be well kneaded. To test if the dough is sufficiently kneaded, you can do the windowpane test. Take some dough and gently stretch it with your fingers until it forms a thin film. If it can be stretched without any tearing, the dough is well kneaded. Otherwise, continue kneading.
• There are generally 2 types of dry yeast i.e. instant dry yeast and active dry yeast. This recipe uses instant dry yeast. Instant yeast does not require activation. You can also use room temperature liquid to dissolve the yeast. Simply add the yeast to the liquid and stir. Once lightly dissolved, you can add all the other ingredients but make sure salt goes it last or with the flour as direct contact with the yeast can kill the yeast. If using active yeast, you will need to use warm milk and let the yeast bloom or froth first in the milk before adding other ingredients.
• Placing the cut out donuts onto individually cut parchment paper squares makes it easy to lift the donuts into the oil. A light flour dusting will ensure the donuts slide easily into the oil. Exercise caution when sliding the donuts into the oil to avoid splatters of hot oil onto your hands.
• Optimum oil temperature for frying the donuts is between 173 to 175 degrees Celsius (approximately 345 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit). You can use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature. Too low a temperature will result in the donuts absorbing too much oil and too high a temperature will result in overbrowned and uncooked donuts. The texture will also be tougher.
• When removing the donuts from the oil, use a slotted spoon. It helps to quickly lift the donuts while draining the oil effectively.

💭FAQs