Look no further for a top-notch Bavarian cream doughnut recipe, with the fluffiest, most delicious dough and silky, creamy Bavarian cream filling.
To rewind a bit—I started this blog out of a love for cakes and a desire to learn how to properly make dough-based sweets and desserts.
Now that Ive somewhat mastered the topic of cake making and with a cake cookbook behind me, I needed a new baking project and it was the best time to tackle dough making.
At first, I wanted to create a perfect fried vegan doughnut recipe and then I moved forward to the buttery brioche goodness. I already have a doughnut recipe on my blog that was based on more traditional Croatian doughnut making. Its a good recipe, but… oh my. This is something else!
This time I dug deep to really understand gluten development, ratios, the importance of kneading long enough, adding enough fat to produce the most tender, brioche-like dough and so on.
After a few months of testing and making almost a thousand doughnuts (no kidding), Im ready to share this recipe/guide for Bavarian cream filled doughnuts with you! [feast_advanced_jump_to]
Bavarian cream donut is the basic term for any cream or custard filled donut.
This premium and decadent donut includes more dough, filling and topping due to its rectangular shape. Depending on your location, the name and build of this donut may vary! Down South, this may be called a Long John, and could be unfilled and tossed in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. In the Northeast, it can be similar to a Boston Kreme with chocolate icing and Bavarian Kreme filling, resembling an Éclair. We also use the Bismark to make fancies, filled with raspberry jelly and topped with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles.
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Similar to the Boston Kreme, this donut is a yeast shell with Bavarian Kreme filling. However, instead of a chocolate glaze topping, the Bavarian Kreme is tossed in powdered sugar. Bavarian Kreme filling was created to resemble the traditional Boston Kreme filling for a cake.
Although we dropped donuts from our name, here at Dunkin’ we are still very dedicated to our donuts. With so many donut varieties at your local store, you may be wondering what is the difference between yeast treats like Boston Kreme, Bavarian Kreme and Bismark? What even is Bavarian Kreme filling and why does it taste so amazing?
How to make the doughnut dough (step-by-step)
Note: You have the fully written recipe with measurements and detailed instructions at the end of the post. However, I advise you to read all the helpful tips and FAQs.
I hope the visual cues of each phase the dough goes through will be helpful to you. This is a pretty rich dough, so it needs a bit of time to properly develop.
I recommend using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. A regular KitchenAid Artisan with a 5qt (4.8L) bowl will do great (approx. 25 minutes from start to finish) and if you have a KitchenAid Heavy Duty mixer, that one will do an even better (quicker) job (approx. 15 minutes from start to finish). This is not sponsored, I just personally own and use both of these mixers.
For those of you that dont have a stand mixer, you can try and use an electric hand mixer with dough kneading attachments, but pay attention to possible overheating of the mixer.
There is also always a possibility of kneading the dough by hand, however it will require quite a bit of time and muscle.
Without further ado, heres how you make the most pillowy, delicious doughnuts:
- Start by adding the lukewarm water, sugar, yeast, rum, lemon zest, vanilla and eggs to the bowl of a standing mixer. Then add the dry ingredients – flour, salt and ground nutmeg. Its important that the yeast doesnt come to direct contact with the salt.
- Using a dough hook attachment, start kneading at low speed. The ingredients will start clumping together into a dough and look somewhat dry and rugged like pictured.
- However, just continue with the kneading for 5-8 minutes and the dough will become smooth and more elastic and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
The reason were not adding the butter from the start is to make it easier for the dough to develop gluten and become soft and elastic.
Now that weve allowed the dough to develop some gluten, its time to start adding the butter, one cube at a time. In this process, the dough will go through various phases, but just keep going and be persistent.
- At first, as we start adding the butter, the dough will start looking like its separating and the butter is just getting smeared on the sides of the bowl, but dont worry.
- Eventually, the dough will start “accepting” the butter and it will become a sticky mess. Still, trust the process.
- When youve added all the butter, knead for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until its once again smooth, elastic and not sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Then, take the dough out of the bowl and “slap-and-fold” it a few times on a clean surface, until you form a smooth, glossy ball of dough.
- Place the dough in a slightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and put in the fridge to proof overnight, approx. 12 to max 18 hours. The dough will have doubled in size.
Slow, cold fermentation helps with developing a more complex flavor, fluffier texture and better digestibility.
- Once the dough is ready, punch it down to deflate it and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Give it a short knead and then form your doughnuts. I always use a kitchen scale and measure 60-65 g balls.
TIP for rolling the balls: using the inside of your hand, firstly press the piece of the dough to get rid of the residue air bubbles and then start rolling with your hand in a “claw” shape. Dont press too much, you want your hand to act as a “shield”, as a space for that dough to shape itself. If possible work on the faster side as this will help produce tight, smooth balls.
- Place the doughnuts on lightly greased squares of baking paper. If proofing at room temperature, cover loosely with cling film (so they dont dry out). On the other hand, if youre using your oven, covering is not necessary. (Check tips below!)
- Leave to rest for approx. 3h to double, almost triple in size. Theyre done proofing when theyre quite big and you can press one with your finger, gently, and it keeps the indentation visible.
- Deep fry the doughnuts for a couple of minutes on each side, until beautifully golden brown.
- The top of the doughnut should be the first side to touch the oil. The bottom (the side thats touching the baking paper square) will then become the top and wait for its turn in the oil.
- Transfer to a wire rack or a plate with paper towels and let cool slightly before rolling into sugar and filling.
Note: Dont worry if the doughnuts slightly deflate after frying and the white ring becomes wrinkly. This is a good thing because it means theyre very fluffy AND you have room to fill them with delicious Bavarian cream and make them plump again!
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FAQ
What is a cream filled donut called?
What is another name for a filled donut?
What is a cream filled Donut?
Cream filled donuts For all those cream-lovers, try cream filled donuts (aka filled doughnuts). They have been injected with cream and popular variations of this type are the Boston Cream Donut or Long Johns. If you don’t enjoy cream then try donuts filled with custard.
Can some of the flour in baked donuts be substituted with wheat germ?
Wheat germ can be substituted for part of the flour in baked donuts. The rest of the donut flour must be able to rise and thus the final product is formed.
What is a sour cream donut?
Sour Cream Donut – Sour cream donuts are a type of piped cake donuts with sour cream mixed into their batter. Donut shops often top their sour cream donuts with a vanilla-flavored glaze. Mahua Cinnamon-Sugar Twists – Mahua, also known as fried dough twists, are braided strips of chemically raised-, honey-infused-, peanut oil fried dough.
What are oblong donuts called?
‘Long John’ is the most popular name for unfilled oblong donuts in the Midwestern United States and Canada, where they usually call filled varieties “cream sticks”. However, other regions have their own preferred titles. Donut shops in the Mid-Atlantic/Southern US often market oblong donuts as donut eclairs (or just eclairs).