Brioche Donuts with Homemade Blueberry Jelly

This brioche donuts recipe is one you want up your sleeve. Brioche dough is something special in homemade donuts. It's extra enriched with lots of butter and egg to bring amazing texture and flavor.

The filling in this recipe is blueberry jelly (aka blueberry jam), but you can choose to fill yours with caramel sauce, lemon curd, strawberry compote, raspberry compote, whipped cream, or whatever else you like!

Brioche dough

Real rich brioche dough is made from dough that is very enriched, with a large amount of butter and eggs. Traditional brioche recipes have a ratio of up 50% butter to flour.

The donut dough in this brioche donut recipe has around 30% butter to flour, so it makes it a little easier to work with than traditional brioche, but it doesn't skimp on texture or flavor.

For the best-flavored fluffy brioche doughnut, make the dough a day ahead of time, so it undergoes a cold refrigeration period which brings extra flavor to the dough. This is optional though and you can make them all in one afternoon if you like.

The flour

This jelly-filled brioche donut recipe works best with flour that has around 11% protein. This flour can be under many names depending on where you are. It could be called all-purpose flour or high-grade flour.

The protein levels can vary between brands and the type of wheat the flour is made from. It’s best to check protein levels on the bag rather than just the name of the flour.

The ingredients

The ingredients amounts are at the bottom of this post in the recipe card but here is a rundown of what you will need -

• All-purpose flour - one with a protein level of around 11%. This protein content is enough to develop the gluten but not too much that the donut becomes chewy.
• Yeast - Either instant or active dry yeast.
• Milk - warmed to lukewarm.
• Large eggs.
• Granulated sugar.
• Vanilla bean paste or extract
• Salt.
• Butter - There is plenty of butter needed as it's an enriched brioche dough. You can use salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature.
• Homemade bluebery compte (or storebought blueberry preserves, jelly or jam)

The blueberry jam

• Blueberries - these can be fresh or frozen
• Sugar
• Lemon juice
• Salt

The yeast

The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dry yeast. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast. Whichever one you use, it needs to be viable. Usually, the instant yeast sachets are pretty full-proof, but sometimes active dried yeast can lose viability.

To test the viability of yeast before beginning, warm the milk (to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C) and mix in the yeast along with one tablespoon of the sugar. Leave this yeast mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes first. If it becomes foamy, it's good to go.

Equipment

Stand mixer - The dough takes around 10 minutes of mixing to develop the gluten. This is easily done in a stand mixer, however, it can be done by hand too.

A cookie-cutter or jar lid to cut the donuts, around 3.5 inches/9 cm in diameter.

Parchment paper - The donuts can be fried on parchment paper, which makes transferring them easier. If you don't have parchment paper, you can transfer the donuts without it but it can be a little trickier as the dough is quite soft.

A deep fryer or large pot and candy thermometer - If you're not using a deep fryer (which usually comes with a thermometer) you'll need a candy thermometer for this. One that can handle reading a high temperature.

The method

Mixing the dough

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, add the warm milk and stir in the yeast and sugar. If using active dry yeast, let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

To the milk mixture, add the eggs, flour, and salt.

Turn the mixer on low speed or use your hands to combine until it forms a thick and fairly stiff dough.

Add in the room temperature butter, a few cubes at a time. Incorporate each cube, either by hand or with the mixer. Ensure the butter cubes are fully incorporated before the next addition. Butter brings in fat and liquid. The dough will become sticky with the addition of butter.

Turn up the mixer to medium speed and keep mixing until the dough gathers strength. In the mixer, it should pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. If mixing by hand, knead the dough on a clean work surface until it becomes strong and smooth. Don't be tempted to add flour even if it feels sticky.

For the best gluten development and brioche crumb, keep the dough mixing for at least 10 minutes. The dough should feel smooth, soft, and strong.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a lid, plate, plastic wrap, or a damp tea towel, and let it proof in a warm place until doubled in size. *If making the dough overnight, it can do its rising in the fridge overnight instead.

The blueberry jelly

While you let the dough rise, make the blueberry jelly.

In a medium saucepan combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and place the saucepan over low heat. Let the blueberries warm up and begin releasing their juices.

Once there is a bit of liquid released you can place it over medium heat. Let the blueberries come to a simmer and stir regularly as they begin to break down. Simmer them for around 18-20 minutes until the mixture has slightly thickened.

Pour the mixture into a small bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

Shaping

When the dough has risen, punch it down and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a ½ inch/ 1.3cm thick rectangle.

Use a cookie cutter or jar lid to cut out round donut shapes, about 3.5 inches/9 cm in diameter. Place each cut donut onto a board or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Any scraps of dough can be kneaded back into a ball and rolled out again. Leave the dough ball to rest for at least 10 minutes before rolling out again. This allows the gluten to rest again so the dough doesn't spring back when rolled.

Let the donuts rest for another hour until they are puffy. Use kitchen scissors to cut around each donut on the parchment paper so each donut is sitting on an individual piece of parchment.

Frying

When ready to fry, pour the frying oil into a deep fryer or a saucepan and heat the oil to around 340°F - 347°F (171°C - 175°C.)

Carefully place 1-2 donuts into the hot oil and remove the parchment paper with tongs. Fry each donut for around 2 minutes on one side, then flip and fry for a further 2 minutes on the other side until deep golden brown.

Ensure the oil in the pot stays hot, but don't let the oil temperature surpass 350°F / 177°C or the donuts may burn before they have a chance to cook in the middle.

The sugar coating

Remove the donuts using a slotted spoon, add each just-fried donut to a bowl of granulated sugar and toss it to coat. Let the coated donuts cool down to room temperature on a wire cooling rack.

Filling

Insert the tip of a knife into the side of each donut to make a hole for the filling. Use a teaspoon to scoop the jelly into the hole of each donut.

Alternatively, scoop the blueberry jelly into a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Pipe the jelly through the hole into each donut. Ensure the tip is big enough to push the whole blueberries through).

Other filling ideas

You can also fill the donuts with -

• Lemon curd
• Vanilla cream
• Chocolate pastry cream
• Hazelnut chocolate spread