BRIOCHE DONUTS WITH BABA DE MOÇA AND SAFFRON CREAM
Notes: This recipe is a mashup of French, Brazilian, and Persian confectionery elements. Brioche is of course French, the baba de moca filling is a Brazilian egg yolk coconut custard, and saffron is a Persian spice that is added to rice and sweets. Baba de moca translates to “girl’s drool” and is delicious on it’s own, but the saffron (dried stamens of thousands of crocus flowers) heightens and brightens, in addition to enhancing the hue to a beautiful yellow-orange. You can make this without the saffron, but it will be fun to try if you’ve never used saffron before. Also, besides having beautiful texture and color, the filling adds just the right amount of sweetness to the brioche, which is barely sweetened. There are few things that will make me set up a fry station, but brioche donuts are one of them.
Some preparation notes for optimal results: I suggest using active dry yeast for this, even though you can use instant. Using active dry yeast you can make sure the yeast are intact by adding them to the warm milk with sugar first before adding to the dough. Also for proper fermentation and proofing it really does help to place the dough in an environment that is ~85 F during the two proofing stages, so think about spots in your house where you can get close to this temp (if you don’t have a dough proofer). Lastly, if you don’t fry very often using a neutral oil with a high smoke point is going to be key, such as canola or safflower oil. Maintaining the oil temperature around 350 F will also be important so that the outside of the brioche doesn’t get too dark before the inside is cooked.
Golden, toasty brioche donuts with a golden baba de moca and saffron custard cream filling and a coating of coarse granulated sugar. These are worth the effort.
Equipment:
Stand Mixer with hook attachment
Cast iron enamel coated pot or heavy bottomed pot (for frying).
Candy thermometer (for frying). I’ve linked the one I use from Amazon.
Medium sauce pan
Kitchen scale (really helpful for measuring out the brioche to get even sized donuts). Here’s a really accurate and precise kitchen scale I use from Amazon (~$50). I’ve tried other cheaper scales and this one is definitely worth the money.
Ingredients:
Brioche:
Bread flour: 4 and 1/2 cups (540 g)
Warm milk: 1 cup (~240 mL)
Eggs: 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
Unsalted butter 8 tbsp or 1 stick (114 g)
Granulated sugar: 2 tbsp
Active dry yeast 2 tsp
Pink Himalayan salt: 1 tsp
Granulated sugar for tossing: ~3/4 cup (150 g)
Neutral, high smoke point oil: Enough that the oil will have a height of ~2 inches from the bottom of the pot.
Baba de moca:
Granulated sugar: 1 cup (200 g)
Water: 1/2 cup (118 mL)
Coconut cream: 250 mL
Egg yolks: 8
Salt 1/4 tsp
Saffron: 1 tsp
Heavy cream: 3 tbsp
Directions:
Brioche donuts:
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt
Activate the yeast: In the warmed milk (1 cup) from the recipe add 1 tsp of sugar, mix, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Whisk together to combine and let it sit for 8-10 minutes until foamy on top, and now it’s ready.
Add Wet Ingredients: With the mixer running on low speed (with hook attachment), add the warm yeasty milk, eggs and softened butter (~1 tbsp at a time) to the dry ingredients. Mix until a soft, pliable dough forms (~5-8 more mins). It will be unlikely, but if you find the dough is too sticky, add 1 tbsp more of flour and incorporate to see if the desired consistency is reached, if not add another.
First Rise: Lightly oil the dough and the bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place the dough in a warm spot (ideally ~85 F) and let it rise for at least 1.5 hours (it’s okay to go a little longer). This is the bulk fermentation stage and allows the yeast to develop flavor and gluten structure.
Shape the Dough: Punch down the risen dough (very satisfying) and divide it into 12 equal pieces, each weighing approximately 70 grams. Shape each piece into a ball by pinching the edges together, then flipping it over (seam side down) and rolling it gently on a hard surface until a round ball forms.
Proofing the Dough: Place each shaped donut on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with a towel, and let rise for 30-40 minutes (I suggest going closer to 40 mins unless you were able to proof around 85 F). This second rise, the proofing stage, allows the dough to develop more volume and improve the final texture.
Frying the Donuts: Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot to 350-355°F (176-179°C). Use a candy thermometer to maintain the temperature. Carefully add three donuts to the hot oil at a time, ensuring they have space to expand. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side.
Draining and Finishing: For each group of donuts remove from the oil using a slotted spoon (or tongs) and place them on a wire rack or paper towels to drain excess oil. Once they have cooled slightly, toss them in granulated sugar. You could stop here, but the filling takes it to another level.
Shaped and proofed brioche donuts
Baba de moca and saffron custard cream filling:
Preparing the Saffron:
Grind the saffron threads into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, or if you don’t have it, the back of a spoon in a small bowl.
Add a few tablespoons of water to the ground saffron and microwave for 25-30 seconds. If the water level looks a little low after heating (because the saffron has absorbed it) add more water as needed to create a bright orange-red saffron liquid extract.
Preparing the Custard (You can do this while the donuts are proofing):
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until smooth.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook over medium heat and mix until you barely get to the thread stage.
Add coconut cream and salt to the syrup, mix well, and remove from heat. The mixture will have a smooth and lightened color, but still look very syrup-y.
Slowly add the hot coconut syrup to the beaten egg yolks while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
Only if needed, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps, but there should really be none if done slowly enough.
Return the mixture to low heat and stir in the saffron extract and heavy cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. You want the mixture to be approximately the thickness of apple sauce.
Set aside and let cool before filling the donuts.
Baba de moca custard with saffron:
Pictured here it is at the right consistency for “doneness”, like that of apple sauce.
Filling the Donuts:
Use a butter knife to make a hole in the side of each donut; insert three-quarters of the way through, and rotate it 360 degrees to create a cavity.
Transfer the baba de moca filling to a piping bag fitted with a small tip (or with the tip of the bag cut off), or use a resealable plastic bag with a corner cut off.
Pipe the filling into each donut, gently squeezing the bag to fill the cavity. Fill the donuts until the filling slightly peaks out of each hole.
Enjoy!!!