Brioche Donuts with Milk Tart Filling

Heat the milk and spices: Place the milk, butter, cinnamon, bay leaves, and nutmeg in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat gently until steaming and just beginning to simmer. Remove from the heat before it reaches a rolling boil.

Mix the sugar, eggs, and dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the cornflour, cake flour, eggs, egg yolks, and sugar, and whisk to combine.

Temper the egg mixture: Gradually add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture in several additions to temper the eggs and prevent scrambling. Whisk continuously while adding the milk mixture.

Cook the custard until thick: Return the milk and egg mixture to the pot and cook over medium-low heat until the custard begins to thicken and bubble. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk continuously to prevent scrambling and the milk from catching on the bottom of the pot.

Let cool completely: Place the custard in a heatproof bowl and cover the surface with cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the fridge to cool completely, about 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

Add whipped cream when ready to fill: When ready to fill the donuts, fold the softly whipped cream into the chilled custard to lighten it. It should have a mousse-like consistency.

Combine the dry ingredients: Add the bread flour, salt, instant yeast and caster sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix briefly to evenly distribute the ingredients.

Add in the milk and eggs: Pour in the lukewarm milk and add the room-temperature eggs. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms and no dry patches of flour remain.

Knead for a few minutes: Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. The dough should begin pulling away from the sides of the bowl but will still feel slightly sticky.

Slowly add in the butter: With the mixer running on medium speed, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to be fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough will feel split and greasy at first, but as you knead it, it will come together and still be quite sticky, but begin to smooth out. Continue kneading for a further 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, glossy and passes the windowpane test. To check if the dough is ready, perform the windowpane test by gently stretching a small piece of dough between your fingers. If it stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, the gluten has developed sufficiently and the dough is ready.

Place in the fridge for an overnight proof: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight as this makes the dough much easier to handle. In a pinch, you could refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, but I prefer to do this overnight. This slow proof develops flavour and makes the dough much easier to handle.

Prepare your parchment squares: Cut 16 small squares of parchment paper, approximately 10cm x 10cm. These will be used to support the donuts during the second proof and make transferring them to the hot oil easier.

Shape the donuts: Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 60g portions using a kitchen scale. Working with one piece at a time, gently stretch the edges towards the centre to create surface tension, then turn the dough seam-side down. Cup your hand over the dough and roll it against the work surface in a circular motion until a smooth, tight ball (boule) forms. Place each dough ball onto a prepared parchment square and gently flatten it with the palm of your hand to create a donut shape. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving enough space between each donut for proofing.

Let proof for a second time: Cover the donuts loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow them to proof at room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours, or until noticeably puffy and almost doubled in size. The donuts should spring back slowly when gently pressed with a fingertip.

Fry the donuts: Heat a neutral oil to 160˚ Celsius. Carefully lower the donuts into the oil using the parchment squares, removing the paper after a few seconds. Fry for 1½ to 2 minutes per side, or until deeply golden brown and cooked through. Avoid overcrowding the pot and maintain a consistent oil temperature throughout.

Let them cool: Transfer the fried donuts to a wire rack lined with paper towel and allow them to cool completely before filling. This prevents the filling from melting and ensures the best texture.

Fill the donuts: Using a small knife or skewer, create a hole in the side of each donut. Transfer the chilled milk tart filling to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe generously into each donut until filled, and the donut feels heavy and full.

Glaze the donuts: Dip the tops of the filled donuts into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip off. Finish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or a grating of chocolate if desired, then allow the glaze to set before serving.

Alternative to the glaze: Instead of the glaze in the step above, before filling, roll the donuts in some cinnamon sugar to give them a gentle sweetness and crunch.

Heat all the ingredients together: Place all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring well between each interval. Continue heating until the ingredients have fully melted and the glaze is smooth, glossy and lump free.

Let it cool: Allow the glaze to cool until it is slightly warm to the touch and has thickened slightly. For the best consistency, it should register approximately 30˚ Celsius on a thermometer. The glaze should coat the back of a spoon but still flow freely when stirred.

Glaze the donuts: Dip half of each filled donut into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Place the glazed donuts onto a wire rack and allow the glaze to begin setting.

Finish with a grating of chocolate: When the glaze is partially set but still slightly tacky, finely grate chocolate over the top of each donut. The chocolate will adhere to the glaze and provide a beautiful finish and delicate texture.