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Homemade Brioche Doughnuts

5 from 3 votes
The best doughnuts you will ever eat made with a simple Brioche dough using only seven ingredients! Enjoy them plain with cinnamon sugar or fill them with delicious fillings like custard, Nutella jam, and more!
Servings 8 doughnuts
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
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Equipment

  • Stand mixer with whisk and dough attachment optional, but recommended
  • Hand whisk
  • Rolling Pin
  • 7cm round cookie cutter or any cookie cutter of your choice
  • Baking paper
  • Saucepan for deep frying
  • piping bags for filling

Ingredients
  

  • 2 eggs
  • 50 grams caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 10 grams instant yeast
  • 240 ml warm milk
  • 170 grams butter melted
  • 560 grams all-purpose flour
  • 300 ml vegatable oil for frying
  • 50 grams white granulated sugar for cinnamon sugar
  • 2 tsps cinnamon powder for cinnamon sugar
  • Filling of your choice

Instructions
 

  • Add the eggs, sugar, and salt in a bowl. If using stand mixer, use the whisk attachment and whisk until combined, or use a hand whisk.
    2 eggs, 50 grams caster sugar, 1 tablespoon salt
  • In a separate bowl, mix the warm milk with instant yeast. Make sure the milk isn't too hot as that will kill the yeast. Add the milk mixture into the eggs and whisk until combined.
    10 grams instant yeast, 240 ml warm milk
  • Add the melted butter and whisk again, then add half the flour and mix until you have a thick batter-like consistency.
    170 grams butter, 560 grams all-purpose flour
  • Add the remaining flour and switch to the dough attachment (if using a stand mixer) and knead on medium speed for 5-10 mins until the dough forms a soft ball and starts climbing the dough hook. If not using a stand mixer, start kneading by hand and knead for 10-15 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball.
  • Transfer the dough ball to an oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it rest and rise in the fridge for three hours. The dough should double in size during this time. You can also let it rest overnight, for 12-16 hours.
  • Transfer the dough ball to a floured surface, knead it for 2-3 minutes until smooth, then roll it to 1.5 cm thickness. Make sure that the thickness in even throughout the dough.
  • Flour the cookie cutter and cut circles out of the dough and place them on baking paper. If you want to make classic doughnuts with a hole, use a smaller cookie cutter or back of a large frosting tip to cut out a circle from the center of the doughnut. Tip: cut the baking paper into small square pieces and place each doughnut on a piece. This will make it easier to pick up and transfer the doughnut into the frying pan.
  • Cover the doughnuts loosely with a towel or cling film and let them rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes until they double in size. Meanwhile, heat the oil to 170 degrees celsius.
    300 ml vegatable oil
  • Once the doughnuts have risen and the oil is hot, cook them for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. To make sure they are cooked through, poke one doughnut with a toothpick or small knife - it should come out clean.
  • Transfer the doughnuts on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil and roll them in the cinnamon sugar while they are still hot.
    50 grams white granulated sugar, 2 tsps cinnamon powder
  • Let them cool down before filling. For filling the whole doughnuts, use a small knife to create a hole in the middle of the doughnut and use a piping bag to fill them and enjoy.
    Filling of your choice
  • For filling, try out this vanilla custard recipe or this lemon curd recipe.

Notes

Storage:
These doughnuts can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days. 
Make Ahead:
The brioche dough can be made ahead the night before and shaped and fried the next day.
Filling Ideas:
    • Jam - you can roll them in icing sugar instead of cinnamon sugar for this filling.
    • Vanilla Custard - you can use this easy recipe.
    • Nutella
    • Pistachio Butter
    • Lemon Curd - you can use this easy recipe.
    • Peanut Butter and Jam
 
Tips & Tricks:
  • Make sure the milk is not hot when mixing it with yeast as that will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise. The milk should be lukewarm, around 30-35 degrees celsius.
  • Knead the dough until it forms a completely smooth ball with just a little stickiness.
  • When rolling the dough, make sure to properly flour the surface and the rolling pin to avoid it from sticking.
  • Do not roll out the dough thicken than 1.5-2cm or the doughnuts will become too big and misshapen after rising.
  • The dough should have even thickness all across or your doughnuts will have uneven thickness.
  • Cut baking paper into small squares and place each individual doughnut on it. This makes it easy to pick the doughnut and transfer it to the frying pan without disturbing the rise of the dough. 
  • Make sure the oil is at the right temperature before adding the doughnuts into it. If you don't have a thermometer, heat it until it's very hot the way you would for deep frying potato fries.
  • You will have to reduce and increase the heat throughout the cooking process, make sure to keep it balanced so that the doughnuts get cooked from inside and not just browned from outside. 
  • Keep an eye on the doughnuts and don't let them get too dark.
  • If your dough does not rise, it means that your yeast is dead. In this case, buy new yeast and make sure the milk isn't too hot.
  • If the doughnuts come out dry, it means you have overcooked them. 
  • Roll the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar while they are still hot so that it sticks on the surface.
  • If filling the doughnuts, make sure they have completely cooled down before filling or the heat will melt the filling.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword: brioche, brioche doughnuts, donut, donut recipe, doughnuts