These crème brûlée filled brioche donuts are next level good. They're coated in burnt sugar, filled with pastry cream and burnt sugar pieces, and finally topped with more burnt sugar pieces.
These donuts are truly life changing! Each component of these donuts does seem complicated, but I assure you, they are not as difficult as they sound. Plus, the dough, pastry cream, and burnt sugar pieces can be prepared the night before, so all you have to do the next morning is fry up the donuts and fill them crème brûlée goodness.
For more brioche recipes, try Overnight Brioche Bread, Cinnamon Sugar Brioche Donuts, Pesto Brioche Swirl Bread, and Chocolate Filled Brioche Donuts.
Jump to Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast: If using active dry yeast, combine with milk and sugar and allow to sit for 15 minutes. If using instant yeast, there is no need to let the yeast sit in the mixture.
- Whole Milk: Use whole milk for optimum flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar will need to be mixed in with the milk and yeast to help activate the yeast.
- Eggs: You’ll need to 2 eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: Add a high quality vanilla extract for optimal flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: The best way to measure your flour, as well as the rest of the ingredients, is by weight. I use this kitchen scale!
- Malted Milk Powder: This is optional, but it keeps the donuts softer for longer and provides more depth of flavor!
- Unsalted Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for best overall flavor.
- Egg Yolks: You'll need about 4 egg yolks for this recipe. If you aren't sure what to do with your extra egg whites, check out some of my macaron recipes!
- Cornstarch: A little bit of cornstarch will help the pastry cream thicken up to the right consistency.
- Baking Soda: When you add the baking soda to the caramelized sugar, it reacts and bubbles up, giving it a honeycomb look.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this crème brûlée filled brioche donut recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the pastry cream and burnt sugar. Make the pastry cream over the stove by tempering the eggs, sugar and cornstarch into heated milk and vanilla. Whisk until thick and remove from heat, then cover in a bowl and cool in the fridge overnight. To burn the sugar, heat sugar and water over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high when it bubbles, and only swirl it for about 10 minutes, or until it turns an amber color. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in baking soda. Pour over the prepared pan (do not spread with spoon or spatula, as this will deflate the bubbles). Allow to cool completely before breaking into pieces.
STEP 2: Make and assemble the donuts. Make the brioche dough in a standard mixer and let proof overnight in the fridge. Shape the dough into 8 equal balls, proof for another 30 minutes, then fry in oil for 30 seconds on each side for 2-3 minutes total. Dry off and cool donuts on a wire rack, then roll in burnt sugar and fill with pastry cream.
Expert Baking Tips
- You can use either active dry yeast or instant yeast. For active, you’ll need to combine the yeast with the lukewarm milk and sugar and allow to sit for about 15 minutes until foamy and activated. For instant yeast you do not need to let it sit.
- I recommend allowing your brioche dough to rise slowly overnight in the fridge. Cold dough is so much nicer to work with! But you can also let it proof at room temperature for one hour and make the donuts immediately.
- Make the pastry cream the day before so you do not need to wait for it to cool down before filling your donuts. I like to pull it out of the fridge before I fry the donuts, so it has some time to warm up a bit, which makes it easier to pipe into the donuts.
- You can also make the burnt sugar the day before, just be sure to store the pieces in a ziplock bag and refrigerate them so they do not become too soft and stick together.
- Donuts are best enjoyed the day they are made.
Recipe FAQs
1. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the wet and dry ingredients on low-medium speed for a few minutes until it forms a ball around the hook.
2. Slowly begin incorporating the room temperature butter as it mixes on medium speed. It is very important to use room temperature butter in order for it to incorporate properly.
3. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the speed up to high and mix for about 8 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test.
1. First proof overnight - Make the brioche dough the night before, and allow it to proof overnight in the fridge. The next morning, shape into cinnamon rolls, proof one more time in a warm environment, and bake.
2. Second proof overnight - Make the brioche dough the night before, and proof for about 1 hour in a warm environment. Shape the dough into cinnamon rolls, then proof overnight in the fridge. The next morning (ideally before 9am), take the cinnamon rolls out to come to room temperature (about 1 hour) and bake as directed.
These donuts are best the day they are made, but can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. When warmed up, they'll taste almost as fresh as the day they were made.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other donut recipes you'll love
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📖 Recipe
Crème Brûlée Filled Brioche Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pastry Cream:
- 66 g egg yolk, about 4 (room temp)
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 14 g cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 227 g whole milk
- 56 g unsalted butter, room temp
For the Burnt Sugar:
- 198 g granulated sugar
- 57 g water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
For the Brioche Dough:
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
- 115 g whole milk, warmed to 110 degrees F
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 20 g malted milk powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 85 g unsalted butter, room temp
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
For the Pastry Cream:
- Make the pastry cream by heating the milk and vanilla in a medium pot to just shy of a simmer. It is difficult to tell when milk is simmering, so I just bring it to about 195-200 degrees F.
- Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Once the milk is hot enough, pour half of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper them. Whisk for another minute and then pour all of it back into the pot and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once the pastry cream thickens and the bubbles disappear, continue whisking for one more minute and then remove from heat.
- Transfer the pastry cream to a small bowl and whisk in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface, so a skin does not form and place in the fridge to cool overnight.
For the Burnt Sugar:
- Line a baking sheet or pan with aluminum foil and grease with butter.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar and water over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Once it starts bubbling, increase the heat to medium-high and only swirl it, do not stir it. Heat for about 10 minutes, or until it turns an amber color.
- Remove from heat and quickly whisk in baking soda. Pour over the prepared pan (do not spread with spoon or spatula, as this will deflate the bubbles). Allow to cool completely before breaking into pieces.
For the Brioche Dough:
- Heat the milk to 110 degrees F and stir in yeast and sugar. If using active dry yeast, allow to sit for 15 minutes. If using instant yeast, simply move on to the next step.
- Mix the eggs and vanilla into the milk yeast mixture.
- Combine flour, malted milk powder, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and mix on low-medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until it forms a ball around the hook.
- Add in one piece of butter at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 6-8 minutes. To check if the dough is ready, tear off a small piece and carefully spread it out to see if you can see the light through it without it tearing. If it tears, mix for another minute and check again.
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof overnight in the fridge.
For Frying the Donuts:
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into smooth balls. Allow the donuts to proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- While the donuts proof, pour enough vegetable oil in a cast iron pot to fill two inches and heat to 350-360 degrees F.
- Fry the donuts, two or three at a time, for 30 seconds on each side for a total of 2-3 minutes. Dry donuts off on paper towels quickly and then transfer to a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Allow to cool completely before filling.
For Assembly:
- Grind up about 50g of the burnt sugar in a blender. Transfer to a small bowl and coat each donut in the sugar.
- Using a skewer or the end of silverware, poke a hole in each donut.
- Mix about half of the burnt sugar pieces (or more if desired) in the pastry cream and transfer to a piping bag with a medium round tip. Pipe cream into each donut and top with bigger burnt sugar pieces.
Lindsay says
Hi Sloan,
I am making these a couple of hours ahead of being served. How would you best store these to make sure they keep the best form (it will still be day of, but will be served about 5-6 hours after made).