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

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of All-purpose flour: whole wheat flour
• Instead of Granulated sugar: cane sugar
• Instead of Fresh baker's yeast: 7 g dry yeast
• Instead of Egg: organic chicken egg
• Instead of Whole milk: semi-skimmed milk
• Instead of Butter: margarine
• Instead of Vanilla bean: 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Instead of Egg yolks: pasteurized egg yolks
• Instead of Cornstarch (Maizena): potato starch
• Instead of Frying oil (peanut or sunflower): vegetable oil

Equipment Needed

• Bosch Series 6 stand mixer
• Dough hook
• Work bowl
• Rolling pin
• 8 cm round cookie cutter
• Medium saucepan
• Whisk
• Cooking thermometer
• Deep fryer or large saucepan
• Pastry bag with star tip
• Absorbent paper
• Silicone spatula
• Cooling rack (optional)

Critical Steps — Do Not Skip

• Incorporate the butter piece by piece
• First rise for 1 h in a warm place
• Second rise for 1 h
• Infuse the milk with vanilla for 1 h
• Cook the pastry cream without lumps
• Maintain the oil at 180 °C for frying
• Fill the doughnuts only after they have cooled

Chef Tips from the Video

• Use very cold softened butter for a lighter dough
• Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving
• Fry in small batches to keep the oil temperature stable

Troubleshooting

Storage

Refrigerator: Store the filled doughnuts in an airtight container, up to 3 days

Freezer: Unfilled doughnuts can be frozen for 1 month, thaw then fill before serving

Room temperature: Consume the same day, otherwise refrigerate

Make-Ahead Tips

• Prepare the dough the day before and let it rise in the refrigerator
• Make the pastry cream ahead and keep it chilled
• Store fried doughnuts at room temperature, fill just before serving