Boston Cream Donuts made with Fresh Milled Flour
Oh my goodness these Boston Cream Donuts made with fresh milled flour are so good, you have to give them a try! Yes, you read that correctly. This is a Basic Yeast Donut Recipe with a Boston cream pie twist! You can use this fresh milled flour donut dough to make almost any yeasted donut recipe, so buckle up, this one is don't want to miss recipe!
Ingredients
Ingredients To Make the Yeast Donut Dough
- 3&1/3 cup Fresh Milled Flour 410g I used 320g hard white wheat and 90g of Kamut *see notes for alternative wheat varieties.
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water 120g
- 1/2 cup whole milk 120g
- 1/2 cup sugar 100g
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup softened, unsalted butter 57g
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- *oil for frying We used about 1&1/2 quarts of peanut oil
- 2 cups of filling - see link to my Pastry Cream Filling
Ingredients For The Chocolate Icing
- 1&1/2 cup powdered sugar 180g
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder 45g
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk 60g
Instructions
Make The Dough
- Firstly, mill the wheat into flour.
- Add the baking soda, and salt to the freshly milled flour, and mix to incorporate.
- In a microwave safe bowl, warm the water and milk for about 30 seconds, until warm but not too hot to touch.
- In stand mixer, add the warmed water and milk, then sugar, and egg. Stir these wet ingredients to combine.
- Then, add the flour mixture (dry ingredients) to the stand mixer. Mix until incorporated, and there is no dry flour left. Cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
- After the dough has had time to rest, (autolyze step) then it is time to put in the yeast, and then stir to combine.
- Now that the yeast has been incorporated, it is time to add the very softened (but not melted) butter. Add the butter 1 TBSP at a time while mixing the dough. Scrape down sides as needed.
- Start the kneading process, and knead until the dough is nice and stretchy. This kneading time varies depending on your mixer, wheat, and environment, it could take anywhere from 7-20 minutes. It is best to just go by touching your dough, and looking for a nice stretch. *note the dough will be quite tacky.
- After the dough is nice and stretchy, spray the dough ball, and bowl with some nonstick oil.
- Then, cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise until double. This should take somewhere between 1-2 hours.
- While the dough is rising, prepare your pastry cream (It will need to cool before using.) or whatever filling you want to use.
Rolling Out Dough & Cutting Donuts
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- During the end of the rise period, prepare a clean work surface with a bit of oil.
- After the dough has doubled, take the dough out to your prepared work surface, and lightly oil your rolling pin as well.
- Then, gently roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter (or biscuit cutter) cut into circles, and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Collect any scraps of dough left, and reroll, then cut out again. Repeat until the dough is gone.
- Spray the dough with a bit of oil, then cover with plastic wrap. Allow the donuts to rise again for 30-45 minutes, they should appear puffy at the end of the rise.
Frying The Donuts
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with paper towels, and cooling racks on top of those. This is where you will put your donuts after frying.
- Pour about 2-3 inches of frying oil into the bottom of your pan.
- Preheat your oil towards the end of this second rise. Make sure to preheat your oil at the 350*F temperature. Using a digital heat safe thermometer, test the temperature of your oil before frying your donuts.
- Fry donuts at the 350*F for about 1-3 minutes until golden brown, then flip the donut and fry for another 1-3 minutes. Don't put too many in the pan at once, as this will cool down your oil too quickly. Also, make sure your oil is back up to temperature before putting in another batch.
- Once they are golden brown on both sides, place them on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch any excess oil. Repeat until all donuts are fried.
- Allow the donuts to cool before filling or dipping in the icing.
Make The Chocolate Icing
- Place powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
- Then, add vanilla and milk, slowly whisk together until the icing is smooth.
- It should be thick and spoonable, but not like a paste. If too thick, add a tsp more milk at a time. If it is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. (You don't want it to drizzle off the spoon.)
- After the Donuts have cooled it is time to assemble them.
Filling & Assembling The Donuts
- Fill a piping bag with a small round tip and fill bag with pastry cream (make sure it has cooled.) *See notes for alternative filling instructions without a piping bag.
- Using a long skewer or chop stick, poke a hole in one side of each donut, but not all the way through. Gently move the skewer/chopstick is a small circular motion to make a small pocket, being careful not to tear through the donut.
- Place the filled piping bag in the hole, and squeeze the bag to fill the pocket with cream. You will feel a bit of resistance when the donut is full.
- Repeat with each donut until they are all filled.
- Once the donuts are filled, then dip the top of the donut (or spoon on the icing) into the chocolate icing. Allow the icing to set for 15-20 minutes.
- Lastly, enjoy!
Notes
*The best wheat variety to use is a hard wheat variety. You can use all hard red or hard white for this recipe. OR you can sub another wheat variety in for the Kamut written in the recipe.
*To Fill Donuts without a piping bag, just slice the donuts in half after they cool. (Kind of like a sandwich) Spoon on the filling in the middle, and dip the top piece into the chocolate icing.
*To Store These Donuts- These Boston Cream Donuts made with fresh milled flour are best enjoyed the same day. You can place them in the fridge covered for a day, but it may dry them out. For longer term storage, I recommend freezing any excess donuts the same day they are made. Then let them sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours to thaw.