Cinnamon Doughnuts filled with Chocolate Custard

There are few things (in my humble opinion) that rival the joy of biting into a warm, freshly made cinnamon doughnut.  Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, sweet with the warmth of cinnamon……..holy moly, I’m salivating just thinking about it.   

Here I give you the recipe for not only the simple cinnamon doughnut but I’ve also included the recipe for some amazing chocolate custard.  So, if you want, take the doughnuts to another level and stuff them with the chocolate custard, or don’t…..either way, they’re delicious.

The method i’ve used for making the dough I learned from the book The Tivoli Road Baker (one of my favourite cookbooks right now!).  It requires you to begin the day before and then leave the dough in the fridge overnight to do a cold ferment.  This gives the dough a chance to develop a lovely yeasty flavour.  The method may seem a little fiddly, but I promise it actually makes a difference - I have tried it by just doing a standard 2 hour prove and then rolling the balls and leaving them for a 2nd prove, and although they were good, they are definitely better this way. 

Hope you love them, I’m off to eat another doughnut ;) 

Cinnamon Doughnuts filled with Chocolate Custard

makes 12

Ingredients

Dough

50g milk, lukewarm

1tsp instant dried yeast

35g sugar

230g bread flour

1tsp salt

2 eggs, room temperature

55g butter, very soft

1 litre vegetable oil for deep frying

Cinnamon Sugar

250g caster sugar

1tsp ground cinnamon

Chocolate Custard

250g full cream milk

100g pouring cream

60g egg yolk (approx 4 eggs)

50g caster sugar

25g cornflour

150g dark chocolate

100g butter, very soft

Method

Begin your dough the day before and, if you plan on using the custard, make this the day before also.

The day before….

Dough

Place the milk, yeast and 1tsp of the sugar in a small jug and set aside for a few minutes to activate the yeast.  In a stand mixer bowl (fitted with the dough hook) add the remaining sugar, flour, salt, eggs and the yeast mixture.  Mix on medium speed for at least 10 minutes to make a smooth dough.  Gradually add the softened butter to the dough whilst continuing to mix (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure it’s all incorporated).  As you continue mixing, the dough should start to come away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball of smooth, shiny, elastic dough.  This takes around 5-10 minutes.  Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and rest it for around 1 hour.

Knock back the dough.  Now you need to do a few folds.  Fold the dough by lifting one side, stretching it out a little and folding it over the other side. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the folding action.  Do this 6 times.  This helps to build strength in the dough.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and refrigerate overnight. 

Custard

Place the chocolate in a bowl and set aside.  Bring the milk and cream to a simmer in a heavy based medium saucepan and remove from the heat.  In a bowl mix together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until smooth.  Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, whilst whisking constantly.  Pour the milk mixture back into the saucepan and return it to a low heat for around 5 minutes, whisking constantly, making sure the custard is not catching on the bottom of the pan.  Remove from the heat and pour the hot custard over the chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the custard is smooth.  Lay cling film directly on the surface of the custard to avoid a skin forming and refrigerate overnight to set.  

The next day…..

Dough

Line a large baking tray (or 2 smaller trays) with baking paper and lightly spray with oil.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and cut it into 12 equal portions.  Roll each portion into a smooth tight ball, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 20 minutes.  

Take each ball and flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand.  Fold the edges towards the middle and pinch together.  Turn it over so that the seam is at the bottom and using firm pressure roll it into a smooth ball.  Place the balls on the oiled tray, leaving enough room between them for the balls to double in size.  Cover loosely with cling wrap and leave to rise for 2-3 hours.  The time required will depend on the temperature in the room - they should have doubled in size.  You can test if they’re ready by gently pressing a finger to the surface of the doughnut, if it springs back they need a little more time, if it leaves a dent, they’re ready to cook.

Heat the oil to 185/190C in a heavy based saucepan (or deep fryer if you have one).  Fry the doughnuts a few at a time (don’t overcrowd the pan) for around a minute on each side or until golden.  Remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and place them on a tray lined with paper towel.  Once cooled enough to handle, dust them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Filling

Once the doughnuts have completely cooled, make a cut in the side of each doughnut.  Fill a piping with the custard and insert the tip into the cut and fill it generously.

Now eat them and gloat in what you have just created.  They’re pretty damn good aren’t they?

Mel xoxo