Welcome to the perfect recipe for crème brûlée donuts! Crème Brûlée has been making a comeback lately, and it’s no wonder why. The smooth custard topped with crispy caramel is just irresistible. That’s why I’ve combined it with another favorite treat—donuts! These Crème Brûlée donuts are made with a tangzhong dough base; they’re simple to whip up, don’t need a blowtorch, and use up all the egg whites.
Watch the Video Tutorial
HOW TO MAKE CREME BRULEE DONUTS
This recipe isn’t tricky, but it does need attention to detail. Let’s break down the three main steps carefully.
1. MAKE THE TANGZHONG DONUTS
Absolutely! The first and most crucial step is making the donuts just right. By following this recipe closely, you’ll achieve incredibly light, airy, soft, and fluffy donuts. Here are a few key things to keep in mind:
- Start by making the tangzhong. It’s a simple mixture of flour and milk cooked over low heat until they form a thick paste.
- Afterward, knead the dough thoroughly until it’s soft, stretchy, and has a smooth surface. Incorporate half of the butter after an initial kneading. This butter adds a brioche-like texture to the dough by laminating it. For the best results, use a standmixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Be mindful not to under- or over-proof the dough, as it’s crucial for achieving the soft texture of the donuts. The first proof should last approximately 60–90 minutes until the dough doubles in size. After shaping the donuts, let them undergo a second proof for 30–40 minutes.
- Finally, fry your donuts at 350°F for around 2 minutes per side. Precision is key to ensuring they’re cooked inside without browning excessively outside or absorbing too much oil. For the best results, use an oil thermometer.
I have provided additional detailed notes on perfecting the donuts in my Nutella Donut recipe.
2. MAKE THE CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE FILLING
Crème Pâtissière may sound fancy, but it’s essentially just pastry cream (or custard) and not difficult to master! Here’s how you make it:
- Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a bowl. While many recipes call for only egg yolks, I’ve designed this recipe to utilize whole eggs to minimize waste, and the results are just as delicious.
- Heat the milk and vanilla essence until they just begin to boil.
- Pour a little bit of the hot milk into the egg mix while stirring fast. This stops the eggs from cooking too quickly. Then, pour all the egg mix into the milk and stir it all together.
- Cook the mixture on low heat in a non-stick pan, stirring all the time, until it thickens into a custard-like consistency.
- Add butter to the custard and stir until it melts and mixes in completely.
- Take it off the heat and strain it to make sure the pastry cream is smooth.
Here’s a little secret: if your cream feels grainy or lumpy, don’t worry! Just put it in a blender and blend for 30 seconds until it’s smooth again. My Nutribullet comes in handy for this!
After the cream cools down, put it in a piping bag with a Bismarck tip and fill your donuts.
3. MAKE THE CARAMEL COATING
To get that perfect thin caramel coating on our donuts, I prefer using the wet caramel method in this recipe. Just mix together water, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a non-stick pan. Heat it up on low heat, without stirring, until the sugar completely dissolves and begins to caramelize. Then, gently stir until the caramel turns a beautiful deep golden color.
Don’t forget to enjoy the sweet aroma of the caramel as it cooks! Keep an eye (and a nose) on it because it’s easy to overcook and burn. You want it to smell rich and caramelized, not burnt and bitter.
Time to make those donuts extra tasty! Once the caramel is nice and hot, get ready to coat your donuts. Hold onto your donut firmly and dip one side into the warm caramel. Let any extra caramel drip off for a few seconds, then pop your donut onto a wire rack to cool. This way, the caramel can set perfectly, giving your donuts that irresistible sweetness
While you’re coating those donuts, the caramel might start to cool and thicken up, making it trickier to work with. No worries! Just pop it back on the stove to warm it up and get it nice and runny again. Then you can carry on coating the rest of your donuts with ease.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS TANGZHONG?
Tangzhong is a special mixture made by gently cooking flour and milk together over low heat, stirring all the while, until it becomes a thick paste. This magical concoction is then added to bread recipes because it helps lock in extra moisture, resulting in bread that’s incredibly soft and stays fresh for longer. It’s the secret ingredient behind those wonderfully fluffy Japanese milk breads we all adore!
WHY ARE MY DONUTS DENSE?
This could be due to a few reasons:
- Ever wonder why your bread isn’t getting fluffy? It might be the yeast! Yeast is like tiny living things that make dough rise. If your yeast is old, it won’t work as well. Here’s a quick test:
Grab a teaspoon of yeast and a small bowl.
Mix the yeast with ¼ cup of warm milk (not hot!).Let it sit for 10 minutes.
If the yeast is fresh, it should get foamy on top. This means it’s alive and ready to make your bread rise! But if there are no bubbles, it’s time to say goodbye to that old yeast and head to the store for a fresh packet.
- You may have reduced the dough. Make sure your dough doubles in volume and partially springs back as it cooks slowly. Then start shaping the donuts after that point.
- If your oil is too hot, your donuts will fry too quickly without enough time to rise and fluff up. That’s why it’s important to monitor the oil temperature.
WHY ARE MY DONUTS OILY?
This can happen due to 2 common reasons:
- It seems like the dough got a bit too much relaxation time! When it’s overproofed, it tends to lose its fluffiness and could end up oily when fried. Remember, don’t let it sit for too long next time!
- It looks like your oil temperature needs a little adjustment when frying. If it’s not hot enough, your donuts will take longer to cook and soak up more oil. Aim for around 350°F for the perfect donuts.
WHY IS MY CARAMEL STICKY INSTEAD OF CRISPY?
It looks like you might’ve cooked the caramel for too long. When that happens, most of the water evaporates, leaving mostly sugar behind. This makes it set quickly and become sticky as it cools. For a thin and crispy caramel coating, make sure your caramel is still watery and hot when you dip your donuts in it.
Let’s make these, shall we!?
Looking for other flavors to try for my donuts? Check out my Nutella donut recipe!
EASY CREME BRULEE DONUTS RECIPE
Ingredients
Dough ingredients:
- Tangzhong: 4 tablespoon milk (50g), 1 tablespoon flour (10g)
- 180 g (¾ cup) milk
- 1.5 tbsp. Yeast
- 400 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. Milk powder
- 50 g (¼ cup) Sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 5 tbsp. softened butter, in 2 parts (70g)
- ½ tbsp. Salt
Crème patisserie:
- 2 Eggs
- 110g g (½ cup) sugar
- 2 tbsp. Corn starch (20g)
- 460 g (2 cups) Milk
- ½ tbsp. Salt
- 1 tbsp. Vanilla
- 2 tbsp. Unsalted butter
Caramel:
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp. Water
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Donuts:
- To make the tangzhong, simply stir together the flour and milk in a nonstick pan over medium heat until they thicken into a paste.
- Mix the tangzhong with cold milk and yeast in the bowl of your standing mixer, then let it sit for 5 minutes. The warmth of the tangzhong will bring the overall temperature to a lukewarm level, which is perfect for activating the yeast.
- Add all the other ingredients for the dough, except for half of the butter. Then, knead at medium-high speed using a dough hook for about 5 minutes until the dough begins to come together.
- Add the remaining butter and knead again for 5 to 8 minutes until a smooth and stretchy dough forms. You'll notice it pulling away from the edges of the bowl.
- Cover the dough and leave it to rise for about an hour until it doubles in size. You can also put it in the fridge overnight, but don't let it rise to room temperature before refrigerating.
- Roll out the dough until it's about ½ inch thick. Then, use a cutter to make 4-inch circles. Keep repeating this process until you've used up all the dough.
- Place the circular donuts on small pieces of parchment paper, then transfer them to a tray. Let them rest for about 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature.
- Heat2-3 inches of oil in a wok over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. Carefully remove the parchment paper from a test donut and drop it into the oil. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side. Test for doneness and adjust the timing if necessary. Fry all the donuts, and keep the raw ones in a cool place while frying to prevent them from over proofing.
- Allow the donuts to cool on a wire rack at room temperature while you prepare the cremes patisserie.
Crème Patisserie:
- To make the crème patisserie, whisk together the eggs, cornstarch, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
- Put the milk and vanilla in a nonstick pan and bring it to a boil.
- Carefully pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Then, pour the entire mixture back into the pan.
- Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens to a custard-like consistency. Then, add the butter and mix it in.
- Take it off the heat and strain it to ensure there are no lumps. If the cream seems lumpy, blend it for 30 seconds until smooth.
- Pop it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to cool.
- Put the crème patisserie into a piping bag with a Bismarck tip. Gently poke a hole in each donut and fill them with the custard until they feel full.
Caramel coating:
- To make the caramel, mix the sugar, salt, and water in a nonstick pan and heat it over low heat. This will take a while, so try not to stir it too much.
- Slowly, the sugar will dissolve and begin to caramelize. Once your caramel turns a deep golden color, remove it from the heat.
- While the caramel is still hot, carefully dip one side of your donuts so they get a thin coating of caramel. If the caramel starts to harden, heat it again until it becomes runny.
- The donuts should form a crispy coating once they cool
- Serve& enjoy!
Notes
- These donuts are best enjoyed within a few hours. Keep them uncovered at room temperature.
- If you cover them, the humidity might make the caramel soggy.