Sourdough Cream Filled Doughnuts

Equipment:

• Digital scale
• Stand mixer
• Brød & Taylor proofer box (optional, but recommended)
• Parchment paper cut into 5-inch/12cm squares
• Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
• Metal slotted spoon
• Candy/oil thermometer

Ingredients:

Stiff Levain:

• 38 grams of active sourdough starter (white, 100% hydration)
• 38 grams of water
• 76 grams of bread flour

Main Dough:

• 390 grams of bread flour or a 50/50 mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour
• 152 grams of the stiff levain
• 100 grams of eggs (approximately 2 eggs)
• 128 grams of cold whole milk
• 75 grams of sugar
• 7 grams of salt
• 75 grams of unsalted butter (softened and cubed)

Vanilla Cream Filling:

• 360 grams of whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 60 grams of sugar
• 23 grams of cornstarch
• 4 egg yolks
• A pinch of salt
• 25 grams of unsalted butter

Other:

• 2 liters of frying oil
• 200 grams of sugar for coating

Instructions:

Stiff Levain:

1. In a bowl, combine the sourdough starter, water, and bread flour. Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm spot (75°F-78°F/24°C-26°C) for 8-10 hours, or until it triples in size.

Main Dough:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, stiff levain, eggs, whole milk, sugar, and salt. Mix until just combined. Don’t worry if the dough is a bit lumpy at this point. Cover the bowl and let it rest for an autolyse period of 30 minutes.
2. After the autolyse, continue mixing for 5 minutes.
3. Gradually add the softened, cubed butter to the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing at medium speed for 15-25 minutes. You can check if the dough is ready by performing the window-pane test.
4. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover it, and allow it to proof in a warm spot (75°F-78°F/24°C-26°C) for 6 hours. If you don’t have a dough proofer, you can use your oven with the light turned on and the door slightly ajar.
5. During the proofing, perform two gentle folds – one after 1.5 hours and another after 3 hours.
6. After the 6-hour proofing, place the dough in the fridge and cold-proof for 6-8 hours.

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

1. Begin by gathering all your ingredients.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
3. Slice the vanilla bean pod in half lengthwise and scrape the vanilla beans with a knife.
4. In a medium-sized pot, heat the milk and vanilla bean over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pot, nearly boiling.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
6. Place a fine-mesh strainer over the pot and strain everything back into the pot. Heat it over medium heat, still whisking constantly, until the pastry cream thickens and becomes shiny.
7. Remove it from heat and mix in the butter (or vanilla extract, if using). Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap that touches the entire surface to prevent a skin from forming, and let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating it.

Shaping and Final Proof:

1. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, each weighing approximately 60 grams, and roll them into seamless rounds.
2. Place the shaped donuts on baking trays lined with parchment paper squares (about 5 inches/12 cm) for easy transfer later. Loosely cover the trays with plastic wrap.
3. Place the baking trays in the oven with the light turned on and the door slightly open, maintaining a temperature of around 78°F/26°C. You can also use a proofer box if you have one. Proof the donuts for about 10-14 hours or until they’ve doubled in size.

Frying the Doughnuts:

1. Pour the frying oil into a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot and set it over medium heat. Heat the oil to a temperature of 180°C-185°C (356°F-365°F), using a thermometer to manage the temperature.
2. Carefully lower the doughnuts into the hot oil and fry them for about 2 minutes on each side, ensuring the top side of the dough pieces hits the oil first.
3. Remove the fried doughnuts with a metal slotted spoon and transfer them to a cooling rack lined with paper towels.
4. While they’re still warm, toss the fried doughnuts in sugar.
5. Repeat the frying process for all remaining doughnuts.

Assembly:

1. Take the vanilla pastry cream out of the fridge and give it a good stir.
2. Insert a small knife into the center of the cooled doughnuts (anywhere along the white line) to make a hole. With a piping bag, fill each doughnut with the vanilla pastry cream.