Brioche Doughnuts with Vanilla Rose Pastry Cream

Brioche Doughnuts with Vanilla Rose Pastry Cream are fluffy, rich, decadent, and the best way to show your loved ones how much you care on Valentine’s Day! When you really want to go all out for that special someone, gift a box of Blackberry Cream Brioche Doughnuts and Chocolate Cacao Nib Cream Doughnuts as well.

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

Doughnuts are my love language. Just gift me a box of freshly made brioche donuts and old fashioned doughnuts and I’ll be yours forever!

It’s exactly why I can’t get over how astounding these Brioche Doughnuts with Vanilla Rose Pastry Cream are. The enriched brioche dough filled with rose infused pastry cream is on an entirely different level than any other fried doughnut recipe you’ve tried. And trust me, I’ve tried many!

This is a lengthy, overnight doughnut recipe but I promise it’s worth it and can be made by anyone and will save you a trip to the doughnut shop. My brioche homemade donuts are always fried rather than baked to ensure fluffy, tender results every time. You and your loved ones won’t be able to resist!

Try making vanilla custard donuts, lemon donuts or bavarian cream donuts if you're looking for more delicious brioche recipes!

❓ Brioche doughnuts vs. regular doughnuts

Brioche is an enriched dough made with lots of eggs and butter. When used for doughnuts, the egg-enriched dough gives the pastry a very rich flavor and a tender crumb. Regular doughnuts, on the other hand, are made with just flour, yeast, water, and salt and don’t turn out as rich tasting.

The soft and buttery texture of brioche dough makes it the perfect choice for lots of baked goods, like babka, french toast, rolls, doughnuts, and bread pudding.

Filled donuts are so incredibly delicious - try my blackberry brioche donuts, bavarian cream donuts, and passion fruit curd donuts for more options!

✨ The Beautiful World of Brioche

Brioche is known to be an enriched dough due to the amounts of both egg and butter that have been incorporated during the mixing process. Here are just a few of the many things that you can create utilizing brioche as the base:

🍴Ingredients

• Active dry yeast - Your brioche dough won’t rise without the yeast! Make sure it’s still fresh and hasn’t expired before you begin to make the dough.
• All purpose flour - This is the best option for fluffy and light doughnuts, so try not to replace it.
• Eggs - You’ll need lots of eggs for both the brioche doughnut dough and the vanilla pastry cream.
• Butter - Again, you’ll need a lot of unsalted butter for the dough and cream.
• Oil - Canola oil or Palm oil shortening works best for frying these doughnuts because it develops a perfect crust and heats up incredibly quickly, which is very convenient when making back to back batches. Head on over to my guide for choosing the right oil to fry donuts for more information!
• Granulated sugar - Because who doesn’t love a doughnut rolled in sugar?
• Dried rose petals - This homemade pastry cream is infused with dried rose petals for an unmistakeable romantic and floral aroma.
• White chocolate - Whisking melted white chocolate into pastry cream adds another rich layer of flavor while helping to smooth it out.

⚒️ Equipment

As I mentioned earlier, this brioche donut recipe is a bit of a commitment. These three pieces of equipment will make your life a LOT easier:

• Mixer with Paddle and Dough Hook attachment - Making brioche dough requires quite a bit of kneading and whipping cream takes a lot of mixing to get it nice and fluffy. Give your arms a break with a little electronic assistance!
• Small Fryer - I've recently fallen in love with this little fryer. It doesn't take up too much space in the kitchen and it allows me to fry at a consistent temperature. This is completely optional - a sturdy dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot to hold your oil in will work as well!
• Pastry Bag and Tip - Filling donuts with passion fruit cream can be a messy affair if you don’t have the right tools. In a pinch, you can swap in a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off or make a pastry bag using parchment paper.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Activate the yeast. Mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of an electric mixer and let it sit until bubbles start to form on the surface.

Step 2: Make the dough. Mix the eggs and flour into the yeast mixture until combined. Knead the dough until it looks smooth and glossy and passes the window pane test.

Step 3: Let it proof overnight. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it in plastic, and let it proof until the dough has doubled in size. Afterward, punch down the dough with your fist and place it back in the fridge overnight.

Step 4: Shape into doughnuts. After the dough has rested overnight, it’s time to start shaping! Divide your dough using a sharp knife or a bench scraper into even 65-gram pieces. Gently degas each piece by pressing on top of the ball with the heel of your hand before forming into a tight boule. Place each piece of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure to give each tight bun plenty of room. Let the dough sit undisturbed in a warm spot to proof until they have doubled in size for about 1.5 -2 hours.

Step 5: Fry the doughnuts. Heat the oil to 340ºF in a large pot. Fry each doughnut for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then remove with a slotted spoon and leave to rest. Repeat until you run out of dough to fry in the hot oil.

Step 6: Coat in sugar. Roll the hot homemade doughnuts in granulated sugar once the excess oil has drained, then leave them to cool completely.

How to make vanilla rose pastry cream

Step 1: Make the infused rose milk. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it comes up to a simmer. Stir in the rose petals. Turn off the heat and let the petals sit and steep for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Temper the pastry cream. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, strained rose milk, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk the eggs together in a separate bowl. Cook the milk and sugar mixture over medium heat until it starts to boil. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the eggs while constantly whisking. 

Step 3: Smooth it out. Pour the cream back into the saucepan and bring it to a boil again. Keep whisking, then lower the heat and whisk until it’s smooth. Strain it into a clean bowl and finish by stirring in the butter and white chocolate.

Step 4: Let it thicken. Place a layer of plastic over the cream, making sure to press it right on top to prevent a skin from forming. Leave it in the firdge until it thickens slightly.

How to fill brioche doughnuts with pastry cream

Step 1: Fill the piping bag. Transfer the rose pastry cream from the bowl to a piping bag.

Step 2: Fill each doughnut with cream. Pierce a doughnut with the tip of the piping bag and squeeze the cream in the center until it feels heavy in your hand. Add candied rose petals for decoration, then serve and enjoy!

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

What's so fun about this pastry cream recipe is that you are able to play with the flavor by omitting the rose flavoring and instead add another option. Throw in some plum puree, nectarine puree, or make an alternate infusion to make your own version of these brioche doughnuts!

🌹 Rose Garnish

Sprinkling a few rose petals on top of the pastry cream is a fun way to add a pop of color, texture, and aroma. In the past, I’ve purchased culinary safe dried rose petals in bulk at various spice markets throughout the city. You’ll most likely find rose petals in a similar bulk spice store in your hometown, otherwise or you can certainly buy dried rose petals online!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• DON’T skip the overnight rest. The dough continues to ferment slowly overnight within the low temperatures, which is essential to developing flavor.
• Use a thermometer to consistently check the oil’s temperature. It can rise and lower as you move through the frying process. Keep a close eye on the temperature to ensure it stays at 345ºF for even and consistent doughnuts.
• Be prepared before you start! This recipe moves quickly, so have your thermometer, a plate lined with paper towels, and your sugar coating ready before you begin frying.
• Have fun playing with the pastry cream recipe! Try omitting the rose petals and replace them with another flavor option, like plum puree, dark chocolate, nectarine puree, raspberry puree, cocoa powder, or your own infusion.

❄️ Storing

To store: I highly recommend eating the doughnuts the same day they’re made as they tend to dry out quickly. However, if you do have leftovers, you can store the unfilled doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Pastry cream will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.

More doughnut recipes

More Valentine’s Day treats

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