Phenomenal Phoods

Pumpkin Butterbeer Doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the pumpkin brioche doughnuts For the butterbeer filling For the butterscotch sauce For the decoration

Instructions:

For the pumpkin brioche doughnuts
  1. Combine the yeast and warm milk in a small dish and let sit for 5 minutes to activate the yeast until it becomes foamy.
  2. Combine the yeast mixture and all ingredients except for the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix for 5 minutes until well combined.
  3. Turn the mixer down to low and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition. Once all of the butter has been added, turn the mixer to high and mix until the dough is smooth and pulled away from the sides of the bowl. This should take another 5 minutes or so. If your dough is super sticky, add a little more flour. I ended up using about 5 cups.
  4. Brush a large bowl with oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover lightly with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let sit in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the dough is doubled in size. I usually turn the oven to the lowest setting and then turn it off. I store the bowl in the warmed oven with the door cracked open to rise.
  5. If you are making this all in one day, feel free to move on to step 6. If you're making the dough ahead of time (highly recommend), punch the dough down and store it in the fridge overnight.
  6. When ready, remove the dough from the fridge and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll into tight rolls by placing each piece in the palm of your hand and rolling vigorously against the countertop. Place on lightly floured cookie sheets, a couple of inches apart. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
  7. Fill your pot with a gallon of oil. You just want it to be about 3 inches deep. Bring the oil to 355 degrees F.
  8. Fry 3 or 4 doughnuts at a time, depending on how wide your pot is, for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. I like to do 2 minutes on the first side, flip and then 1 1/2 on the other for the perfect, golden brown doughnuts. You will probably find that some of the doughnuts will get air bubbles and puff up. Just have a spatula on hand to lightly press them down into the oil if they are trying to puff up and flip on you. You will have a light ring around the center of the doughnuts.
  9. Use a slotted spoon to remove doughnuts from the oil and place on paper towel for a few seconds. Toss in cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. I like to pour the sugar into a sheet pan and toss them in the sheet pan. Then stand the doughnuts upright along the back edge of the pan to cool. Don't lay them down or they will collapse.
For the butterbeer filling
  1. Fill a pot with about an inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in a heat safe bowl and set aside.
  3. Combine the milk and vanilla bean paste in another small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Don't let it completely start boiling. Remove it from the heat when it is just starting to simmer.
  4. Slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking quickly the entire time.
  5. Place the bowl on top of the pot of simmering water that you prepared previously and whisk quickly and continuously until the mixture starts to boil and thicken. It should be the consistency of pudding.
  6. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine sieve into another container. Cover directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and chill in the fridge until completely cool, about 2 hours.
  7. When you are ready to fill your doughnuts, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the heavy cream and the butterscotch sauce into the vanilla bean custard base until smooth.
  8. Use a small knife to polk a hole in the top of each cooled doughnut, and use a piping bag to fill each doughnut with butterbeer custard until the filling pops out the top just slightly.
For the butterscotch sauce
  1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the pan.
  2. Let boil until thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour into a separate container to cool and store in a sealed container in the fridge. Do not mix into the butterbeer filling until it is completely cooled.
For the decoration
  1. Let your melted chocolate cool until it is thick enough to pipe, 20-30 minutes.
  2. Transfer to a piping bag or ziplock with the corner cut off and pipe little glasses and lightening bolts onto a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before topping the doughnuts.