Filled doughnuts with pastry cream (Portuguese Bolas de Berlim)

Ingredients

• 500 g All-purpose flour (sift before use)
• 50 g Granulated sugar
• 5 g Salt (about 1 teaspoon)
• 15 g Fresh baker's yeast (at room temperature)
• 1 piece Egg (large, at room temperature)
• 250 ml Whole milk (at room temperature)
• 50 g Butter (softened, cut into pieces)
• 1 piece Vanilla bean (split and scraped)
• 500 ml Whole milk (for the pastry cream)
• 4 pieces Egg yolks (at room temperature)
• 100 g Granulated sugar (cream)
• 30 g All-purpose flour (cream) (sift)
• 20 g Cornstarch (Maizena) (sift)
• 1 L Frying oil (peanut or sunflower) (for frying at 180°C)
• sufficient quantity Absorbent paper (to drain the doughnuts)

Instructions

1. Prepare the doughnut dough

   Place the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, egg and room-temperature milk into the mixer bowl. Start the “yeast dough” program.

   Time: PT15M

2. Incorporate the butter

   Add the softened butter in pieces, waiting for each piece to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

   Time: PT5M

3. Gluten rest

   The mixer stops automatically for 15 minutes to allow the gluten to reconstitute, then resumes kneading.

   Time: PT15M

4. First rise

   Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with a cloth and place near a heater or in a warm spot for 1 hour.

   Time: PT1H

5. Roll out and cut

   On a floured work surface, roll the dough to 1 cm thickness then cut 8 cm diameter discs with a cookie cutter.

   Time: PT10M

6. Second rise

   Place the discs on a tray, cover and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour to rise again.

   Time: PT1H

7. Prepare the pastry cream

   Heat 500 ml of milk with the split vanilla bean and its seeds. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and let infuse for 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk the 4 egg yolks with 100 g sugar, add 30 g flour and 20 g sifted starch. Remove the bean from the milk, gradually incorporate the hot milk while whisking constantly (3‑4 times). Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until thickened. Let cool to room temperature.

   Time: PT1H30M

8. Heat the oil

   Heat the frying oil in the deep fryer or saucepan to 180 °C.

   Time: PT5M

   Temperature: 180°C

9. Fry the doughnuts

   Drop the dough discs into the hot oil, cook 2 minutes on one side then flip and cook 2 minutes on the other. The doughnuts should be golden and puffed.

   Time: PT8M

   Temperature: 180°C

10. Drain and cool

    Remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon, place on absorbent paper to remove excess oil and let cool completely.

    Time: PT5M

11. Fill the doughnuts

    Slice each doughnut horizontally in half, fill each half with pastry cream using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, then close the two halves.

    Time: PT10M

12. Serve

    Arrange the doughnuts on a plate, optionally dust with powdered sugar and enjoy immediately or keep refrigerated.

    Time: PT0M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

340

Protein

6 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fat

15 g

Fiber

2 g