Well everyone, todays blog post is one I am so excited to share. The reason being that up until a couple weeks ago, I had never had a good jelly filled doughnut before in my life. Either the doughnut itself was soggy or flavorless or the jelly that was inside was low quality. I had given up on jelly filled doughnuts many, many years ago.

And then, just like most recipes on the blog, I thought, “Well, maybe I would like them if I made them myself!” — Ah, the constant problem of the food blogger. So I decided I would make Homemade Jelly Filled Doughnuts! And I have to say, I am a jelly filled doughnut gal now! With fresh homemade fried doughnuts and some Bonne Maman raspberry jelly, you can’t not like these doughnuts!

Doughnuts can seem a little daunting to make— I get it. But as long as you follow the recipe and more importantly, use an oil or candy thermometer, homemade doughnuts are a breeze. The dough that I use is also really simple and quick to make. No overnight rests, excessive kneading, etc. And the result is a doughnut that is soft and pillowy on the inside. It really does make the perfect doughnut.

As for the filling, I decided to use raspberry jelly because it seemed like the classic choice and well, I like raspberry jelly! However, you can use whatever jelly you would like. Strawberry, blueberry, or blackberry would all be great choices! These doughnuts are also coated in white granulated sugar because I love the way the sugar coating looks and I think it adds some interesting texture. If granulated sugar coatings on doughnuts isn’t your thing, use powdered sugar. Nobody will be mad at that!

I really hope you give these Homemade Jelly Filled Doughnuts a try. They are simple, delicious, and so fun to make. Seriously, no one will turn down a homemade doughnut, trust me. And of course, these doughnuts are best eaten the day they are made but trust me, they won’t last more than a couple hours. If you try this recipe, please share your photos and/or thoughts, I would love to hear from you! Happy baking everyone!

Homemade Jelly Filled Doughnuts

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong

40 g All Purpose Flour
200 g Water

For the rest of the Doughnuts

580 g All Purpose Flour
60 g Sugar
12 g Kosher Salt
10 g Active Dry Yeast
10 g Dried Milk Powder
260 g Whole Milk, room temperature
50 g Egg, whisked & room temperature
Tangzhong (recipe above)
50 g Butter, room temperature

To Cook

6-8 Cups Neutral Oil, such as grapeseed or canola

To Finish

1 Small Jar Raspberry Jelly (or any flavor of your choice)
1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean, seeds scraped out

Special Equipment

Piping Bag
Star Piping Tip
Baking/Cooling Rack
Oil or Candy Thermometer

Directions

Make the Tangzhong

Whisk together the flour (40g) and water (200g) in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened like pudding— this will take about 1-2 minutes. Continue cooking for a full 60 seconds. The mixture will be very thick and sticky, like silly putty.
Transfer to a shallow bowl or container and let cool down for 10-15 minutes.

Make the Doughnuts

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and dried milk powder and mix until evenly combined.
Add in the milk, eggs, and tangzhong and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms— 3 minutes. Add in the butter and knead on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes or until you have a smooth dough. Stop the mixer and shape the dough into a smooth ball.
Butter a large bowl lightly and transfer the ball of dough to it. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm space for 45 minutes-1 hour or until the dough has tripled in size.
Once tripled in size, deflate the dough by punching it down with your hands. Dust your work surface liberally with flour and roll the dough out so it about ½ inch thick. Using a 3-4 inch biscuit cutter, cut as many doughnuts as you can and place them on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Cover the doughnuts with plastic wrap as you go. Once you have cut as many doughnuts as possible, gather up the dough and re-roll it and cut more doughnuts. Once you have as many doughnuts as you can get, cover them completely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
While the doughnuts are resting, place your 6-8 cups of oil into a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Bring the oil to 350℉ — use a oil or candy thermometer if you have one! Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a cooling rack on top of the paper towels. Set aside.
While the doughnuts are resting and the oil is heating up, mix together the cup of granulated sugar and vanilla bean seeds in a shallow dish— I use a pie plate. Set aside.
Once the oil is at 350℉, start frying the doughnuts. Use a spider skimmer to gently place the doughnuts in the oil, doing 3 or 4 at a time. Let the doughnuts fry on the first side until it is golden about— anywhere from 1.5-2 minutes. Flip and fry until the second side is golden brown— another minute or so. Place the fried doughnuts onto the cooling rack to cool down. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.
Once all of the doughnuts are fried, starting with the doughnuts that were fried first (they will be the coolest, temp wise) toss each doughnut in the vanilla sugar until evenly coated and place on a plate. Repeat with all of the doughnuts
Put the star piping tip into the piping bag and fill with the raspberry jelly.
Using a paring knife, cut a small opening on the side of each doughnut. Stick the piping tip into the hole and squeeze the jelly into the doughnut until you feel a little resistance (this means the doughnut is filled). Repeat with all of the doughnuts.
Enjoy!