Soft, Tender Bavarian Cream Donuts Recipe

About the Ingredients

You’ll find full measurements and the printable recipe card below. Here are a few ingredient notes and substitutions to help achieve the best results.

• Unbleached all-purpose flour — Use unbleached flour for good gluten structure. Bleached or cake flour won’t provide the same rise or texture.
• Instant dry yeast — Instant yeast can be mixed directly with the dry ingredients. If you use active dry yeast, it must be proofed in warm water first; see notes in the recipe card.
• Unsalted butter, room temperature — This dough uses a substantial amount of butter for a tender, brioche-like crumb. Use unsalted so you can control the salt level.
• Cold water — Cold water is used intentionally. Prolonged mixing and kneading will warm the dough, and you don’t want the yeast to be stressed by overly warm liquid.
• Whole milk — I used whole milk here and it worked beautifully. You can replace half the milk with cream for a richer custard if desired.
• Egg yolks — The Bavarian cream uses yolks only for a richer, less “eggy” custard flavor.
• Vanilla bean — A vanilla bean (or paste) elevates the custard flavor and creates attractive speckles, but vanilla extract is an acceptable substitute.
• Heavy whipping cream — Folded into the chilled pastry cream to create a light, airy Bavarian cream filling.

Enough Talking — Let’s Bake!

The Dough

This is a rich, buttery dough that benefits from a long, cold rest—8 to 10 hours in the refrigerator gives the best texture and flavor. For a faster option, consider a short-rest brioche method, but the full-rest approach yields the classic tender crumb you want for filled donuts. Below are key tips to help you handle the dough and frying.

• If the dough seems dry at first, resist adding lots of water. Butter contributes moisture as it is incorporated.
• Rolling and cutting the dough while cold helps produce evenly shaped donuts. Place cut rounds on small squares of parchment to transfer them easily to the fryer.
• Keep dough scraps chilled before re-rolling to prevent overworking the butter.
• If the donuts smell tangy, they may be over-proofed. Keep proofing times controlled and follow the refrigeration step rather than increasing yeast.

Pay close attention to oil temperature. Maintain oil around 360°F (182°C). If the oil gets hotter, lower the heat or remove the pan from the burner briefly. If oil is too cool the donuts will absorb excess oil; if too hot the exterior will color too quickly while the center remains undercooked. Adding donuts will temporarily drop the oil temperature, so adjust heat as needed.

How to Know the Donuts Are Done

Two reliable methods:

• Cut the first donut in half to check that the center is fully cooked; use this as your frying time guide.
• Use an instant-read thermometer in the center from the side—donuts are done around 180°F (82°C).

Making Bavarian Cream for Donuts

A sturdy pastry cream (crème pâtissière) is the base for Bavarian cream. In this recipe we make a classic custard, cool it, and then fold in whipped cream to lighten and increase volume. The result is a silky, scoopable cream that’s ideal for piping into donuts.

1. Gently heat the milk to a simmer—small bubbles should form at the pan edge but do not boil.
2. In a bowl, whisk sugar and flour into the egg yolks until smooth.
3. Temper the yolks by stirring in a tablespoon of warm milk at a time, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling.
4. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened (about 90 seconds after it starts to thicken).
5. Remove from heat, strain into a container, then stir in vanilla and butter. Cover and chill. When fully cold, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the chilled pastry cream to make the Bavarian cream.

You can also flavor the filling by adding melted chocolate to the warm pastry cream, or use alternatives such as crème mousseline, crème chiboust, chocolate whipped cream, or fruit preserves.