Whole Wheat Donuts with Vanilla Custard Filling

Homemade soft and fluffy whole wheat donuts filled with a sweet vanilla custard and an outer sugar coating.

HOMEMADE DONUT INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon yeast + 1 teaspoon sugar + 1/3 cup water
• 6 cups whole wheat flour (5 cups unbleached all-purpose)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter (melted)

VANILLA CUSTARD INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3 large eggs
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Donut Dough Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine warm water, teaspoon of sugar, and yeast. Whisk until thoroughly combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. 
2. Add sugar, milk, salt, eggs, and melted butter. Whisk together.
3. Add flour and knead until dough is very smooth, roughly 6-8 minutes. THE KEY when using 100% whole wheat flour is allowing the full 6-8 minutes for the dough to knead to create a smooth dough. Don’t add flour until the knead time is up.
4. Shape the dough into a ball, place back into the mixing bowl, and allow at least 1 hour for dough to rise. 

5. Once dough has doubled in size, remove the dough, and knead to help remove air bubbles.

6. Cut dough into 21 medium sized balls. Roll the dough to make smooth uniform ball and place them on a greased baking sheet.

7. Allow donuts to rise for an additional hour. During the final rise time, create the custard.

8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
9. Bake donuts for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. (You can top risen donut dough with butter, oil, or an egg wash before baking.)
10. Transfer hot donuts to a wire rack to cool.
11. Dip donuts in melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar. For a healthier option, glaze the top with honey (once cooled).
12. Once your custard and donuts are cooled, add the custard to a piping bag. You can also use a Ziploc bag by cutting one corner of the bag off and adding a piping attachment. 
13. Cut an X in the bottom of the donut. Fill the donut with custard and enjoy!

Custard Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine milk, eggs, and vanilla.
2. In a small saucepan or Dutch oven combine sugar, cornstarch, and milk mixture.
3. Whisk until cornstarch has dissolved and is thoroughly combined.
4. Heat the custard on low heat until it comes to a boil. Continuously stir to prevent cornstarch from clumping and milk from burning. Once boiling, remove from heat and continue to stir.
5. Ladle the custard into a medium sized bowl. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Other Related Recipes

• Homemade Baked Donuts
• Whole Wheat Hot Cross Buns
• Whole Wheat Vanilla Scones