Make your brioche dough. In a small bowl, combine warm milk (105ºF/41ºC), active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Allow to "bloom" for about 8 to 10 minutes. The yeast mixture should be frothy. See note below for instant yeast.¾ Cup (170g) Whole Milk2 ¼ Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast1 Teaspoon Granulated White Sugar In the bowl of your stand mixer, add yeast/milk mixture, ⅓ cup sugar, bread flour, all-purpose flour, dry milk powder, softened butter, eggs, yolk, rum and vanilla. With a spoon or spatula, mix the ingredients together until a rough ball of dough forms (will be shaggy).⅓ Cup (67g) Granulated White Sugar2 ½ Cups (300g) Bread Flour1 ½ Cups (180g) All-Purpose Flour3 Tablespoons Dry Milk Powder6 Tablespoons (85g) Salted Butter2 Large Eggs + 1 Yolk1 Tablespoon Rum1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract 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).
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.
Gently punch the risen dough down to release gas bubbles. Transfer the dough onto a work surface and divide into 30 equal pieces. See note below.
Grab a piece of dough and press it flat to get rid of any air bubbles. Then gather and pinch the edges together and place it on your work surface. Next, start rolling the dough into a ball with your hand in a “claw” shape. You’ll want the balls to be as tight and smooth as possible. Please watch the video below. Be sure to cover your dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into flat round discs to about ⅛ inch (3.1 mm) thickness.
Shape your rose donuts (see photos and video for reference). Start by overlapping 5 discs of dough on top of one another in a straight line. Place a chopstick on its side and press it down the middle of the dough (lengthwise) to help fuse the pieces together. Flatten the edges of the dough with your finger tips, then tightly roll into a log. Finally, with a sharp knife, cut the log into 2 pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. You should have a total of 12 rose donuts.
Place the donuts on 4x4 inch (10x10 cm) parchment paper squares and then transfer to a large baking tray. Make sure to place them 2 inches apart to give them enough space to proof.
Loosely cover the tray with plastic wrap and allow to proof for about 30 minutes or until it passes the "poke" test. (see note below)
While the donuts are proofing, make your coating! Pulse freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder and combine with your sugar; set aside. 1 Cup (200g) Granulated White Sugar2 Tablespoons (7g) Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder, see note below 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.
Optional - When the donuts are done proofing and is ready to be fried, gently pinch and flatten the edges of the rose petals to create a more distinct rose shape. See photo in body of the post for reference.
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 cooling rack lined with paper towel. Allow to cool for several minutes and then coat with pink sugar. Serve immediately and enjoy!