Boston Cream Doughnuts/Donuts- Bánh Tiêu Mỹ Nhân Kem Bọc Chocolate

We can buy donuts/doughnuts everywhere.  They are just a few dollars for a dozen at grocery stores and a little more expensive at donut shops.  Why bother make them at home?  Fresher or better donuts?   Try to see for yourself.  This recipe is based on America test kitchen and the baking powder is from Top pot Doughnut 

Make a dozen and doughnut holes
The vanilla yeast dough
   3 cups (15 oz) all purpose flour (fluff the flour first then scoop)
   6 Tbs sugar
   2¼ tsp instant or rapid rise yeast
  1/2 tsp salt
  1/2 tsp baking powder
  2/3 cup room temperature milk
  1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  2 lightly beaten eggs at room temperature or 6 egg yolks
  6 Tbs unsalted butter at room temperature

The Chocolate powder sugar glaze

   2 Tbs milk

   1/2 tsp vanilla

   2 Tbs dark cocoa powder

   1 cup powdered sugar

The pastry cream

   2 eggs, slightly beaten or 6 egg yolks

   2 cups milk or heavy cream 

   2 Tbs all-purpose flour

   2 Tbs cornstarch

   1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar

   1/8 tsp salt

   2 Tbs unsalted butter if use milk

   2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredient together with a spatula or large spoon.  Combine milk, vanilla seeds, pod and butter in a small sauce pan, warm it up to 105-115 oF on the stove or in microwave (use glass bowl or microwave proof bowl).  Remove vanilla pod.   Mix eggs, milk and butter mixer into the dry ingredient.
2. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook, beat at low speed #2 for 3 minutes.  The dough will start pull away from  the side but not the bottom.  Add more flour if the dough looks too wet:  2 Tbs at a time but no more than 1/4 cup.   Beat the dough until smooth about 8-10 minutes total.  The dough should be soft, smooth, elastic and tacky.  It will occasionally pull away from the bowl bottom near the end of kneading time..
3. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, mark the dough's volume .  Put it at a warm place until double in bulk about 1 -2 hours.  The dough can be punched down at this time. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight or up to 2 days and take it out to room temperature (1 hours) before next step.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment/wax paper or silicon liner and dust with flour.  Turn the dough out on a slightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thick.  Use a floured 3-3.5 inch circle for filled doughnuts or  a donut cutter for donuts or 1-inch circle for doughnut holes.   Cut out as many doughnuts as possible and place them apart on prepared baking sheets.  The scraps can be knead and rerolled once to cut out more doughnuts:  do not overwork the scraps and let it rested 5 minutes before cutting.  Cover loosely with oil plastic wrap or wax paper or with a  kitchen towels and let them rise at a warm plate until double in size about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Heating 2-3 inch vegetable oil to 365 oF in a heavy bottom or dutch oven over medium heat or a fryer.  Line a baking sheet with a  wire rack.  Carefully pick doughnuts up with your hands or a oiled spatula .  Fry 3-4 doughnuts at a time until deep brown about 45 seconds to 1 minute, then flip to the other side with a slotted spoon or chopstick.  Cook until they are deep brown all over.  The midline of doughnuts may be lighter than the rest.  Doughnut with a hole in center and doughnut holes cook faster.  Remove hot doughnuts  to the wire rack to drain and cool.
6. Make the filling while waiting for the dough to rise because it needs to be cool down to room temperature before using.   In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar, flours, salt, eggs and milk or cream together. Cook on medium heat, stirring/whisking constantly.  When the mixture start to bubble, adjust the heat down so the mixture bubbling gently.  Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and the line made by your finger through the coating will remain its shape.  Remove from heat, stir in butter if use and vanilla.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve and cool to room temperature.  Fill a pastry bag with filling.  Poke a hole on the side of a doughnut with the tip and pipe the filling in the center until the doughnut feels full. Wipe off any oozing filling.  Place filled doughnuts back on the wire rack.
7. Mix all the ingredients of the glaze together until smooth in a medium bowl.  Dip top of each filled doughnut to the warm chocolate glaze. Let the excess glaze drips back into the bowl.  Place glaze doughnuts onto the wire rack to set about 30 minutes.  They are best when being prepared and served on  the same day.

Doughnut holes

  Cut the dough with 1 or 1.5 inch circle cutter and fried.  Roll them in sugar, powdered sugar, etc. serve       with jam.