Perfectly crisp, light, and airy with the puffy and chewy texture, these yeast doughnuts are filled with silky smooth vanilla pastry cream and topped with chocolate glaze for a Boston Cream Doughnut, are easy to make at home and ready to finish in any way you can imagine.
Who can resist perfect, soft, and fluffy doughnuts? Especially if it is a freshly homemade, fluffy yeast doughnut filled with pastry cream! Not me! 🙂
Boston Doughnuts or Dunkin Doughnuts are incredibly delicious and indulgent, with that signature taste and texture we all know and love. When you can’t pick up your favorite doughnuts, in such quarantine time make them at home instead! Today, we’re taking a deep dive into doughnut making– fried, sugary, old-fashioned, comforting, Sunday morning doughnuts. It’s so much fun to be able to make them from scratch in your own kitchen without leaving the comforts of home and you will get the same taste and texture as you get in Boston or Dunkin doughnuts.
How to Make These Dunkin Doughnuts or Boston Cream Doughnuts In Details? Watch With Us!
These homemade yeast doughnuts are soft and sweet, light as airy and puffy flavored with a little nutmeg Just like your favorite doughnuts from a doughnut shop made completely from-scratch and perfect for sharing and for Sunday breakfast.
You don’t need super sharp baking skills to make perfect yeast donuts at home—anyone can do it! What you do need is plenty of time, making them the perfect weekend baking project. If you want them for breakfast, wake up early and take a nap during each rise.
Fried Yeast Doughnuts:
For me, there is no comparison. Yeast-raised doughnuts are generally made from sweet dough fermented with yeast to obtain its leavening action or expansion. Yeast doughnuts are a delight of how simply light and airy they are. Yeast doughnuts, when freshly made, are just heavenly to me! Which do you prefer yeast fried or baked?
The leavening agent in Yeast Doughnuts dramatically impacts texture and flavor. Yeast doughnuts are lighter: Once cooked, a cross-section reveals a mosaic of air pockets, giving the style a puffy, malleable quality, and a slightly chewy texture and a sturdy, crisp exterior shell.
This recipe is for everyone’s fave. The results will have you ruined for all other doughnuts…seriously. Follow my step photos, tips and tricks, and foolproof recipe for doughnut success!
What are the Best Ingredients to Use for Homemade Doughnuts?
Let me walk you through the process so you understand what you’re doing. Homemade doughnuts seem a little intimidating, but I assure you– they’re really not!
Butter-Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. Buttermilk is a must for the most tender dough. If you don’t have buttermilk around you, Don’t worry… Take full-fat milk and add in lemon juice or vinegar and let it rest for 5 min. Voila! Your buttermilk is ready. Add eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in the buttermilk and whisk these liquid ingredients until well combined.
Knead the dough: In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients include all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, a little nutmeg is the secret ingredient to that cozy, comforting bakery taste, and yeast. Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using instant yeast, your rise time will be a little shorter. Pour all liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add all at once to the dry ingredients. If you’re preparing by hand or mixer, mix and knead to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft and sticky.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it over to coat the top and cover the dough with a cling wrap and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until doubled in bulk.
After 1-1/2 hours when the dough becomes double in volume, deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough with a lightly greased rolling pin in the upward and downward direction and gently roll it 1/4″ thick, and cut out doughnuts with a 2 1/2″ to 3″ round cutter. Place the doughnuts onto a piece of parchment paper and cover loosely with greased plastic wrap. Let the doughnuts rise for1-1/2 hours until doubled.
After 1-1/2 hours when the doughnuts have risen again, they are ready to fry. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet to 350°F (180ºC) or when you carefully place the doughnuts in the oil, they will not sink in the bottom rather float on the surface of the oil. You can fry 2 or 3 at a time, and fry until golden brown. Turn over and cook the second side; each side should take no more than a minute. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
How to Make Pastry Cream For Filling?
This rich, creamy filling, while delicious as is, can also be flavored in an almost infinite number of ways to create the perfect complement to your doughnuts.
In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together milk, the sugar, salt, and the vanilla bean. (If you’re using vanilla extract or Vanilla Crush, add it at the end.) Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch, flour, and egg yolks with the remaining milk. Whisk some of the hot milk mixture with the egg yolks to temper them. This keeps the yolks from turning to scrambled eggs when you add them to the simmering milk.
Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the remaining simmering milk. Doing this through a strainer will help prevent lumps later. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture thickens; its temperature should reach 165°F. This is important: if the pastry cream doesn’t reach 165°F on the stovetop it won’t set properly as it cools, and maybe soft and runny.
Remove from the heat and strain through a fine strainer into a bowl that is set in an ice bath. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract (if you’re using it). If you’ve never made pastry cream before, be sure to set up a bowl with a strainer over an ice bath before you apply heat to anything. Once the pastry cream comes to a full boil, it’s important to stop the cooking immediately, or it can curdle and separate. Taking it off the stove and straining it into the bowl in the ice bath can be the difference between silky pastry cream and a sad (weepy) result.
Mix the butter over the surface of the cream, top with a piece of plastic wrap (make sure it touches the top of the pastry cream so it doesn’t develop a skin), then refrigerate until cool.
Whip the chilled cream with sugar until half has done, then add cream cheese and continue to whip until peaks form. Fold the chilled pastry cream in the whipped cream mixture, just before using, for a softer and smooth filling. Pastry cream will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days. After that, it may start to weep.
How To make chocolate icing?
Melt the semi-sweet or bitter chocolate with corn syrup and butter altogether over low heat or in the microwave, stirring often. Add extra corn syrup if needed to make a smooth, shiny glaze. Note: For a reliably shiny finish, choose chocolate whose main ingredient isn’t sugar. We’ve found that using chocolate chips that list sugar as the main ingredient produce glaze that’s grainy and dull-looking.
Pour the chilled pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle. When the doughnuts have cooled, Puncture the doughnut from one side by inserting the nozzle into the doughnut and fill it with the pastry cream. At the end frost doughnuts by using chocolate topping or glaze.
Once you’ve tasted these irresistibly plump and sugary treats of the doughnut with this recipe, there’ll be no going back!
I have tried so many versions of doughnuts, and this one finally came out so perfect! Just like the ones at my favorite doughnut shop. Bursting at the seams with thick, luscious vanilla-flavored custard and capped with chocolate glaze, there’s nothing to improve on here, folks. Get this Boston Cream Donuts recipe and do try this and comment us.
![Boston Cream Doughnuts](https://www.bakewithayesha.com/bakewithayesha/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/DSC_0620-150x150.jpg)
Ingredients
Dough:
- 3 cups or 370g All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup or 50g sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup or 227g milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons or 28g melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-liter oil for frying
Pastry Cream:
- 2-1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup or 99g sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or 1/2 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise
- 1/4 cup or 28g cornstarch
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons or 57g butter
- 1/2 cup or 114g heavy cream,
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cream cheese (optional)
Chocolate Glaze:
- 1/2 cup or 85g semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoons or 28g butter
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon or 25g light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For Doughnuts:
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In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients include all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and nutmeg.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and lemon juice to make buttermilk and let it rest for 5 min. Add egg, melted butter, and vanilla in the buttermilk and whisk all together. Add all at once the liquid to the dry ingredients.
-
If you're using a bread machine, press Start. If you're preparing by hand or mixer, mix and knead to make a soft dough.
-
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it over to coat the top, cover, and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until doubled in bulk.
-
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Stretch the edges of dough to the center and make a small ball. Gently roll it with a greased rolling pin in an upward and downward motion. Roll it 1/4" thick, and cut out doughnuts with a 2 1/2" to 3" round cutter.
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Place each doughnut on a piece of parchment or waxed paper, then place it on a cookie sheet. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let the doughnuts rise for 1-1/2 hours until doubled.
-
Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet to 350°F (180ºC) or when you carefully place the doughnuts in the oil, they will not sink in the bottom rather float on the surface of the oil.
-
You can fry 2 or 3 at a time, and fry until golden brown. Turn over and cook the second side; each side should take no more than a minute. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
For Pastry Cream:
-
In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together 2 of the milk, the sugar, salt, and the vanilla bean. (If you're using vanilla extract or Vanilla Crush, add it at the end.) Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
-
Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch, flour, and egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup (113g) milk.
-
Whisk some of the hot milk mixture with the egg yolks to temper them. This keeps the yolks from turning to scrambled eggs when you add them to the simmering milk.
-
Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the remaining simmering milk. Doing this through a strainer will help prevent lumps later. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture thickens; its temperature should reach 165°F. This is important: if the pastry cream doesn't reach 165°F on the stovetop it won't set properly as it cools, and maybe soft and runny.
-
Remove from the heat and strain through a fine strainer into a bowl set in an ice bath. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract (if you're using it).
-
Rub a piece of butter over the surface of the cream, top with a piece of plastic wrap (make sure it touches the top of the pastry cream so it doesn't develop a skin), then refrigerate until cool.
-
Whip the chilled cream with sugar until half has done, then add cream cheese and continue to whip until peaks form.
-
Fold the chilled pastry cream in the whipped cream mixture, just before using, for a softer and smooth filling.
For Chocolate Icing:
- Melt the semi-sweet or bitter chocolate with corn syrup and butter altogether over low heat or in the microwave, stirring often.
- Add extra corn syrup if needed to make a smooth, shiny glaze.
- Pour the chilled pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle.
- When the doughnuts have cooled, Puncture the doughnut from one side by inserting the nozzle into the doughnut and fill it with the pastry cream.
- At the end frost doughnuts by using chocolate topping or glaze.
Enjoy!
6 comments
Ahh! I love doughnuts, and after following your recipe now I can make the best ones at home for me. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you
My children are fan of donuts. So creamy and delicious.
thank you
This is a recipe for a popular riff on the classic Boston Cream Pie, with a crisp, flaky doughnut as the vessel for silky pastry cream. I love your recipe. you explained so well and these look so delicious.
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