Gingerbread Doughnuts

These gingerbread doughnuts use a soft, enriched brioche dough and are filled with a creamy gingerbread custard.

Begin with the dough. Mix milk, yeast, sugar, vanilla, egg, salt and flour in a stand mixer.

Add in softened butter and mix until smooth and glossy.

Let it rise until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the custard. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, spices, salt, vanilla, molasses, and cornstarch in a heatproof bowl. Heat milk in a medium saucepan on medium heat while stirring regularly until just simmering.

Gradually dribble the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking while it’s being poured in.

Return the combined mixture to the saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until it bubbles.

Take it off the heat and whisk in butter. Pour the hot pastry cream into a clean bowl. Let it come to room temperature, then chill it in the refrigerator until completely cold.

Roll the dough out into a rectangle. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3.5-inch rounds, placing each on parchment paper. Knead any scraps into a ball, rest, then roll again.

Let cut doughnuts rest for 30-60 minutes until puffy, cutting around the parchment paper with kitchen scissors so each doughnut is on a separate piece.

Heat around 3 inches of oil in a deep fryer or deep saucepan to 340°F – 347°F. Carefully add in 2-3 doughnuts into the hot oil, removing parchment with tongs.

Fry for 2 minutes until deep golden brown, flip, and fry for another 2 minutes. Keep oil hot but under 350°F.

Toss the fried doughnuts into cinnamon sugar to coat.

Insert the tip of a small knife into the sides of the cooled doughnuts to make a hole for the filling. Pipe the custard through the hole into each donut

See the link for the full recipe!