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–+ servings
two stacked homemade donuts puffy with Bavarian cream filling and sugar rolled.
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4.63 from 8 votes

Bavarian Cream Donuts

What's better than a soft, puffy donut? A cream filled donut! Bavarian Cream Donuts are a classic for a reason. Fried dough rolled in sugar and filled with custard (Pastry Cream + whipped cream), they are a totally irresistible and decadent treat. I will show you exactly how to make them step by step!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time2 minutes
Rising time & Chill time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time4 hours 17 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20 donuts
Calories: 432kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons active dry yeast*
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 and 1/4 cups bread flour plus 1/4 cup if necessary
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For frying and sugaring

  • 12 cups canola oil or peanut oil
  • 3 cups granulated sugar for rolling donuts in

For the filling

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 batch Pastry cream click for the recipe (you need 2 hours to chill)

Instructions

  • Make the Pastry Cream. Click for the recipe! It has to be completely chilled, so make this first and stick it in the fridge.
  • Make the dough. In a glass measuring cup, add 1 cup whole milk. Microwave it until it is warm but not hot. Stick your finger in it to make sure. If you wouldn't give a baby a bath in this milk, it's too hot. (I don't know why I can never think of a better temperature gauge than bathing children, but there you go.) Temp should be around 105-110 F.
  • Add 3 tablespoons active dry yeast*. Yes! 3 tablespoons! We are not messing around! Add 1 tablespoon sugar so the yeast has something to eat.
  • Wait a couple minutes until you see bubbles forming in your yeast mixture. (If it stays completely flat, you killed it, game over! Try again.)
  • Add yeast mixture to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup shortening, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir it all together with a rubber spatula.
  • Carefully measure 3 and 1/4 cups bread flour (spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level off the top.) Add the flour to your yeast mixture but don't stir yet.
  • Add 2 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Stir this into the flour.
  • Knead the dough. Use the dough hook (or a wooden spoon) to stir the dough until it is thick enough to knead. Knead with the dough hook (or by hand on a lightly floured surface) for 5 full minutes. The dough should have come together and be stretchy and elastic. If you touch the dough and your fingers come away sticky, add the extra 1/4 cup of flour (or more as necessary), to get a workable dough.
  • Grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a ball, slap it in the bowl, and turn it over so the top side is greased. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed generously with nonstick spray.
  • Create a proofing box in your oven: Bring about 8-10 cups of water to a boil, either in a kettle or in a pot on the stove. Turn your oven on to 350 degrees F for about 30-60 seconds, then turn it off. The oven should be warm but not hot. You should be able to touch the oven racks with your fingers.
  • Place the covered bowl of dough on the top rack in your oven. Place a 9x13 inch cake pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Pour the boiling water into the pan and shut the door right away to capture all the steam.
  • Let the dough rise in this toasty, humid environment for 1 hour. The dough should be doubled in size. Remove from the oven.
  • Prepare three half baking sheets with parchment paper. I love to use these 6x6 inch parchment paper squares (one rising donut per square.) If you don't have the fancy squares, I would take the time to cut 6x6 inch squares. Lay them out on the baking sheets.
  • Shape the donuts. Scrape the risen dough onto a greased pastry mat or lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough a couple times, then roll the dough into a circle that is about a half inch thick, about 12x12 inches. Don't roll it too thin, we want nice puffy thick donuts.
  • Use a 2 and 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut the donuts into rounds. Do not twist the cutter when you press down, this seals the edges and prevents them from rising. Push straight down. Place each shaped donut on its own parchment square. Don't crowd the pan, make sure the donuts have room to double in size. Do not cover.
  • Let rise in the "proofing box" for the second time. Heat your oven to 350 for 30-60 seconds, just like before, and turn it off. Warm, not hot. Heat water (the same water from before is fine) and add to the 9x13 inch pan.
  • Place the pans of rising donuts in your oven, both pans on the top rack if you can squeeze them in. Place the 9x13 pan on the bottom rack. (If you can't squeeze, place one pan on each rack and place the 9x13 pan on the bottom of the oven, yes, directly on the element, but ONLY after you have shut off the oven. Make sure it's not hot to the touch. Do not turn the oven on with a pan on the element!)
  • Once all the shaped donuts are in the warm oven, pour the boiling water into the 9x13 inch pan. Shut the door right away. Let the shaped donuts rise for 30-45 minutes total, until doubled in size. You need to keep an eye on them so they don't rise too much and fall.
  • Heat the oil. Halfway through the rise time, start heating your oil. In a 12-inch high-sided skillet, add canola oil until it reaches about 2 inches up the side of the pan. Turn the heat to medium. Heat until the temperature reads 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Don't throw away the oil container.
  • Prep your work station. Line a few paper grocery bags (or paper towels) on the counter and place 2 cooling racks on top. Have a pair of tongs handy. Keep your thermometer either clipped onto the side of the pan or nearby to recheck the temperature.
  • Fry the donuts. When the doughnuts are doubled in size, remove the pans from the oven. Use two hands to lift the edges of a piece of parchment paper with one raised donut on it. Slowly lower the paper into the oil, dropping one side completely, and holding the paper up on the other side. The paper and the donut should be completely in the oil, except the corner you are holding with your fingers. Shimmy the paper back and forth until the donut slides off into the oil.
  • Let the donut fry on the first side for about 30-60 seconds, until light brown. Use tongs or chopsticks to flip the donut and continue frying for another 30-60 seconds until light brown. (The donuts will continue to darken in color even after cooking.)
  • Use a spider strainer (or slotted spoon or tongs) to gently lift the fried donut to the cooling rack that is set on top of the absorbent paper.
  • Take the time to check the temperature of the oil before frying more. You might need to wait a couple minutes for the oil to climb back up to 350. Keeping the oil temperature steady is one of the reasons you need to use so much oil when deep frying.
  • Continue frying the donuts, adding 3-4 donuts per batch, whatever you can fit. Check the temperature frequently and make sure it's at 350.
  • When the donuts are all fried, turn off the heat and set the oil aside to cool.
  • Sugar the donuts. In between frying, when the donuts are still pretty hot (but not so much that you burn your fingers), roll each one in granulated sugar. Coat it really well! Dump that sugar on!
  • Let the sugared donuts cool completely on wire cooling racks.
  • Make the filling. In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for 2-4 minutes until stiff peaks form. This is whipped cream! It's so easy. Get your Pastry Cream out of the fridge and give it a good strong whisk. Add it to the whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold it in until combined.
  • Fill the donuts. Use a piping bag, or a gallon ziplock with the end snipped off. Place in an empty drinking glass to keep it steady, and spoon the filling in.
  • Once the donuts have cooled, use a paring knife, chopsticks, or even just a couple toothpicks to poke a hole in the side of a donut. Twist it around a bit to make room on the inside for the pastry cream.
  • Place the end of the piping bag inside the donut and fill to the brim.
  • Only fill the donuts with pastry cream that you know you will be eating that same day. Filled donuts don't last well overnight! They just get soggy.
  • How to store unfilled donuts: You can store them in an airtight container or in a loosely closed paper bag. The paper bag is the best option as it will absorb some of the oil on the bottom, keeping the donut from getting too soggy (from sitting in its own wept oil.)
    How to store leftover pastry cream: Place in the fridge with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the custard, to avoid creating a film. If you have some leftover in your piping bag, toss the whole thing in the fridge no prob.
  • What to do with the leftover oil: Hopefully you saved your oil container! If not, use mason jars. Place your container in the sink. Holler at your people for some help. Place a funnel on top of the container. Hold a strainer over the top of the funnel to catch any dough bits. Pour it in.
    Save it! Store in the cupboard. I use oil 2-3 times before funneling it back in the container a final time and tossing it in the trash.

Notes

*I've recently fallen in love with instant yeast because it really does just make everything go faster! Try it out if you want, and shorten your rise times by about 20 minutes, or follow the other cues in the recipe. 
Overnight instructions: You can do EITHER rise in the fridge overnight. I recommend using active dry yeast, not instant yeast for this method.
First rise overnight: Mix and knead the dough, then place in a greased bowl overnight, covered well. Chill 8-12 hours. Let the dough rest at room temperature for a few minutes, then shape your donuts. Let rise as usual, using the proofing box method as described, and continue with the recipe as written.
Second rise overnight: Alternatively, you can mix and knead the dough, let it rise for an hour, then shape the dough into donuts and place on the baking sheets. Cover with VERY well greased plastic wrap. Chill overnight. Take the pans out of the fridge. Continue with the proofing box method and let rise in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Follow the rest of the recipe as instructed!

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.3mg