Description
These Custard Donuts are soft, fluffy dough balls filled with creamy custard and coated in a generous dusting of caster sugar. They are fried until golden brown to create a perfect balance of crispness and tenderness. This recipe guides you through making the dough from scratch, rising it twice for optimal fluffiness, and carefully frying the donuts to perfection before filling with smooth custard.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 120 ml Milk
- 60 g Butter or Block Margarine
- 275 g Strong Plain Flour (Bread Flour)
- 40 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 7 g Easy Bake Yeast (usually 1 sachet)
- 1 Free-range Egg (at room temperature, beaten)
Frying
- 1 litre Oil (vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed, etc.)
Filling
- 100 g Custard
Instructions
- Warm Milk and Butter: In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter or margarine over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly to prevent killing the yeast.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour and caster sugar. Add the yeast and mix gently to combine.
- Make Dough: Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the warm milk mixture and beaten egg. Mix well, possibly using your hands, to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Knead Dough: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands for about 10 minutes until smooth and stretchy, adding more flour if necessary.
- First Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film or a damp tea towel, and leave in a draft-free place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
- Shape Doughnuts: Knock back the risen dough and knead briefly. Divide into 12 equal balls and roll each between hands to smooth. Place on 10 cm² greaseproof paper squares spaced apart on a tray, cover again, and let rise for another hour until doubled.
- Heat Oil: In a large pan, heat the oil to 180°C (350°F), ensuring there is enough oil to deep fry the doughnuts comfortably without sticking.
- Fry Doughnuts: Using the greaseproof paper as a sling, gently drop the doughnuts into the hot oil. Fry for about 90 seconds on one side, flip, and fry for another 90 seconds until golden brown.
- Drain and Cool: Remove the fried doughnuts with a slotted spoon, hold above the oil to drain for 10 seconds, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Fill with Custard: Spoon the custard into a piping bag fitted with a large circular nozzle. Poke a hole in the side of each cooled doughnut with a wooden spoon and pipe in about a teaspoon of custard.
- Coat in Sugar: Roll the filled doughnuts in caster sugar for a sweet finishing touch.
Notes
- Doughy little buns filled with rich custard create a delicious treat.
- Use a thermometer for precise oil temperature to avoid greasy or undercooked doughnuts.
- Ensure dough rises in a draught-free environment for better proofing.
- Piping custard can require trial and error to avoid overfilling or underfilling the doughnuts.
- Using greaseproof paper squares helps transfer the doughnuts safely into hot oil without distortion.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 doughnut (approx. 85g)
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
