Step 1

Make the Pastry Cream. Click for the recipe! It has to be completely chilled, so make this first and stick it in the fridge.

Step 2

Make the dough. In a glass measuring cup, add 1 cup whole milk. Microwave it until it is warm but not hot. Stick your finger in it to make sure. If you wouldn't give a baby a bath in this milk, it's too hot. (I don't know why I can never think of a better temperature gauge than bathing children, but there you go.) Temp should be around 105-110 F.

Step 3

Add 3 tablespoons active dry yeast*. Yes! 3 tablespoons! We are not messing around! Add 1 tablespoon sugar so the yeast has something to eat.

Step 4

Wait a couple minutes until you see bubbles forming in your yeast mixture. (If it stays completely flat, you killed it, game over! Try again.)

Step 5

Add yeast mixture to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup shortening, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir it all together with a rubber spatula.

Step 6

Carefully measure 3 and 1/4 cups bread flour (spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level off the top.) Add the flour to your yeast mixture but don't stir yet.

Step 7

Add 2 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Stir this into the flour.

Step 8

Knead the dough. Use the dough hook (or a wooden spoon) to stir the dough until it is thick enough to knead. Knead with the dough hook (or by hand on a lightly floured surface) for 5 full minutes. The dough should have come together and be stretchy and elastic. If you touch the dough and your fingers come away sticky, add the extra 1/4 cup of flour (or more as necessary), to get a workable dough.

Step 9

Grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a ball, slap it in the bowl, and turn it over so the top side is greased. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed generously with nonstick spray.

Step 10

Create a proofing box in your oven: Bring about 8-10 cups of water to a boil, either in a kettle or in a pot on the stove. Turn your oven on to 350 degrees F for about 30-60 seconds, then turn it off. The oven should be warm but not hot. You should be able to touch the oven racks with your fingers.

Step 11

Place the covered bowl of dough on the top rack in your oven. Place a 9x13 inch cake pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Pour the boiling water into the pan and shut the door right away to capture all the steam.

Step 12

Let the dough rise in this toasty, humid environment for 1 hour. The dough should be doubled in size. Remove from the oven.

Step 13

Prepare three half baking sheets with parchment paper. I love to use these 6x6 inch parchment paper squares (one rising donut per square.) If you don't have the fancy squares, I would take the time to cut 6x6 inch squares. Lay them out on the baking sheets.

Step 14

Shape the donuts. Scrape the risen dough onto a greased pastry mat or lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough a couple times, then roll the dough into a circle that is about a half inch thick, about 12x12 inches. Don't roll it too thin, we want nice puffy thick donuts.

Step 15

Use a 2 and 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut the donuts into rounds. Do not twist the cutter when you press down, this seals the edges and prevents them from rising. Push straight down. Place each shaped donut on its own parchment square. Don't crowd the pan, make sure the donuts have room to double in size. Do not cover.

Step 16

Let rise in the "proofing box" for the second time. Heat your oven to 350 for 30-60 seconds, just like before, and turn it off. Warm, not hot. Heat water (the same water from before is fine) and add to the 9x13 inch pan.

Step 17

Place the pans of rising donuts in your oven, both pans on the top rack if you can squeeze them in. Place the 9x13 pan on the bottom rack. (If you can't squeeze, place one pan on each rack and place the 9x13 pan on the bottom of the oven, yes, directly on the element, but ONLY after you have shut off the oven. Make sure it's not hot to the touch. Do not turn the oven on with a pan on the element!)

Step 18

Once all the shaped donuts are in the warm oven, pour the boiling water into the 9x13 inch pan. Shut the door right away. Let the shaped donuts rise for 30-45 minutes total, until doubled in size. You need to keep an eye on them so they don't rise too much and fall.

Step 19

Heat the oil. Halfway through the rise time, start heating your oil. In a 12-inch high-sided skillet, add canola oil until it reaches about 2 inches up the side of the pan. Turn the heat to medium. Heat until the temperature reads 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Don't throw away the oil container.

Step 20

Prep your work station. Line a few paper grocery bags (or paper towels) on the counter and place 2 cooling racks on top. Have a pair of tongs handy. Keep your thermometer either clipped onto the side of the pan or nearby to recheck the temperature.

Step 21

Fry the donuts. When the doughnuts are doubled in size, remove the pans from the oven. Use two hands to lift the edges of a piece of parchment paper with one raised donut on it. Slowly lower the paper into the oil, dropping one side completely, and holding the paper up on the other side. The paper and the donut should be completely in the oil, except the corner you are holding with your fingers. Shimmy the paper back and forth until the donut slides off into the oil.

Step 22

Let the donut fry on the first side for about 30-60 seconds, until light brown. Use tongs or chopsticks to flip the donut and continue frying for another 30-60 seconds until light brown. (The donuts will continue to darken in color even after cooking.)

Step 23

Use a spider strainer (or slotted spoon or tongs) to gently lift the fried donut to the cooling rack that is set on top of the absorbent paper.

Step 24

Take the time to check the temperature of the oil before frying more. You might need to wait a couple minutes for the oil to climb back up to Keeping the oil temperature steady is one of the reasons you need to use so much oil when deep frying.

Step 25

Continue frying the donuts, adding 3-4 donuts per batch, whatever you can fit. Check the temperature frequently and make sure it's at 350.

Step 26

When the donuts are all fried, turn off the heat and set the oil aside to cool.

Step 27

Sugar the donuts. In between frying, when the donuts are still pretty hot (but not so much that you burn your fingers), roll each one in granulated sugar. Coat it really well! Dump that sugar on!

Step 28

Let the sugared donuts cool completely on wire cooling racks.

Step 29

Make the filling. In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for 2-4 minutes until stiff peaks form. This is whipped cream! It's so easy. Get your Pastry Cream out of the fridge and give it a good strong whisk. Add it to the whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold it in until combined.

Step 30

Fill the donuts. Use a piping bag, or a gallon ziplock with the end snipped off. Place in an empty drinking glass to keep it steady, and spoon the filling in.

Step 31

Once the donuts have cooled, use a paring knife, chopsticks, or even just a couple toothpicks to poke a hole in the side of a donut. Twist it around a bit to make room on the inside for the pastry cream.

Step 32

Place the end of the piping bag inside the donut and fill to the brim.

Step 33

Only fill the donuts with pastry cream that you know you will be eating that same day. Filled donuts don't last well overnight! They just get soggy.

Step 34

How to store unfilled donuts: You can store them in an airtight container or in a loosely closed paper bag. The paper bag is the best option as it will absorb some of the oil on the bottom, keeping the donut from getting too soggy (from sitting in its own wept oil.)How to store leftover pastry cream: Place in the fridge with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the custard, to avoid creating a film. If you have some leftover in your piping bag, toss the whole thing in the fridge no prob.

Step 35

What to do with the leftover oil: Hopefully you saved your oil container! If not, use mason jars. Place your container in the sink. Holler at your people for some help. Place a funnel on top of the container. Hold a strainer over the top of the funnel to catch any dough bits. Pour it in. Save it! Store in the cupboard. I use oil 2-3 times before funneling it back in the container a final time and tossing it in the trash.