Bee Sting Doughnuts

I found myself with a bit of free time this weekend, so I thought I’d try and make homemade donuts. I think I’ve been watching too much of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. I love that show, but every time I see it I get hungry!

I used the recipe in the Sweet Melissa Baking Book for baked donuts called Bee Sting Donuts. I figured since they weren’t fried, they had to be better for you, right?

The dough was similar to Dorie’s brioche dough, and required an overnight chill in the fridge. The next morning, I formed them into balls and left them to rise while the kids were still sleeping.

I should have known there was something amiss when they didn’t seem to be rising. The yeast was good because I had just made the Chocolate Babka last week – so I’m not sure what the problem was.

I didn’t want to throw out the dough, so I baked them anyways – and they ended up looking like puffy biscuits. And that’s not a bad thing, if puffy biscuits is what you’re going for.

The kids didn’t want the cream filling, so I dipped the puffy biscuits into the caramel honey glaze, and served them up. I asked the kids to be kind as this was my first foray into donut territory.

Not only were they kind to me, they devoured them, and asked for seconds.

This was Alexander’s version with rainbow sprinkles:

And this was Sabrina’s version with chocolate sprinkles:

I will definitely try these again – and hope that they actually rise up into puffy donuts instead of puffy biscuits.

Bee Stings – Sweet Melissa Baking Book

1/3 c. whole milk
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 c. sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ c. +2 tbs. all purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
½ c. sugar
5 tbs. butter, softened
1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Pastry Cream, recipe follows
Honey Caramel, recipe follows

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine the milk, egg, sour cream, vanilla and half of the flour. Mix on medium speed until it is a sticky paste.

Change the mixer attachment to the dough hook. Add the remaining flour, yeast, salt and sugar and mix on low speed to combine. Add the butter in pieces and beat on medium speed for 10-15 minutes until the dough forms a ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover is with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, 2 to 3 hours.
When the dough has doubled, punch it down and turn it out onto a work surface. Divide it into 12 even pieces, each weighing about 2 ounces.

Roll the dough into balls and place them 2 ½ inches apart on the prepared sheets. Spray two pieces of plastic wrap lightly with non-stick spray and cover the buns. Refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready for the final rise, remove the buns from the refrigerator. Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil. Place an empty roasting pan large enough to hold the water on the bottom of your cold oven. Pour the boiling water into the pans. Remove the plastic wrap from the buns. Position a rack in the top and bottom thirds of your oven. Place the baking sheets on the racks (but do not turn the oven on!)and shut the oven door. The steam will help the buns in their final rise. The buns will just about double in size in about 40 minutes. When they have doubled, remove them and the roasting pan filled with water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

Glaze:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the brown sugar, cream, honey and butter to a boil. Cook for 30 seconds more, then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and let cool slightly.
Pastry Cream:
1 c. whole milk
¼ c. sugar
¾ tsp vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
2 tbs. cornstarch
2 tbs. cold butter

Combine the milk, sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla extract. Strain into a bowl, and press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold.

To complete the buns:
Poke a hole through the side of each bun, and hollow it out a bit.

Whisk the pastry cream until smooth. Put the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼” round tip. Fill each bun with as much cream as you can without it spilling out.

Holding the filled bun upside down, dip the top of each bun in the honey caramel, then place right side up onto baking sheet. Sprinkle with the almonds.