Strawberry Donuts

🧂 Ingredients

• 7 grams active dry or instant yeast

  (2¼ teaspoons or 1 envelope)
• 245 grams milk*

  (1 cup)
• 75 grams granulated sugar

  (⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons)
• 1 large egg

  (at room temperature)
• 1 large egg yolk

  (at room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 130 grams strawberry paste**

  (½ cup, packed)
• 550 grams all purpose flour

  (4½ cups plus 1 Tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 113 grams unsalted butter

  (at cool room temperature, cut into 8 pieces (8 Tablespoons or ½ cup))
• canola oil or any other neutral oil suitable for frying

  (a 48 ounce bottle should be more than enough)
• 75 grams heavy cream

  (⅓ cup)
• 25 grams strawberries, diced into small pieces

  (4-6 medium sized strawberries)
• 25 grams freeze dried strawberries, processed into powder in blender or food processor

  (1 cup)
• 25 grams corn starch

  (3 Tablespoons)
• 475 grams whole milk

  (2 cups)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 125 grams sugar

  (⅔ cup)
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 100 grams sugar

  (½ cup)
• 25 grams freeze dried strawberries, processed into powder in blender or food processor

  (1 cup)

Instructions

• 1 Dough. [If using instant yeast, skip to Step 3 and add the yeast and the milk
  with the rest of the ingredients.] In microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring
  after each interval, warm milk to body temperature, generally between 105°F and
  110°F. Alternatively, you can heat the milk in a saucepan on a low flame,
  stirring constantly. Either way, do not let the milk get above 115°F. (If you
  do, just let it sit out at room temperature for a couple of minutes constantly
  checking it until it cools to body temperature.)
• 2 Place warmed milk into bowl of electric mixer. Sprinkle yeast and approximately
  1 tsp. of the sugar over the milk. Using a fork, stir the mixture to distribute
  the sugar and hydrate the yeast granules. Allow to sit for approximately 3-5
  minutes until the mixture gets foamy.
• 3 Add the room temperature egg, the room temperature egg yolk, the strawberry
  paste, and the vanilla to the mixture. Using the dough hook, turn the mixer on
  at a low speed and add the rest of the sugar. With the mixer running at the
  lowest speed, add the flour. As the flour starts to get absorbed by the liquid
  mixture, raise the mixer to a medium speed. You may need to turn the mixer off
  once or twice to wipe down the sides of the bowl with a dough scraper or rubber
  spatula. Allow to knead for approximately 3 minutes. The dough should clean the
  sides of the bowl and be tacky, but not too sticky. If it is too wet (sticking
  to the sides and bottom of the bowl), add some flour, no more than 1 Tbsp. at a
  time. If the mixture is too dry, add a little milk, 1 tsp. at a time.
• 4 Lower the mixer speed to low (1 or 2 on the KitchenAid) and slowly add the salt,
  allowing it to knead into the dough, an additional 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and
  take a small piece (approximately 1 tsp.) of dough and stretch it between your
  fingers. It should form a “window pane”, meaning it should get thin enough that
  it is translucent without it ripping. If it is not at that point yet, continue
  kneading in the machine at 1 minute intervals. (It may just need an additional
  minute or two to reach the window pane stage. If it still isn’t there yet, check
  to see if the dough is too dry. If it is, add ½ tsp. water and knead another
  minute.)
• 5 With the mixer running at medium speed, add the butter. It is best to add it one
  piece at a time, waiting until it is fully integrated into the dough before
  adding the next piece. You may need to turn off the mixer from time to time to
  push the slab of butter back into the range of the dough and the hook. This
  process will take approximately 5-10 minutes. Once all the butter is
  incorporated, the dough will look shiny and be slightly tacky. (If, after
  approximately ten minutes, the butter is still not fully incorporated, do not
  panic. Just move to the next step – having some unincorporated butter is not
  problematic in this recipe. That said, the key to incorporating the butter is
  nothing more than patience.)
• 6 Lightly grease a bowl with a little butter or nonstick cooking spray. Form dough
  into a ball and place it in the bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it in the
  butter or nonstick cooking spray and cover tightly with plastic wrap.***
  Refrigerate the dough overnight.
• 7 Strawberry Cream Filling. In an airtight container, mix together the heavy cream
  with the diced strawberries. (These are the first two ingredients in the
  Strawberry Cream Filling.) Cover and refrigerate overnight. Set a a heatproof
  bowl aside or line a baking sheet with plastic wrap.
• 8 In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk, vanilla bean paste and half of the sugar
  (you can eyeball it) to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the sugar
  dissolves.
• 9 While the milk is heating, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, the yolks,
  the rest of the sugar, the freeze dried strawberry powder, and the cornstrach.
  Whisk until the mixture starts to thicken slightly, so it leaves a ribbon for a
  few seconds when you lift the whisk from the bowl. Place the bowl on a rubber
  mat, other non-stick surface, or wrap a wet towel around the bottom to hold it
  in place as you whisk in the hot milk.
• 10 Once the milk comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for
  approximately one minute. Carefully pour approximately ⅓ of the milk mixture in
  the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Quickly pour the tempered egg mixture back
  into the pot with the rest of the milk mixture, whisking constantly. Cook over
  medium heat, whisking constantly. Once it starts to boil, set a timer for 2
  minutes. Continue cooking and whisking constantly. After two minutes,
  immediately pour the pastry cream through a strainer into a heatproof bowl or
  onto plastic wrap laid out on a baking sheet. Immediately cover the top of the
  pastry cream with plastic wrap and allow it to cool to room temperature.
  Refrigerate overnight.
• 11 In the morning, cut 20 squares of parchment, approximately 4 inches by 4 inches.
  Prepare the sugar coating by mixing together the sugar with the freeze dried
  strawberry powder. Place an empty mixing bowl (metal is ideal) in the freezer or
  refrigerator.
• 12 Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out until it is ½-inch thick.
  Shoot for a rectangle, but any shape will do. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut
  donuts out, placing each one on a parchment square, then placing each parchment
  square one on a baking sheet. Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• 13 Fill a large pot with a few inches of oil, enough for the donuts to float in.
  Using a candy thermometer to note the temperature, heat the oil over medium heat
  to 350° F. (You will probably have to adjust the heat throughout the cooking
  process. Try to maintain the temperature between 340°F and 350°F.)
• 14 While the oil is heating up, set up a cooling rack or two over a baking sheet
  lined with parchment paper.
• 15 Carefully insert two donuts (with the parchment squares) into the oil. After
  approximately 30 seconds, use tongs to remove and discard the parchment squares.
  Allow the donuts to cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned.
  Using tongs, a skimmer, a large fork/spoon, or chopsticks, flip the donuts and
  cook an additional 1-2 minutes, until the donuts are lightly browned. Once
  cooked, use a skimmer or slotted spoon to carefully remove the donuts, placing
  them on the prepared cooling rack. Allow the donuts to cool for no more than 30
  seconds, then (using tongs) coat them in the strawberry sugar. Place on cooling
  rack and allow to cool completely. Repeat with remaining donuts.
• 16 While donuts are cooling, beat the pastry cream until it is sooth. (You can do
  this by hand or with a mixer. A hand mixer is perfect for this.) Remove the cold
  bowl from the freezer or refrigerator and strain the strawberries and cream
  mixture into it. Whisk the cream (by hand or with a mixer) until stiff peaks
  form. Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream. (You can fold in the
  discarded strawberries, but make sure to use a tip on the pastry bag wide enough
  for them to go through.) Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium sized tip with
  the mixture. Poke a hole into each donut and use your finger (or a clean knife
  honing steel) to push the insides around. Pipe each donut just until they are
  full. Best to fill the donuts just prior to serving. The filling can remain
  refrigerated in the piping bag until you are ready to fill and serve.

Nutrition Info