Dulce De Leche Filled Donuts (Yeast Donuts)
Get ready for the best filled-donut you’ve ever had, because these Dulce De Leche Filled Donuts are going to blow. your. mind!! These Dulce De Leche Donuts feature a buttery and ultra-tender dough that is fried up into a golden, fluffy donut-masterpiece! Each individual donut is then piped full of store-bought dulce de leche and doused in a dusting of powdered sugar! Relatively easy to make, and sure to become a favourite in no time!
WHAT IS DULCE DE LECHE?
Dulce de leche is a Latin American sauce that quite literally translates to ‘candy made of milk”. Essentially this caramel colored sauce is created by simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk for hours. While it simmers, the milk solids and the sugar in the sweetened condensed milk go through the Maillard Reaction, essentially caramelizing the sugars! Dulce de leche looks and actually tastes quite similar to caramel, however I find the flavor to be more mild, and a touch less bitter, than caramel. This milder taste means that It is a great compliment to many things, as it doesn’t tend to overpower with it’s flavor, like caramel sometimes does.
You can make your own dulce de leche with just 2 things – a can of sweetened condensed milk and a pot of simmer water. This process will take hours though (about 2-3 hours, plus cool-off time). If you don’t want to spend hours preparing your dulce, it can easily be found at the grocery store. It typically is in the same area as the sweetened condensed milk.
MAKING THE DOUGH
As with most bread doughs, the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment is a life-saver! Start by blooming the yeast in the warm (105°F) water. After about 5-10 minutes, the yeast should be bloomed. Next, add it to the stand mixer, and also throw in the melted butter, beaten egg, buttermilk, and sugar. Whisk this all together to combine it, then add the flour and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough has formed, then place the dough hook on the stand mixer and beat for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and shiny, but is still tacky to the touch.
Next throw the dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and place into a warm place for the initial rise. The rising period can be anywhere from 1-3 hours – the important thing to look for is that the dough has doubled in size! My dough took about 2 hours to rise.
PROOFING AND CUTTING THE Dulce De Leche DONUTS
After the initial rise, remove the plastic wrap from the bowl and press down the dough to deflate it. Pour the dough out onto a floured worksurface, and roll the dough out to about ½” thickness. Grab a large round cookie cutter, and begin cutting out your Dulce De Leche Donuts! Just a reminder that these donuts do not have holes! I typically get about 10-12 Dulce De Leche Donuts out of this batch of dough.
Next it’s time for the second rise. Place the cut-out Dulce De Leche Donuts onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. I use 2 baking sheets so that it gives the donuts enough room to rise. I actually like to cut out parchment squares, about 5×5″, to place each donut onto, to make the handling and transfering to the hot oil much easier once they’re proofed.
Now for the final proofing. The donuts need to be proofed in a humid, warm area. It is important that it is humid because it prevents the donuts from drying out and forming a skin (which can cause large air pockets). The ideal way and place to proof the donuts is to place them into the oven (on the top and middle racks), and then on the bottom rack place a baking pan filled with boiling water. Now, turn your oven on to 350F for exactly 1 minute, then immediately turn it off. Let the donuts proof for about 20 more minutes – I use this time to start heating my oil up.
FRYING THE Dulce De Leche DONUTS
After the Dulce De Leche Donuts have completed their second rise, and the oil has reached 350°F – 375°F, it is time to start frying! Carefully pick each donut up from the baking sheet (don’t be too aggressive when picking them up – you don’t want to deflate them), and carefully place them into the hot oil. If using the parchment squares, they can be placed into the oil with the donut and then fished out with tongs.
I typically fry 4-5 donuts at a time, to ensure no overcrowding happens. I like to keep the un-fried donuts in the humid oven while I fry in batches. Fry each side for about 1 minute, or until it becomes a lovely golden brown color. Remove the Dulce De Leche Donuts from the oil with a spider or tongs, and place onto a cooling rack that is placed over a paper towel (to absorb excess dripping oil).
Filling the Dulce De Leche Donuts
When the donuts are cool enough to easily handle, it’s time to fill them! To fill the Dulce De Leche Donuts, start by adding the dulce de leche into a piping bag with a medium sized round tip. Next, take a bamboo skewer and insert it about halfway into the donut, and wiggle the skewer around to create a pocket for then filling. Insert the piping tip into the donut and squeeze the dulce de leche into the donut until it is full and begins to resist more filling. Finish the donuts with a generous dusting of confectioners sugar, and enjoy warm!
Get the Recipe: Dulce De Leche Filled Donuts (Yeast Donuts)
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Water, warmed to 105°F
- 1 ½ tsp Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
- 2/3 cup Buttermilk., at room temperature
- 1 Large Egg,, lightly beaten, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter,, melted (but not hot)
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 454 g (1 lb) All-Purpose Flour,
- 1 tsp Salt
- Shortening/oil for frying
- 1-2 cups Dulce De Leche,, for filling
- Confectioners Sugar,, for dusting on top
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
Making the Donut Dough
- In a measuring cup add warm water and yeast together. Stir together to combine, then allow to sit until it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and the salt, and set aside.
- Add buttermilk, beaten egg, butter, and sugar to the stand mixer and whisk together to combine. Add bloomed yeast-milk to stand mixer and whisk to combine. Add the flour/salt to the stand mixer, and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Next, attach the dough hook onto the stand mixer, and place on medium-low speed. and mix for around 5-10 minutes for the dough to form. When ready it should be smooth, elastic, and a little bit tacky to the touch.
- Transfer dough to a greased large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, then place in a warm area to rise for about two hours, or until the dough is doubled in size.
Cutting, Proofing, & Frying
- Turn the proofed dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to be about ½” thick. Using cookie cutters (I use a 3” cookie cutter), cut out your donuts, then transfer them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Ensure there is enough space between each donut to allow for rising room (I typically use 2 baking sheets for this).
- Place the donuts into a warm, humid area to rise for about 20 minutes. The best place/way to do this is by placing the baking sheets onto the top and middle racks of your oven, then place a baking pan onto the bottom rack, then fill the baking pan with boiling water. Close the oven, then turn it on to 350°F for exactly one minute, then immediately turn it off (do not let the oven actually reach 350°F, you are only turning the oven on for 1 minute to slightly warm the oven to encourage rising). Alternatively, if your oven has a ‘bread proof' function just turn that on instead.
- Meanwhile, add oil to a large wide pot, such as a Dutch oven, filling it about halfway. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches between 350°F or 375°F. When ready, carefully (don't be too aggressive or the donuts will deflate) pick up the donuts and place them into hot oil, and fry for about 1 ½ minutes per side, or until golden brown. Then place onto paper towel-lined baking sheet to cool off.
Filling with Dulce De Leche
- When the donuts are cooled enough to easily handle, add the dulce de leche into a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round tip. Insert a bamboo skewer about halfway into each donut, then wiggle it around to create a pocket for the filling. Insert the piping bag tip, and squeeze the dulce de leche into each donut until each donut is filled with it. Top with confectioners sugar before serving!
Notes
Source: Recipe adapted from Christina Cucina
Can I do everything up until the proofing the night before? Then fry and cool in the morning and fill in the evening? Want to serve these for dinner but won’t have enough kitchen space to make them at that time! Thanks!
You can definitely make the dough the night before, then place it in the fridge overnight – make sure to oil the dough well and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. It may take a while to double in size the next morning though, as the dough will be cold. However, I wouldn’t recommend placing the cut out donuts into the fridge overnight. They may dry out and are likely to form a skin and subsequent air pockets in the donuts.
I discovered another use for a tea ball: confectioner’s sugar duster. Brilliant!