Easter Egg Donuts (Cream Filled)

Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar and salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the hook attachment. Turn the mixer to low speed, add in the wet ingredients (eggs and egg yolks, followed by the softened butter, water and vanilla extract). Once combined, turn the mixer to medium-low to knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Add a few more tablespoons of flour if the dough looks too sticky. Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test. Do this by grabbing a small bit of dough and stretching it between your fingers. If it stretches without tearing, it is ready. If it tears when stretched, keep kneading. Remove the dough to a lightly-greased bowl and cover. Proof for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Step 2: While the dough is proofing, make the pastry cream. Combine the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat. Combine the granulated sugar and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Whisk by hand until light yellow and fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch and whisk until thoroughly combined and lightened in color even further. Very slowly stream in the warmed vanilla milk with a ladle while whisking vigorously to prevent cooking the eggs. Continue slowly adding in the milk mixture until it is all combined. Return the entire mixture to the medium saucepan and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until the pastry cream has thickened to a pudding consistency (coats the back of a spoon). This can take 5+ minutes. Remove from the heat promptly and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Place the bowl over a larger bowl with ice and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours.

Step 3: Line a large baking sheet with 12 4x4” parchment paper squares. Lightly grease OR flour your work surface. I prefer to roll out on a greased surface for donuts so as to not add extra flour before frying. Punch down the dough and place it on the work surface. Roll out to a ½-inch thick rectangle with a rolling pin. Punch out egg shapes using a large egg shaped cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps as needed, letting them rest for a bit to let the gluten relax. Carefully set each donut on an individual parchment square on the sheet pan. Cover the baking sheet with a towel or another inverted baking sheet, and proof for 30 minutes. Cover another large baking sheet with paper towels and set a wire cooling rack on top. Before the donuts are done proofing, with about 20 minutes left, heat the oil in a large pot over high heat to about 360°F, then lower the heat to medium/medium-high. Keep the oil within 10 degrees of 360°F. I used both a clip-on candy thermometer and an instant-read thermometer to double check the temperature throughout the frying process. Place 2-3 donuts in the oil at a time, carrying them one at a time by its parchment paper and release it into the oil away from yourself, removing the parchment as it falls. Take care not to burn yourself. Fry the donuts for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown, turning the donuts with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider. Remove to the wire rack setup to drain and cool.

Step 4: Using a chopstick or very small knife, poke a hole in one side of each donut. Wiggle it back and forth a bit to open up the inside of the donut to make room for the cream. Once the donuts have cooled to room temperature and the pastry cream is completely chilled, transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag (fitted with a small round tip or just cut a small snip in the end of the bag). Fill each donut with some of the pastry cream. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and salt. Add the heavy cream and water. Start with less of each and add more as needed. Mix in a few drops of your desired food coloring. Dip the donuts in the glaze and set back on the wire rack. For the speckles, add 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder to a small bowl and add a few drops of water at a time until a flickable consistency is reached. Use a clean paintbrush and the tines of a fork to flick specks of the mixture onto the donuts. Serve immediately.