Growing up, my mom did all the baking in the house. The only real interest I had in the whole process was eating whatever came out of the oven. I was more caught up in sports and school work to really care about measuring and mixing… and it stayed that way until my first daughter was born.
I can remember watching my mom pulling out the old counter-top fryer on a Saturday morning and filling it full of oil. I would watch her spend the day mixing, rolling, cutting and frying the most delicious doughnuts. I would watch in awe, wondering how she knew how to make those golden brown rings. In my mind at the time, doughnuts were something you bought in the drive thru at Tim Hortons, but here was my mom, doing it all on her own.
We lived on a long dirt road where your neighbours were kilometres apart. In the summer, our road was busy with travellers heading to their cottages on the lake, however, the winters were quiet. The odd car would mosey-on-by every few hours, but besides that, we were all by ourselves, surrounded by silence. Our closest neighbours were our cousins and with them we had a running joke. I don’t know if it was a sixth sense, or if the smell of frying doughnuts would waft from our house on those Saturday mornings, but it wasn’t long before they would be knocking on our door for a visit, ready to fill their bellies with fresh-still-hot doughnuts.
It seems like mom would make dozens and dozens on those days. In my mind, it was an entire day process, but they never seemed to last very long (especially when the neighbours arrived). It wouldn’t be long before the fryer would be out again, and the smell of fresh doughnuts filled the house.
Recently I found myself thinking about these doughnuts and realizing that I had never actually made any myself. Honestly, I think because in my mind they are crazy hard and only my mom can do it.
Soooo…
It took me a few days (and multiple pep-talks) to gain the confidence, but I finally decided it was time. If it turned into a kitchen disaster, it would make for a funny post and an ultimate doughnut resignation, right? I put my own spin on Momma’s doughnuts, opting for a brioche dough (really, there is nothing better than brioche!) and filling those rounds with a vanilla lavender cream (because I’m obsessed with lavender).
Friends… I’m shocked! Its so easy and so damn rewarding watching that dough puff up immediately as it hits the hot oil! My mom will always be the doughnut baker in my mind, but now I know I can do it, and do it well!
LAVENDER VANILLA CREAM BRIOCHE DOUGHNUTS
makes 16 doughnuts
ingredients
lavender sugar:
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 Tbsp. culinary dried lavender petals
brioche dough:
50g sugar
200 mL water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
3 eggs
500g flour + some for dusting
1 Tbsp. dark rum
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. salt
100g butter, softened to room temperature
lavender vanilla cream:
264g (approximately 16) egg yolks
220g sugar
70g cornstarch
2 Tbsp. vanilla paste
1,100g whole milk
54g butter
8 drops culinary grade lavender oil
steps
lavender sugar:
In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse the lavender and 1 cup sugar until it resembles fine crumbs. Pour into a small bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and stir to combine. Set aside and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
brioche dough:
Add sugar and yeast to the lukewarm water in a large bowl. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until the yeast starts to bubble. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Cut the butter on small cubes.
Add flour, eggs, rum and lemon zest to the yeast mixture in a large bowl. Knead well. After about 5 minutes, add the salt. Slowly incorporate the butter cubes and knead well with your hands or in a stand mixer. The dough has to be glossy and smooth.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough, knead, then re-cover the bowl. Put in the fridge to chill for 12 – 16 hours or overnight.
The next day, turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Roll into a circle that is about 2.5cm thick (1 inch). Leave to sit for 5 minutes to allow the dough to relax.
Cut out circle shapes using a cookie cutter approximately 2 – 2.5 inches in diameter. Place the cut doughnuts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Leave the doughnuts to proof for a further 20 minutes. When you poke them lightly with your finger, it should leave a small indentation that springs back.
While the doughnuts are proofing, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Heat the oil to 340-350˚F.
Once the oil has come to temperature, test it with a few scraps of dough. Gently lower the doughnuts, two at a time, into the hot oil. Cook for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 30 seconds before tossing in the vanilla sugar. Repeat the process with the rest of the doughnuts. Once the doughnuts are cool, poke a hole in them using a chopstick, and widen the hole using your finger.
lavender vanilla cream
In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornstarch.
In a large saucepan, warm the milk and vanilla paste until there is movement just around the edges of the milk however do not bring it to the boil.
Remove the milk from the heat while whisking constantly, add half of the milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper the egg yolks. Whisk briskly for 30 seconds to ensure the eggs do not overcook. Transfer the milk-yolk mixture back to the pot, and return to a medium heat. Whisk constantly until very thick.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, mixing well until totally combined. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Strain the pastry cream through a mesh sieve, and into a bowl. Cool to room temperature then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream to prevent a skin. Place in the fridge until completely cooled.
doughnut assembly:
Prepare a piping bag with a medium-sized round tip. Fill the bag with lavender vanilla pastry cream. Through the small hole poked in the doughnut, carefully fill the cavity of the doughnut with the pastry cream as full as the doughnut will allow you. When you pull away the piping bag, a little of the pastry cream should ooze out.
Serve immediately. Best eaten on the day that they are made.
Great post, as usual! The photos are as yummy as the doughnuts.
Thanks so much Dana!!! I’m glad you guys enjoyed them!!!