Can I use instant yeast?

Yes! There is no need to activate or bloom instant yeast in warm milk. Just combine all of the brioche ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer and proceed with the recipe. Make sure your milk is warm though.

I don’t have a stand mixer. Can I make this by hand?

Yes, you can! Believe it or not, I used to make all yeast doughs by hand. You will just need to knead the dough by hand for up to 20 minutes. It can get quite sticky, but refrain from adding too much flour. I like to knead the dough with oiled hands and use a plastic bench scraper to help move the dough around. Don’t forget to perform the window pane test to know that it has been properly kneaded.

What are freeze-dried strawberries?

In the simplest of terms, freeze-drying is a process in which 98% of water is removed from a product while also retaining its nutrients and flavor. According to the FDA, freeze-drying or lyophilization removes water by freezing a product at a low temperature and then placing it under a vacuum. This allows the ice to change directly from a solid state to vapor, all while bypassing the liquid phase. This leaves the strawberries dry, light and crisp.

Heart Shaped Strawberry Cheesecake Donuts

Description

You will fall for these homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Donuts! Light and fluffy heart-shaped brioche donuts that are fried, coated in sugar and filled with an irresistible strawberry cheesecake cream!

Ingredients

Scale

Brioche Dough

¾ Cup (170g) Whole Milk, warmed 105 to 110ºg (40 to 43ºC)
2 ¼ Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1/3 Cup + 1 Teaspoon (67g + 4g) Granulated White Sugar, divided
6 Tablespoons (85g) Salted Butter, softened *see note below
2 Large Eggs + 1 Yolk, room temp
1 Tablespoon Rum
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
2 Cups (240g) Bread Flour
2 Cups (240g) All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Dry Milk Powder (optional)

Strawberry Cheesecake Filling

12 Ounces (340g) Full-Fat Cream Cheese, room temp
1/3 Cup (76g) Heavy Cream
1 1/4 Cup (170g) Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup (25g) Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder, **see note below
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract

Coating

1 Cup (200g) White Sugar

For Frying

2 Quarts (1.89 L) of Oil (canola, vegetable or shortening)

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Instructions

Make your brioche dough. In a small bowl, combine warm milk (105ºF/41ºC), 1 teaspoon sugar and active dry yeast. Allow to “bloom” for about 8 to 10 minutes. The yeast mixture should be frothy. ***See note below for instant yeast.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add yeast/milk mixture, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, yolk, softened butter, vanilla, rum, bread flour, all-purpose flour and dry milk powder. With a spoon or spatula, mix the ingredients together until a rough ball of dough forms (will be shaggy).
Fit your stand mixer with a hook attachment and knead the dough on medium speed for 20 minutes. The dough should be elastic and is ready when it passes the window pane test (****see note below). If your dough is a bit wet, you can add up to 2 tablespoons of flour.
Coat your hands with oil and lift the dough out of the bowl and form it into a ball. Then oil your bowl (I use the same one) and place the dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
Cut out your donuts. Gently punch the risen dough down to release gas bubbles. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) thickness. With a 3 inch (7.6 cm) heart cookie cutter, cut out as many donuts as you can.
Place the heart donuts on 4×4 inch (10×10 cm) parchment paper squares and then transfer to baking trays. Make sure to place them 2 inches apart to give them enough space to proof.
Loosely cover the trays with plastic wrap and allow to proof for about 30 minutes. The best way to know when your donuts are fully proofed is to lightly press them with your finger. If the indentation holds and does not bounce back right away, they are ready! (*****see note below)
While the donuts are proofing, make your strawberry cheesecake filling! In the bowl of your food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade, pulse freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. To a medium sized bowl, add cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, strawberry powder and vanilla. With a hand-held mixer, whisk until light and fluffy. About 2 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip or ziploc bag and set aside until needed.
For your coating, simply add 1 cup of sugar to a shallow bowl and set aside.
Frying and finishing your donuts. Next, get your oil ready so that you can start frying right away. Fill a medium to large sized pot with 2 to 3 inches of vegetable shortening or neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil. Once the oil reaches 350ºF to 360ºF (176ºC to 182ºC), fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time for 1 minute and 20 seconds on each side (set a timer). Try not to overcrowd the pot as it will bring the temperature down. I HIGHLY recommend using a thermometer to monitor the oil.
Transfer fried donuts onto a paper towel-lined cooling rack. Allow to cool for several minutes before rolling donuts in sugar. Using a chopstick or small paring knife, create a pocket or opening at the top of each donut and fill with your strawberry cream. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

*If you are using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to your dough mixture.

**A cup of uncrushed freeze-dried strawberries will yield about 1/4 cup of strawberry powder.

***For Instant Yeast; Combine instant yeast with all the dough ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer and proceed to step 3. Just make sure the salt and yeast are not touching and that your milk is warm.

****To perform the Window Pane Test, take a small (2 tbsp) ball of dough and stretch it into a small square. It should be stretched thin enough to let light pass through without tearing it. If it tears, knead for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

*****How to know when your donuts are done proofing – Perform a “Poke” test! Gently press your pointer finger into the dough and if it springs back slowly and leaves a slight indentation, it’s ready. If the dough bounces back immediately, then it’s not ready.

Prep Time: 2 Hours + 45 Minutes