Maple Bar Donuts

For the Vanilla Pastry Cream

In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt until combined.
¼ Cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) White Sugar
3 Tablespoons (24g) Cornstarch
¼ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth.
1 ¾ Cups (398g) Whole Milk
Add the yolks and whisk until well combined.
4 Large Egg Yolks
Place over medium-low heat, and stirring constantly, cook until the mixture thickens into a pudding-like consistency, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in cold butter and vanilla paste.
2 Tablespoons (42g) Unsalted Butter
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Paste
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard, and chill in the fridge until needed.

If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can press it through a fine mesh sieve.

For the Milk Bread Dough

Make the Tangzhong - In a small saucepan, whisk together water and bread flour until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, cook the mixture until it thickens into a paste, about 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer the mixture to your stand mixer bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
½ Cup (113g) Water
3 Tablespoons (22g) Bread Flour
Add the milk, sugar, instant yeast, egg, flour and salt, then use a spoon to mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms.
½ Cup (113g) Whole Milk
¼ Cup (50g)
White Granulated Sugar 
2 Teaspoon (6g) Instant Yeast
1 Whole Large Egg
3 Cups (360g) Bread Flour + more if needed
1 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on low-medium speed (2 or 3 on KitchenAid) for 3 minutes. Then mix in softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more.
3 Tablespoons (42g) Unsalted Butter
Once the butter is incorporated, continue kneading the dough on low-medium speed for 12 to 15 minutes or until it passes the window pane test. See note below. If the dough is sticky, gradually add a tablespoon of flour at a time. Try not add too much, as the dough should be tacky.
Lightly oil your hands and form the dough into a smooth ball, then place it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. It does not need to double in size.
Meanwhile, cut out 8 pieces of parchment paper for the donuts to sit on.
Transfer the dough onto a floured surface, and roll it into a 9x9-inch square, about ½ inch thickness. Using a 4x2.5 inch rectangle cookie cutter, cut out 6 donuts and transfer them on the parchment paper pieces.
Gently gather and knead the scraps together. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then cut out 2 more donuts.

If you're not using a cookie cutter, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the 9x9-inch dough into quadrants, then slice each square in half to make 8 rectangles.

Transfer the donuts onto a large baking tray. Cover the top plastic wrap that has been lightly spray with oil, and let proof for about about 45–60 minutes.
With 15 to 20 minutes left of proofing, fill a medium to large sized pot with at least 2 inches of vegetable shortening or neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil. Clip a thermometer on the side of the pot and heat until it registers 350ºF.
Place a large cooling rack over a large baking sheet and line it with paper towels and set aside. Grab all the tools you'll need such a kitchen spider or slotted spoon, tongs for removing the parchment paper, and a bowl to discard the paper.
Carefully lower 2 donuts into the hot oil with the parchment paper. After a few seconds, use the tongs to remove the papers. Fry for 45 seconds on each side. Then flip the donuts and fry for an additional 30 seconds on each side. Set a timer! Scoop and drain the donuts well and set them on your prepared rack to cool.

The temperature of the oil will naturally fluctuate throughout the frying process. Be sure to adjust the flame to ensure it hovers between 350ºF and 360ºF before frying each batch.

Remove the cold custard from the fridge. Use a hand whisk to break up the cream, and then whisk vigorously until soft and smooth. If the cream is too thick, you can whisk in a tiny bit of milk. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a bismarck tip* or regular piping tip.
Pipe the custard in the center of each donut, aiming to fill about 3 tablespoons (30g).
If you're using a regular piping tip, use a paring knife to create a slit in the side of the donut, then pipe the custard inside.

INGREDIENTS

Vanilla Pastry Cream

Tangzhong

Milk Bread Dough

Maple Glaze

Instructions

For the Vanilla Pastry Cream

For the Milk Bread Dough

For the Maple Glaze

Notes