Fresh Peach Donuts (Cream Filled)

Step 1: Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer* or a large mixing bowl. Add the hook attachment. Turn the mixer to low speed, and to the dry ingredients add in the 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, or until the smooth 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. If your dough looks too sticky, add up to 2 tablespoon more flour. Remove the dough to a lightly-greased bowl and cover. Proof for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Step 2: Place 1.5 lbs of the peach in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Dice the other .5 lb of peach in ¼-inch pieces and set aside. Pour the blended peach into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until reduced by half. This can take 15-20 minutes, depending on the strength of your burner. Set aside 1 cup (283g) of the puree for later. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add this mixture to the remaining puree in the pot, along with the diced peach and a pinch of salt. Cook 3-5 minutes more or until thickened. Then scrape it out of the pot with a rubber spatula into a bowl and set it aside to cool and chill completely in the fridge while you prepare everything else.

Step 3: In the same medium saucepan (no need to rinse it out), add the milk to a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat. Combine the granulated sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk by hand or with beaters until light yellow and fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch and whisk until thoroughly combined and lightened even further. Slowly stream in warmed milk with a ladle while whisking vigorously to prevent cooking the eggs. Continue slowly adding in the milk until it is all combined. Whisk in the reserved 1 cup of peach puree. 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. This can take 5-10+ minutes. Remove from the heat promptly and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons of butter, vanilla and kosher salt to taste. Add a pinch of citric acid (optional), if desired. Cover with plastic and press down to touch the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 1 hour or place over a bowl of ice to chill it faster.

Step 4: Line a large baking sheet with 12 4x4” parchment paper squares. Lightly grease OR flour your work surface. Punch down the dough and place it on the work surface. Roll out to ½-inch thick with a rolling pin. Using a 3 ¼ -inch round cookie or donut cutter, punch out as many donuts as you can. Reroll scraps to punch out more rounds, as needed. 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.

Step 5: Cover another large baking sheet with paper towels and set a wire cooling rack on top. Fifteen minutes before the donuts are done proofing, 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 in the hot oil, turning the donuts with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider. Remove the golden brown donuts to the wire rack paper towel setup to drain and cool. Roll in granulated sugar mixed with a pinch of salt in a heatproof mixing bowl while the donuts are still just a bit warm.

Step 6: When the pastry cream is completely chilled, whip the ¾ cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the completely chilled peach pastry cream. Transfer to a large piping bag. 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 peach cream and jam are ready, transfer the cream and jam to piping bags (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 peach cream and some of the jam.