The only recipe you need for homemade Brioche Doughnuts! These swoon-worthy and scrumptious doughnuts are pillowy-soft and full of flavor. Tried and true, fluffy brioche dough rolled in sugar and filled with nearly anything you desire as they are highly customizable! Bakery-style goodness everyone will love, so rich and buttery!

raspberry jam stuffed brioche doughnuts in silver baking tray

I just love making doughnuts, y’all. Wait- doughnuts or donuts…how do you spell it?! No matter what, we all enjoy one, I’m sure. I once had this idea to go on a national doughnut adventure where I would visit a few of the world’s best doughnut shops. My goodness, how fun would that be! I’ve had some very memorable doughnuts over the years in various cities. Those mems, damn good.

Homemade Brioche Doughnuts! 😍

Gahhh! Brioche doughnuts are probably one of my most favorite doughnuts, ever. They differ from a regular doughnut in that they’re richer due to the amount of milk, eggs, and butter. A standard doughnut pales in comparison to a brioche doughnut, in my humble opinion of course. As a result, brioche doughnuts are pillowy-soft, extra tender/fluffy, and much more flavorful.

You’ve likely had brioche bread, hamburger buns, hot dog rolls, french toast, and more. Brioche dough is enriched with heaps of richness and a crowd fave for a reason. We’re gonna take all that brioche doughy goodness, fry it just like a doughnut spot, roll it in sugar, and then stuff it with filling…let’s go!

⇢ Cozy eats we love: croissant french toast bake, this sweet potato pie, weeknight favorite parmesan crusted chicken, delish jamaican beef patties, southern stunners like cabbage and sausage and red beans and rice!

raspberry stuffed brioche doughnuts in silver baking tray with striped linen on the side

Ingredients For Brioche Doughnuts

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • Active dry yeast
  • Granulated sugar
  • Whole milk
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla bean paste
  • Bread flour
  • Salt
  • Oil
  • Butter
raspberry jam stuffed brioche doughnuts in silver tray with Pete and gerry's egg carton on the side

How To Make Brioche Doughnuts

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

  1. Prep the dough
  2. Let the dough rise overnight
  3. Shape the doughnuts
  4. Let the doughnuts rise
  5. Give ’em a fry
  6. Toss in sugar
  7. Fill ’em up
raw balls of brioche dough sitting on pieces of parchment paper
proofed balls of brioche dough on pieces of parchment paper

FAQs For Homemade Brioche Doughnuts

As with many recipes, you may have additional questions for these brioche doughnuts. Like other BBR recipes, I always recommend sticking to the recipe as it is written in the recipe card, below. However, here’s some extra info:

  • How do I get rid of oil? After frying, let the oil cool all the way back down to room temperature. Afterwards, use a funnel to strain the oil back into the same container it came from. Boom. Also, the oil is relatively clean and can be reused for other purposes. Team no waste!
  • Can I use instant yeast? I highly recommend using active dry yeast for these doughnuts, but feel free to use instant/rapid rise yeast.
  • Can I use all-purpose flour? Bread flour is clutch here, friends. This goes for the overall texture that these doughnuts will have. If you cannot access bread flour then all-purpose flour can be used, if needed.
  • Can I use other kinds of milk? I recommend using whole milk as the milk of choice here. A close alternative would be evaporated milk (we wanna keep the richness!). No other milks have been tested.
  • Can I bake these doughnuts? Baking these yeasted doughnuts would not turn out too well. You’d end up with a bun of some sort.
  • How much oil do I need? Just enough for the oil to come nearly halfway up the pot, enough for them to float. Splattering may occur with too much oil.
raspberry jam stuffed brioche doughnuts in silver baking tray

Tips + Tricks, & More Information

  • Room temperature ingredients: The eggs and butter need to be at room temperature. For the egg, this helps the dough to blend seamlessly. Eggs that are super cold from the fridge may cause coagulation. >> I like to set these out on the counter about an hour ahead of time and, in a pinch, submerge a cold egg in warm water for a bit to speed things up.
  • Slowly add the butter. The process of slowly adding in the butter allows for the butter to build within the dough, in stages. The heat from the churning and the bit-by-bit butter slowly incorporates with the dough, like a synergy.
  • Let the dough sit overnight. You can make these doughnuts all in one day, however, allowing the brioche dough to sit overnight is better. While the dough is resting (the first rise), it develops more flavor and is thoroughly chilled…which also makes it easier to handle.
  • Watch the oil temperature. I’ve found the sweet spot for frying these doughnuts to be right around 320°F (160°C). When the oil is too hot, you can burn the outside of the doughnut while the inside may still be raw. Alternatively, when the oil is too low, the doughnut can be oily since it’s sitting in the oil for longer waiting to cook.
  • Sugar the doughnuts asap. After frying the brioche doughnuts and when they’re cool enough to handle, toss the doughnuts in the sugar. The sugar ends up clinging to the doughnuts perfectly as they’re still warm, chef’s kiss.
  • Cool before filling. Allow the sugared doughnuts to cool down completely before filling with whatever you desire.
raspberry jam stuffed brioche doughnuts with raspberries in silver baking tray

All the heart eyes for these Homemade Brioche Doughnuts, y’all. They are seriously so addicting, whew! Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

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raspberry jam stuffed brioche doughnuts in silver baking tray

Brioche Doughnuts

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  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
  • Yield: 14 doughnuts
  • Category: Doughnuts
  • Method: Deep Frying
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

The only recipe you need for homemade Brioche Doughnuts! These swoon-worthy and scrumptious doughnuts are pillowy-soft and full of flavor. Tried and true, fluffy brioche dough rolled in sugar and filled with nearly anything you desire as they are highly customizable! Bakery-style goodness everyone will love, so rich and buttery!

Ingredients

For the brioche dough:

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet, 7 grams) active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup (75 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk, warmed to 115-120°F
  • 4 cups (670 grams) bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon (4 grams) kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon (18 grams) vanilla bean paste
  • 3 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 112 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and softened to room temperature

For filled brioche doughnuts:

  • vegetable or canola oil, for frying
  • 1/2 cup caster or granulated sugar, for rolling
  • raspberry jam, for filling- optional 

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and the warm milk. Stir to combine and let sit for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy.
  2. Then add in the remaining granulated sugar, flour, salt, vanilla bean paste, and eggs. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes, until the dough starts to come together. Then increase the speed and continue kneading the dough for another 2 minutes until a soft dough forms. >> Note: If you do not have a stand mixer, it will take longer, but feel free to mix the dough in a large bowl and knead with your hands.
  3. Reduce the speed to low, add the cubed butter in increments (a piece or two at a time), waiting until each piece is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next piece. The process of adding the butter into the dough should take 3-5 minutes.
  4. Once all the butter is fully incorporated into the dough, increase the mixer speed (I keep it at level 2) and continue kneading the dough for another 7-10 minutes, until the dough is super soft, supple, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
  5. Gather the dough and place it into a lightly greased, large bowl. Then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer the dough into the refrigerator to rise for at least 3 hours, or more preferably overnight (for best results). This is the dough’s first rise. Note: the brioche dough is easier to handle when thoroughly chilled.
  6. Shaping the doughnuts: Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and place it onto a work surface. Set aside two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Using a kitchen scale, weigh the dough and then divide the dough into 14 equally weighted pieces. BBR note: My dough is usually around 1250 grams, and then split into 89-gram portions for each doughnut. Roll each portion of dough into a tight ball, ensuring that it’s well sealed, and then place the doughnuts onto the baking sheet with adequate space between each one.
  7. Gently press the tops to flatten each one just a little. Cover the baking sheets with a clean linen and place in a warm environment to rise for a second time, about 1-2 hours. You’ll know they’re ready when you poke the doughnut with your finger and the dough springs back leaving the slightest indentation.
  8. Frying the doughnuts: Towards the end of the doughnuts’ proofing time, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Use a candy thermometer to heat the oil to 320°F (160°C). Line another baking sheet with paper towels or have a wire rack in place, set aside. Add the caster/granulated sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.
  9. Once the oil has come to temperature, gently lower the doughnuts (working in batches, about 2-3 at a time) into the oil. Fry until golden brown on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Then carefully flip the doughnut over and fry for another 2-3 minutes, or until the other side is golden brown as well. Use a slotted utensil to remove the doughnuts and set aside onto the prepped baking sheet. Repeat the process until the remaining doughnuts have been fried, making sure the oil temperature is maintained throughout.
  10. While the doughnuts are still warm, give each one a toss into the bowl of sugar and evenly coat on all sides. Transfer the sugared doughnuts back to the baking sheet to continue cooling down completely before filling. In the meantime, add the raspberry jam (or other desired jam) to a large piping bag and then set aside.
  11. Use a chopstick (or similar object) to poke a small hole into the side of each doughnut. Place the doughnuts into a baking pan to where they can stand upright. Then fill each doughnut with jam. These stuffed brioche doughnuts are best served immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Please read the blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.