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Pistachio Crème Brûlée Doughnuts

Recipe  

Upgrade your donut game with these decadent treats.

Serves: 12 People   |   Prep time: 10 minutes, plus rising and cooling time   |   Cooking time: 30 minutes

American | Dessert | Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 230ml Milk, lukewarm
  • 1 x 7g sachet Active Dried Yeast
  • 70g Caster Sugar
  • 4 Egg Yolks
  • 500g Strong White Flour
  • 50g Butter
  • 3 tbsp Cornflour
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 300ml Vegetable Oil, for frying

For the custard filling:

  • 100g Granulated Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Cornflour
  • 440ml Milk
  • 3 large Egg Yolks
  • 3 tbsp Pistachio Crème
  • 2-3 drops of Blue Food Colouring

For the caramel glaze:

  • 200g Granulated Sugar
  • 50ml Water
  • 50g Pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped to decorate

Method

  1. Start by making the dough. Whisk the milk, yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar together. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until foamy. Add the egg yolks and stir.
  2. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the yeast mixture, flour, butter, salt and remaining sugar and knead for 5-10 minutes on a medium speed until the dough is elastic.
  3. Place the dough in a large, lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover with cling film and allow the dough to rise in a warm environment for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until doubled in size.
  4. Next, make the custard filling. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour together until pale yellow in colour.
  5. Heat the milk in a saucepan until simmering. Gradually add the milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you go. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return it to the hob on a medium heat.
  6. While continuously whisking, heat the mixture until thickened. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the pistachio crème and food colouring, then transfer the custard to a bowl. Cover with cling film, pressing it down to avoid a skin forming. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until completely cooled.
  7. Then, make the doughnuts using the dough prepared earlier. Knock back the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out until about 1.5/2cm thick.
  8. Use a 6cm biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 12 rounds from the dough.
  9. Place them on a greased baking sheet, leaving room between each one. Cover with cling film or a clean kitchen towel and allow them to rise for 20-30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  10. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or fryer to 180°C. Carefully place the rounds into the oil, working in batches. Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, flip and cook for another minute, until golden. Remove by using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
  11. When the doughnuts are ready, fill a wide-tipped piping bag with the custard filling. Make a small hole in each doughnut using a skewer to create a pocket inside. Insert the tip of your piping bag and fill each doughnut with the custard.
  12. Add the sugar and water to a saucepan on a medium heat. Once the mixture begins to bubble, give the pan a gentle swirl occasionally, until it turns golden. Remove from the heat.
  13. Dip the top of each doughnut into the caramel. Take care when doing this as the caramel is very hot. Lift the doughnut from the caramel and tilt it, away from your fingers, to let the excess caramel run off onto a plate, then place the doughnut aside to cool. Decorate each doughnut with the pistachios.