Baked Crème Brûlée Donuts
Soft baked donuts filled with vanilla pastry cream.
Ingredients
For the pastry cream filling:
- 1 ½ cups 360 mL milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons 30g unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the yeast donuts:
- ¾ cup 180 mL lukewarm milk
- ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar, divided
- 2 ¼ teaspoons 7g instant or active dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup 60g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ½ cups 300g all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For the sugar topping:
- 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
- ¼ cup 60 mL water
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the pastry cream:
- Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
- Slowly add hot milk while whisking.
- Return mixture to the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened.
- Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla.
- Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and chill for 1–2 hours.
Prepare the dough:
- In a bowl, combine warm milk, yeast, and a little sugar. Let sit until foamy.
- Add egg, remaining sugar, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix well.
- Add flour and salt, then knead until smooth dough forms.
- Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1–1.5 hours until doubled.
Shape and bake:
- Roll dough and cut into donut shapes.
- Place on baking tray, cover, and let rise again for 30–45 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12–15 minutes until lightly golden.
Fill and caramelize:
- Fill donuts with chilled pastry cream using a piping bag.
- Heat sugar, water, and salt until it forms a golden caramel.
- Dip tops of donuts into caramel or torch sugar on top to create a crisp layer.
- These Baked Crème Brûlée Donuts are best served fresh for that signature crackly topping.
Notes
- You can use store-bought custard for convenience