Custard Donuts
Doughy little buns, stuffed full of delicious custard, before being rolled in a generous coating of sugar.
PRINT RECIPE
Servings: 12 donuts
INGREDIENTS
- 120 ml Milk
- 60 g Block Margarine or Butter
- 275 g Strong White Flour
- 40 g Caster Sugar
- 7 g Easy Bake Instant Yeast (usually 1 sachet)
- 1 Free-range Egg (beaten; at room temperature; see Egg Size note below)
- 1 litre Oil (vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed...)
- 100 g Custard (fresh, tinned, carton...)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small saucepan, add the milk and butter/margarine. Warm over a low heat until the butter/margarine starts to melt. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little - you don't want it to be too hot before adding the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour and sugar. Add the yeast and gently mix to combine. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, then add the milk mixture and egg. Mix together to create a soft, slightly sticky dough - you may need to use your hands!
- Once the dough has come together, tip it onto a well-floured surface and begin to knead with floured hands, adding more flour as needed. Knead for around 10 minutes, until you have a smooth, stretchy dough.
- Place the dough into an oiled bowl (to prevent it from sticking) and cover with an oiled piece of
cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave to rise in a draught-free location for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size. - Once the dough has risen, knock it back and briefly knead it on a lightly-floured surface. Divide your dough into 12 even-sized balls, rolling them between your hands to shape them. Place your dough balls onto individual squares of
greaseproof paper - approx. 10cm² (4 inch²) in size - with a bit of space between them, preferably on a tray or board. Cover again withcling film or a damp tea towel. Leave in a draught-free place for about an hour, until they have puffed up to about double their size. - In a large pan, heat your oil to 180°C/350°F (use a thermometer for accuracy). You want the oil to be deep enough for your doughnuts to fry comfortably, without sticking to the bottom. Depending on your pan size, you may need more/less oil.
- Using the
greaseproof paper square, lift your doughnut to the oil and gently drop it in, exercising extreme caution. Fry the doughnut for about 90 seconds before flipping it over, allowing the underside to fry for a further 90 seconds. - Once your doughnuts are golden brown on both sides, use a slotted spoon to remove them, holding them above the oil for about 10 seconds to allow the oil to drip off. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Continue until all your doughnuts are cooked, while monitoring your oil temperature and adjusting the heat as needed.
- Spoon your custard into a piping bag with a large circular nozzle. Once your doughnuts are cool enough to touch, poke one small hole into the side of each doughnut with the end of a wooden spoon before piping your custard into the hole. It can be a bit of trial and error (and personal preference) getting the right amount of custard in each doughnut, but around a teaspoonful is usually a godo amount.
- Roll the doughnuts in some extra sugar to finish.
Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to fry the doughnuts in small batches - just be careful not to overcrowd your pan, or you risk the doughnuts sticking together and the oil dropping in temperature too quickly.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
Egg Size: When it comes to eggs, I always buy mixed-weight free-range eggs. Generally, egg size doesn't make a huge difference in most baking, unless you are using sizes that lean towards the extremes. If you're unsure which eggs to use, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. That's what this recipe has been tested with.
Storage: Freshly made donuts are best enjoyed the same day they are made.
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