Bolinha de Berlim Recipe – Portuguese Custard Cream Donuts without a hole

For the Dough:

• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour – 250g
• 2tbsp granulated sugar – 25g
• 3tbsp vegetable oil – 40ml
• 1/3 cup full fat milk – 80ml
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp salt
• 25g fresh yeast or 12g dry yeast
• Icing sugar for coating the donuts

For the Egg Custard

• 2/3 cup water – 150ml
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar – 300g
• 8 egg yolks
• 10g corn starch
• 20g unsalted butter – diced

Making our Egg Custard

1. Start by combining the water and the sugar in a small saucepan, place it over low heat. Let it simmer until it reaches 100 °C. In case you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, it should be ready when you lift a spoon of the syrup and the liquid falls in a large drop leaving a short and thin string behind. Allow it to cool for a couple of minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, gently beat the egg yoks, then add the starch. Mix thoroughly, then slowly pour the syrup on top of the mixture, stirring it.
3. Return the mixture to the saucepan, place it over medium heat. Stir the custard until it starts to boil, continue to stir for another minute before removing from the heat.
4. Add in the butter cubes, stir well until completely melted and absorbed.
5. Transfer the custard to a shallow bowl, cover it with cling film, making sure the film touches the custard in order to prevent a crust from forming.
6. Allow it to settle in the fridge for a couple of hours before using.

Making the Dough:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. This step can vary depending on the type of yeast you are using. The yeast we used don’t require activation prior to use, if that’s not your case, start by activating the yeast with sugar and lukewarm milk before you combine the remaining ingredients.
2. With a dough hook or your hands, mix well until combined. Then knead it for approximately 10 minutes. If needed, gradually add some extra flour. The dough should be on the wet side and will gain consistency as you knead it. It should be ready when the dough become smoother, and when you stretch a piece of dough It doesn’t break and looks slightly translucent.
3. Shape it into a ball, cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let it rise for 1 hour approximately, or until it doubles in size. You can make a shallow cut on the surface in order to follow the growth.
4. Transfer the dough to a flour dusted surface, use your hands to gently flatten it. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts as if you are slicing a pizza. Roll each piece into a tight ball.
5. Sprinkle a large baking tray with some flour, then place on it each ball, leaving some space between them. Cover it with a cloth, let it rise again for approximately an hour or until it doubles in size.
6. Place a deep pan (preferably with a thick base) over low to medium heat, add enough vegetable oil to deep fry the doughnuts. Heat the oil until it reaches 180 °C or follow the dough test as mentioned before.
7. Place two plates near the stove, cover one of them with kitchen paper, and add some icing sugar to the other.
8. Gently transfer the dough balls to the oil, fry them in small batches in order to avoid temperature changes. A dough scrapper can help with the process of transferring. Fry both sides until golden brown. Remove from the oil, placing it over kitchen paper. Wait for a minute or two before you roll them in icing sugar.
9. Allow the bolinhas to cool completely before cutting and adding the filling.