Talk about an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Chai is one of my favorite flavors and using it in the dough for these donut holes was brilliant. These donut holes are filled with vanilla cream then coated in an orange glaze, and when I tell you these are pure bliss, I mean it. 

Makes around 45 Donut Holes 

Ingredients:

  For the Cream:

¼ Cup (50g) Granulated Sugar

2 Tbs (15g) Cornstarch

¼ Tsp Salt

1 Cup (237mL) Whole Milk

2 Large Egg Yolks, Room Temperature 

2 Tsp (8g) Vanilla Extract

2 Tbs (28g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature 

  For the Dough:

1/2 (120mL) Lukewarm Milk (around 105 Degrees F (40C))

1 1/4 Tsp (5g) Active Dry Yeast

2 1/2 Tbs (30g) Granulated Sugar

3 Tbs (37g) Melted Unsalted Butter 

1 Large Room Temperature Egg Plus One Egg Yolk

1/2 Tsp (2g) Vanilla Extract

2 Cups+3.5 Tbs (280g) All-Purpose Flour

1/4 Tsp (1g) Salt

1 Tbs Chai Spice (see recipe for chai spice)

  For the Glaze:

3 Cups (390g) Confectioner’s sugar

¼ Tsp Salt

1 Tsp (3g) Freshly Grated Orange Zest

1 Tsp (4g) Vanilla Extract

2 Tbs (26g) Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

4 Tbs (56g) Melted Unsalted Butter

6 Tbs (90mL) Milk

Chai Spice:

3 Tsp (9g) Ground Ginger

2 Tsp (6g) Ground Cinnamon

1 Tsp (2g) Ground Nutmeg

1 Tsp (2g) Ground Cloves

1 Tsp (2g) Ground Cardamom

1 Tsp (2g) Ground Allspice

Directions:

1.     Start by making the pastry cream. Add the sugar, salt and milk to a saucepot and cook while whisking occasionally over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. 

2.     Add the egg yolks and cornstarch to a separate bowl and whisk until combined, then while constantly whisking, slowly pour 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg yolks, then slowly pour that back into the pot while constantly whisking and cook while whisking over a medium heat for another couple minutes until it becomes very thick. 

3.     Turn off the heat and add the butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and make sure the plastic fully touches the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for a minimum of 3 hours. 

4.     To make the dough, sprinkle some sugar into the warm milk then sprinkle the yeast over that and set aside to activate for about 10 minutes. It should be foamy afterwards. 

5.     Add the activated yeast, melted butter, egg, egg yolk and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer and just stir until combined, then attach the dough hook. 

6.     In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and chai spice and whisk until combined, then add half of the mixture into the stand mixer. Mix on a low speed until the flour gets absorbed then add the rest of the flour. 

7.     Mix on a low speed until the dough comes together, then turn the speed up to medium and knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is elastic. 

8.     Collect the dough into a ball and place in a large, greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a kitchen towel over that and set in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size. 

9.     Once the dough has risen, punch it down, dump it on to a floured surface and roll out until the dough is ¼-inch thick. Use a 1 ½ Inch circle cutter to cut the donut holes out of the dough, re-roll and repeat until all the dough has been cut. Place the cut circles on sheets lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Invert a baking sheet the same size over the sheets with the dough on it and allow to proof (rise for a second time) for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 

10.  Pour about 3-inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot and heat until it reaches 350 Degrees F (180C). 

11.  Place about 10 donut holes in the oil at a time and cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side or until golden brown, flip and cook until golden brown, another 1-2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or wire strainer to remove the donuts from the oil and place on a sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat until all the donuts are fried. 

12.  To make the glaze, add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth. The glaze should be relatively thin. 

13.  Once the donuts have cooled, put the chilled pastry cream in a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Use a wooden skewer to poke into the centers of the donuts and moved it around to hollow them about a bit. 

14.  Pipe the cream into the centers of the donuts, then place in the glaze, ensuring to completely coat, then use a fork to lift the donuts out of the glaze and place on a rack to let the excess drip off. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes for the glaze to harden.