Emily Laurae

BRIOCHE DOUGHNUTS
2 Mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast together in your stand mixer’s mixing bowl. Let this mixture rest undisturbed for 5-10 minutes until you start to see bubbles start to form on the surface.
4 Add your flour, and eggs to the active yeast mixture using the paddle attachment. After one minute of mixing on medium speed, the ingredients should be well combined. At this point, switch to using the dough hook attachment and knead for 6-8 minutes before adding salt and butter one tablespoon at a time. Continue kneading with the dough hook for another 5-8 minutes until the dough looks smooth and glossy and you notice that the dough is not sticking to the sides of the bowl. This means that your dough has been well developed and we can stop mixing. 
6 Place the dough in an oiled bowl and allow to proof for 1.5 to 2 hours covered in plastic wrap. You’re looking for the dough to have about doubled in size before moving onto the next step. If your kitchen tends to run quite cold, try to find a warm spot to leave the dough for this resting period. Then, remove the plastic wrap, and degas the dough by punching it down before recovering and placing in the fridge overnight. This overnight rest of about 12-14 hours is essential in order to develop flavor as the dough continues to ferment slowly within low temperatures.
30 After the dough has rested overnight – it’s time to start shaping! Divide your dough using a sharp knife or a bench scraper into 65 gram even pieces. Gently degas each piece by pressing on top of the ball with the heel of your hand before forming into a tight boule. Place each piece of dough onto a parchment lined baking tray where the parchment has been lightly sprayed with baking spray and cover with plastic wrap that has also been sprayed ( so the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the dough). Let the dough sit undisturbed in a warm spot to proof until they have doubled in size for about 1.5-2 hours.
10 Approximately twenty minutes before the doughnuts have finished their final proof, it’s time to start heating your frying oil!  Grab a large Dutch oven or your preferred container for frying. Add the oil, ensuring that you have at least 3 inches of height from the bottom of the Dutch oven to the top of the oil. Turning the stove on medium high, heat the oil to 340° F. Prepare your cocoa sugar while the oil is heating – simply combine cocoa powder and sugar and mix to combine.
12 I always do a “test” doughnut before moving on to the remaining doughnuts. Fry the test doughnut for 2-3 minutes on each side before removing from the oil with a slotted spoon and placing on a cooling rack lined with paper towels. Then, coat in cocoa sugar before letting cool completely. Continue this process by gently dropping four pieces of proofed dough into the oil at a time, making sure not to crowd the doughnuts too much! Make sure to check the temperature of the oil after each batch, in case you need to reheat the oil back to 345° F.
CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM
16 Onto the chocolate pastry cream! Whisk together the sugar, corn starch, milk, cocoa powder and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together the eggs in a separate bowl. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, then slowly pour the milk mixture into the eggs while whisking.
18 Return the mixture to your saucepan bringing to a boil again while constantly mixing. Lower the heat and cook for one minute while whisking. Remove from heat and strain into a clean bowl before adding the softened butter, mixing so that it naturally incorporates due to the heat.
20 Place pastry cream into a container and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic onto the top of the cream so that you do not get a skin.
22 Cover and place in the fridge where it will start to thicken and solidify a bit. Before using the pastry cream, whisk to ensure a smooth texture!
ASSEMBLING DOUGHNUTS
29 Fill a piping bag with your chocolate pastry cream. Pierce the doughnut with the tip of the piping bag and fill the center of the doughnut with the cocoa cream. Top with a few cacao nibs and enjoy!