Homemade Brioche Donuts with Vanilla Custard Filling

Brioche donuts are tossed in sugar and filled with a creamy, rich vanilla custard filling for a delicious treat. Made using an enriched brioche dough, these homemade donuts are perfect for a special occasion and are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. 

My sourdough brioche bread has inspired me to create a variety of recipes – french toast, strata, chocolate babka, and so much more. This enriched dough is just so versatile. So, I thought, why not make a brioche donut dough?

I don’t know about you, but when it starts to get cold outside, I love to spend even more time in my kitchen baking. Plus, when the holidays roll around, I find myself always wanting to have a sweet treat on hand. 

This brioche donut recipe is an extra special treat that is perfect for holidays, birthdays, or just your average Saturday morning. They go great by themselves or with a hot cup of coffee. 

I have a few donut recipes, like my baked donuts or sourdough donuts with vanilla graze. While classic donuts like these are wonderful, I have to say, this upgraded donut takes the cake, or donut if you will! 

Filled with a creamy vanilla custard and tossed in sugar, brioche donuts are sweet, rich and simply delicious. You can make these using conventional yeast or using a sourdough starter for some extra health benefits. Either way, I think you’ll love the finished product. 

The best part of this recipe is the satisfaction you’ll have after you make these. Not only will your tastebuds thank you, but you’ll be the talk of the town when you show up to your holiday party with these in hand. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Delicious ​ – I mean how can anyone resist an enriched dough that is fried, tossed in sugar, and filled with creamy goodness? I know I can’t!

Fun to make –This recipe is not for the faint of heart, as it is quite time consuming. However, it is a lot of fun to make. Plus, kids love to help roll these in sugar and fill them. It’s a great way to get the whole family involved. 

Make it your own  – Get creative with your filling! You can use a chocolate custard, lemon curd, strawberry jam, white chocolate cream, etc. You can also add a little punch to your sugar coating by adding cinnamon for a cinnamon sugar treat!

Tips

• Want a healthier version? Use 1 cup of active sourdough starter instead of yeast and long ferment. Use my sourdough brioche recipe for the dough (see instructions below). 
• If you have issues with your dough sticking once shaped, add a little flour to your parchment paper before placing the shaped dough balls on it. 
• Do not overcrowd your pot! Fry a few donuts at a time for best results.

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Ingredients

Brioche dough:

Yeast – Active dry yeast or instant yeast works fine!
Bread flour – Bread flour gives this dough a much lighter and fluffier texture compared to using all-purpose.
Unbleached all purpose flour
Sugar – Preferably organic cane sugar
Eggs
Salt
Milk – I like to use whole milk, but you could also use 2%. You’ll also want your milk to be warm to help activate the yeast. Make sure it isn’t too hot, or else it can kill the yeast. 
Butter – You’ll want your butter to be at room temperature and unsalted

Custard filling:

Sugar
Vanilla – I use my homemade vanilla, but store bought works just fine!
Corn starch
Eggs
Whole milk
Butter – Make sure to use unsalted to control the salt in the recipe. 

Oil for frying – I like to use tallow, lard or coconut oil to fry my donuts.

Sugar for coating 

Tools you may need

Slotted spoon 

Large pot – I like to use my copper pot for this. You could also use a cast iron pot or dutch oven.

Bench scraper

Candy thermometer – This is key in getting the oil at just the right temperature to make your donuts perfectly golden brown.

Saucepan 

Piping bag – If you don’t have a piping bag, you can always use a Ziploc bag and cut off one corner. 

FAQ

How To Make Brioche Donuts 

Make the brioche dough

Warm milk to approximately 100 ℉. You don’t want it to be too hot, or else it will kill the yeast. 

Combine the warmed milk and yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until everything is combined. Let this sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast is activated. 

Mix in the eggs, sugar, salt, and flour until a dough forms. Knead with the stand mixer for about 5 minutes. 

Mix in butter

Add in your room temperature butter, ¼ cup at a time, until it is all well incorporated. 

Knead your dough

Continue to knead your dough in the stand mixer until the dough comes together and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

First rise

On a floured work surface, shape your dough into a ball. Place it in a greased bowl and let it rise in a warm place covered for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Chill your dough overnight

Gently punch down the dough to deflate it. Shape the dough into a ball again on a lightly floured surface. 

Place it back in your bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight or about 8 hours.

Divide and shape dough

Divide your cold dough into two equal portions. I really like to use my bench scraper to do this. Divide each half into eight, so that you have a total of 16 equal-sized pieces. 

Shape each piece into a bun shape by creating a flat surface on top and tucking the remaining dough underneath. I also like to create a little tension by rotating each bun slightly on a lightly floured surface.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your dough buns onto it. You may need to dust the parchment paper with a little flour to avoid the dough sticking. 

Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow the donuts to rise again at room temperature until about doubled in size. This may take 1 to 2 hours depending on the temperature. 

Fry the donuts

Fill a pot about halfway with oil and heat on the stove until the oil is approximately 350 ℉. I like to use tallow, lard, or coconut oil for this. 

Use a slotted spoon to carefully place the dough buns into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pot. You’ll want to fry about 4 at a time, depending on the size of your pot.

Fry on one side for about 3 minutes and then flip to fry the other side for 3 minutes. The donuts should be golden brown when done. 

Remove the fried donuts with your slotted spoon and place them on a wire cooling rack. I suggest putting a baking sheet with paper towels underneath your wire rack to catch any extra oil that may drip off. 

Toss in sugar

Add sugar to a bowl. Once the donuts have cooled for a few minutes, gently roll the donuts in the sugar until nicely coated. Allow the donuts to finish cooling. 

Make the custard filling

Mix the milk and eggs in a bowl until combined well. Set aside.

Stir the sugar, corn starch, and vanilla in a saucepan. Add the egg and milk mixture along with the butter. Mix everything together and cook until it comes to a boil. 

Turn the stove to low and cook the mixture for another minute or so. Remove the pan from heat and cover it with plastic wrap. 

Put the custard in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour. 

Add filling to donuts

Once your custard and donuts are cooled, add the custard to a piping bag. You can also use a Ziploc bag by cutting one corner of the bag off. 

Cut a hole into the side of each donut and fill with the custard. 

Sourdough Brioche Donuts

If you are like me, you are probably wondering how you can turn these donuts into a sourdough version. 

I personally enjoy making these using my sourdough starter instead of yeast. It has more health benefits and is easier to digest thanks to the fermented grains. 

You’ll use the same ingredients as the yeast version, except replace the yeast with 1 cup of active sourdough starter. 

Feed your starter 

Feed your starter the night before you plan to start this. That way it will be nice and bubbly and ready to go when you wake up in the morning. 

Mix and knead your dough

The next day, combine all ingredients in a mixer and knead until smooth and glossy. The dough will be very wet, but after 10-15 minutes in the stand mixer, it will come together. Don’t add more flour even though it is tempting.

You can also knead by hand if you do not have a stand mixer. 

Cover with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or tight lid and place in a warm spot for 6-8 hours until the dough has doubled. 

Once the dough has doubled, place your dough in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight. This helps stiffen the dough and makes it easier to shape. 

Shape the brioche dough

Divide the dough into two equal portions. I really like to use my bench scraper to do this.

Divide each half into eight, so that you have a total of 16 equal-sized pieces. 

Roll into balls. 

Place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet, giving them plenty of room to rise. 

Cover and allow to rise until doubled, another 6-8 hours (or overnight).

Once your dough has doubled, you’ll follow the same instructions for frying and filling as the yeast version. 

Storage:

Keep the donuts in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. 

Find more sweet breakfast ideas

• Baked Sourdough Donuts
• Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
• The Best Sourdough Discard Scones Recipe
• Easy Sourdough Waffles Recipe
• Sourdough Buttermilk Pancakes

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Also, tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.

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