Bavarian Cream Donuts

For the donuts

Start with mixing sugar with lukewarm milk then sprinkle yeast on top. Make sure the kitchen is nice and warm, and in 10 minutes the yeast should foam.

Place the yeast mixture into your Stand mixer with the kneading hook on, then mix it together with the egg and egg yolk.

Mix in dry ingredients; flour, and salt, and start kneading until the dough comes together.

Slowly start to add in room temperature (soft) butter chunks piece by piece. Knead the dough for another 10 minutes on medium high speed until the dough becomes elastic and shiny and not sticky any longer.

Move the dough into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Let it rise ideally in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

After the dough has risen, knock the air out, gently knead the dough for a few seconds and divide it into 12 using a digital scale.

Form 12 balls with your hand and place them into square sheets of baking paper. Use a small amount of extra flour while shaping the dough, if needed.

Proof the dough for the second time now at room temperature. Proofing might take 1-2h depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Chose a warm spot but avoid direct heat and sunlight.

Once the donuts are nicely puffed up, heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. The ideal oil temperature for baking donuts is 180C/356F or between 175-185C / 347-365F. Use a thermometer.

Depending on the size of your pan, place 3-4 donuts in the oil at a time, leaving enough space around them. Fry the donuts on each side for about 2 minutes or until nice and brown.

Place the fried donuts on a wire rack lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Let them come to room temperature.

For the Bavarian cream

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.

In a large enough bowl, with the help of a Hand whisk, whisk together sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until slightly fluffy for about 1-2 minutes.

Bring milk to simmering in a saucepan on medium heat then pour the warm milk mixture over the egg yolk mixture slowly while whisking vigorously with a Hand whisk.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat until the temperature reached 82C / 180F. Remove the cream from the stove as soon as the cream reaches the desired temperature.

Squeeze excess water from the gelatin sheets and stir them into the hot cream. Alternatively, if using gelatin powder, mix together the gelatin powder with 1 tablespoon of cold water then when thickened into a paste, immediately mix into the warm custard.

Place the custard into a shallow bowl or container and cover the entire surface with plastic wrap to avoid skin forming on top. Let it come to room temperature in about an hour. Do not let it chill as the gelatin will set too hard.

Once the custard is at room temperature, whip very cold heavy cream until early stiff peaks. Do not overbeat. Fold the whipped cream very gently into the custard in 2-3x portions.

You can use this Bavarian cream straight away to fill your room temperature donuts or let it chill for 2-3 hours for the gelatin to set.

Store the unfilled donuts in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. If filled, store them refrigerated for 1-2 days.