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Doughnuts Filled With Meyer Lemon Pastry Cream (Bomboloni con Crema al Limone)

Homemade doughnuts? Why not! While it may sound a bit daunting, it's not nearly as difficult as it sounds, it just requires a bit of planning. Most of the time is hands off, just prep the dough and set it in the fridge overnight and I promise you, the results are incredible! In this recipe, the doughnut is made from a brioche dough, then stuffed with a Meyer lemon pastry cream and rolled in granulated sugar to give it added texture. The result is heavenly, a light and tender doughnut stuffed with silky lemon infused pastry cream and a sugary crust that sticks to your lips with every bite!
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Course: Dessert
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the Doughnuts
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tspn rapid rise yeast
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 3/4 tspn salt
  • 1 cup whole milk, warm
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tspn vanilla extract or paste
  • 4 tbspn unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1-2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
For the Meyer Lemon Pastry Cream
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 lemons, zested
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 tbspn cornstarch
  • 1/4 tspn salt
  • 2 tbspn butter

Method
 

For the Doughnut Dough
  1. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray.
  2. Put the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and then add the sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and vanilla paste (or extract) and mix on low speed for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, making sure each tablespoon is fully incorporated before adding the next. Continue until all the butter has been added to the dough.
  4. Mix for a total of 30 minutes on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as necessary.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a rectangular shape.
  6. Fold the left side over to the right, the right over to the left, then the top to the bottom and the bottom to the top so you have an envelope with the seam at the top.
  7. Place the dough seam-side down in the prepared bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. This prevents the dough from developing a skin as it rises. Cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 1 hour. 
  8. Repeat the folding process, place it back in the bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
For the Meyer Lemon Pastry Cream
  1. Combine the milk and lemon zest in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When milk starts to steam, remove it from the heat. Do not allow the milk to boil. Set the mixture aside to cool.
  2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar together for about a minute.
  3. Sift the cornstarch and salt.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk, wiping down the sides as necessary. Continue to whisk, until the mixture is homogeneous.
  5. While the stand mixer is continuously whisking, add a cup of the milk to the egg mixture. Gradually add all the hot milk.
  6. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and over medium heat, whisk continuously for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Do not allow it to come to a boil. 
  7. Once the mixture has thickened, remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly.
  8. Add the butter and whisk into the mixture until fully incorporated.
  9. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap in direct contact with the pastry cream. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes and then refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the Doughnuts
  1. After the dough has set in the refrigerator overnight, lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to a 12 inch wide circle. Using a 3" biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds of dough as you can. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet until you are ready to fry them. Use a small biscuit cutter or even a knife to make doughnut holes out of the scraps, re-rolling the dough as necessary.
  2. Transfer the doughnuts to a parchment lined baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and allow them to proof for 1 to 1 1/2 hours
  3. Meanwhile, fill a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven with vegetable oil, making sure there is at least 3 inches of oil in the pot. Heat the oil to 350°F.    
  4. Next, set up your frying station. Place a cooling rack and a bowl filled with granulated sugar near the pot of oil. Once the doughnuts are proofed, remove the plastic wrap and place them near your pot of oil. Using a kitchen spider, lower one doughnut at a time into the oil. Don't overcrowd the pot or you will lower your oil temperature. Fry for 2 minutes, or until the doughnut is golden brown and then flip it and fry on the other side for 1 minute.
  5. Using the kitchen spider, remove the doughnuts from the oil and place them on the cooling rack. Allow to cool slightly and then transfer to the bowl of granulated sugar, rolling the doughnut around so the sugar sticks to all sides. Place it back on the cooling rack and repeat the process with the rest of the doughnuts.
  6. Once all the doughnuts are cooked, fill the piping bag with the pastry cream. Using a knife, make a small slit on the side of the doughnut, carefully insert the piping tip and squeeze the pastry cream into the doughnut, filling it with as much cream as it will comfortably hold. As you fill the doughnut, pull the piping bag out slowly, so your doughnuts don't explode from the pressure.