These are the best doughnuts I’ve ever tried. I’m serious. They take a bit of time to make but it is so worth it!

Step by step recipe below and list of ingredients at the end of the post!

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For the dough: heat the milk over a medium heat until lukewarm. 

Remove from the heat and pour over the yeast, stirring until the yeast has dissolved.

Place the dry ingredients (sugar, plain flour and salt) in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook, mix at low speed (or mix by hand) to combine fully. 

Add the milk/yeast mixture and the eggs to the bowl, continuing to mix at low speed until a sticky dough forms. Stop the mixer.

Scrape down the dough and then turn the mixer speed on to medium for 10 minutes until an elastic, shiny dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. If doing this by hand, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.

Cut the softened butter into small pieces and gradually knead into the mixture until well combined. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise until almost doubled in size. Tip the dough onto a floured surface – it is now ready to use. (You can also put it in the fridge and use later).

While the dough is rising make the crème diplomat. Combine the milk and half the caster sugar in a saucepan, and bring to the boil. 

In a separate bowl, beat together the remaining caster sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and cornflour until pale and thick. 

Slowly pour half the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Return the remaining milk mixture to the heat. When it has reached boiling point, leave on the heat and quickly add the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Keep whisking vigorously until it returns to the boil, then remove from the heat.

Pour into a bowl and place some cling wrap/baking paper on top, to stop a film forming on the surface. Cool, then chill. (This is called crème pâtissière.)

Whip the cream until firm. 

Beat the chilled crème pâtissière until smooth and fold gently through cream with a spatula. The crème diplomat can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.

For the doughnuts: roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 4 cm thick. 

Using a cookie cutter, cut into circles. Allow to prove for 10–15 minutes (or a bit longer if the dough is cold from the fridge) – it is ready when a dry skin forms on the dough.

In a large saucepan, add oil (I used canola oil) to 2 cm deep and heat to 180°C. It is best to use a thermometer to get the temperature just right. If you are not using one, heat the oil over a medium heat and drop in a small amount of dough to test the temperature (it should sizzle quite a bit when dropping in the dough). Once the oil starts smoking, it is too hot!

Drop a few doughnuts into the hot oil at a time. You do not want them to touch, or they will stick together. 

Cook for 3 minutes on each side, until they are golden. (After my first batch I realised my doughnuts were too big and were not going to cook properly in the middle, so I cut the circles of dough in half). Remove and allow to cool on a plate lined with paper towels.

Once cool, poke a hole into each doughnut, creating a cavity. Fill a piping bag with raspberry coulis or jam and squeeze about 1 teaspoon’s worth into each cavity. Next, use a clean piping bag full of crème diplomat to fill each doughnut until it starts to expand. Dust each doughnut generously with icing sugar.

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Doughnuts with Crème Diplomat

From The Great New Zealand Baking Book, copyright © Kim Evans from Little & Friday

Makes: about 15 | Prep time: 1 ½ – 2 hours | Cook time: 30 mins | Skill level: 2 (moderate)

Ingredients

Brioche dough

• 550 ml milk
• 60 g fresh yeast (crumbled) or 3 tsp dry yeast
• ½ cup sugar
• 6½ cups plain flour
• 3 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 140 g unsalted butter (softened)

Crème diplomat (makes 2½ cups)

• 250 ml milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence or paste
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 150 ml cream

To finish

• oil, for frying
• raspberry coulis or jam
• a large bowlful of icing sugar, for dusting

Method

For the dough: heat milk over a medium heat until lukewarm. Remove from heat and pour over yeast, stirring until yeast has dissolved.

Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook, mix at low speed (or mix by hand) to combine fully. Add milk/yeast mixture and eggs to the bowl, continuing to mix at low speed until a sticky dough forms. Stop the mixer.

Scrape down the dough and then turn the mixer speed on to medium for 10 minutes until an elastic, shiny dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. If doing this by hand, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.

Cut butter into small pieces and gradually knead into the mixture until well combined. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow dough to rise until almost doubled in size. Tip dough onto a floured surface – it is now ready to use.

For the crème diplomat: while the dough is rising make the crème diplomat. Combine milk and half the caster sugar in a saucepan, and bring to the boil. In a separate bowl, beat together remaining caster sugar and egg yolks until pale and thick. Slowly pour half the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Return remaining milk mixture to the heat. When it has reached boiling point, leave on the heat and quickly add the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Keep whisking vigorously until it returns to the boil, then remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl and place a circle of baking paper on top, to stop a film forming on the surface. Cool, then chill. (This is called crème pâtissière.)

Whip cream until firm. Beat chilled crème pâtissière until smooth and fold gently through cream with a metal spoon. Can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.

For the doughnuts: roll dough out on a floured surface to 4 cm thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut into circles. Allow to prove for 10–15 minutes – it is ready when a dry skin forms on the dough.

In a large saucepan, add oil to 2 cm deep and heat to 180°C. It is best to use a thermometer to get the temperature just right. If you are not using one, heat the oil over a medium heat – once it starts smoking, it is too hot. Drop a few doughnuts into the hot oil at a time. You do not want them to touch, or they will stick together. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, until they are quite dark and crisp. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack covered with baking paper.

Once cool, poke a hole into each doughnut, creating a cavity. Fill a piping bag with raspberry coulis or jam and squeeze about 1 teaspoon’s worth into each cavity. Next, use a clean piping bag full of crème diplomat to fill each doughnut until it starts to expand. Dust each doughnut generously with icing sugar.

Where to buy the book:

Bookreps New Zealand

Whitcoulls

Paper Plus