Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée Donuts (small batch)

Step 1: Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer* (or in a large bowl if mixing my hand). Add the hook attachment. Turn the mixer to low speed, add in the eggs and egg yolks, followed by the softened butter, water, vanilla extract and orange extract. Once combined, turn the mixer to medium-low to knead for 10 to 15 minutes, or 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. If your dough looks too sticky, add up to 2 tablespoons more flour. Remove the dough to a lightly-greased bowl and cover. Proof for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Step 2: Combine the pumpkin puree and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and add vanilla and spices. Combine the granulated sugar and orange zest in a medium bowl, rubbing together to express the zest’s oils. Add the egg yolks. 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 pumpkin 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. This can take 5+ minutes. Remove from the heat promptly and transfer to a heatproof bowl. 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. When the pastry cream is completely chilled, whip the ½ cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the completely chilled pumpkin pastry cream. Transfer to a large piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip and set aside until ready to fill the donuts.

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. Make three vertical cuts from the long side of the rectangle and two horizontal cuts from the short side to make a 4x3 grid of 12 donuts. Trim any rounded edges if you want each donut to be more square (optional). 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. 

Step 4: 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, turning the donuts with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider. Remove to the wire rack setup to drain and cool.

Step 5: 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, fill each donut with some of the pumpkin cream. 

Step 6: Place all of the caramel ingredients in a light-colored small saucepan. Stir gently to combine and then do not stir again through the rest of the cooking process. Cook over medium heat with a lid on for 5 minutes and then remove it and finish cooking until it develops an amber color. This part will go very quickly so do not walk away. Remove from the heat promptly once the color develops as it will continue to develop a bit off the heat. Work quickly to dip each filled donut into the hot caramel, letting the excess drip off before setting it down to cool, letting the caramel harden. Serve immediately.