Bake With Zoha

Make the tangzhong by stirring the flour and milk in a nonstick pan over medium heat until they form a thick paste

Mix the tangzhong with cold milk and yeast in the bowl of your standing mixer and let sit for 5 min. The heat of the tangzhong will bring theoverall temperature to a luke-warm ideal for the yeast

Add all the other ingredients for the dough, leaving out half of the butter. Knead at medium-high speed using a dough hook for 5 min until the dough starts to come together

Add the remaining butter and knead again for 5-8 minutes until a smooth and stretchy dough has formed. It should pull away from the edges of the bowl

Cover and let the dough rise for about 1 hour until it doubles in size (or overnight in the fridge, but don't rise at room temperature and then leave the dough in the fridge)

Roll the dough into a 1/2 inch thick sheet. Cut out 4” circles. Repeat until all the dough is used up

Place the circles donuts onto small pieces of parchment paper, and transfer them to a tray. Rest for about 30-45 min at room temperature

Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a wok over medium heat. Once it has reached 350F, carefully drop in a test donut, removing the parchment paper, and fry for about 2 min per side. Test for doneness and adjust timing as needed. Fry all donuts, and keep the raw donuts in a cool place as you fry so they don’t overproof

Let the donuts cool down on a wire rack at room temperature while you make the creme patisserie

For the creme patisserie, whisk the eggs, corn starch, salt and sugar in a bowl

Place the milk and vanilla in a nonstick pan and bring to a boil

Carefully pour the milk mix into the egg mix while whisking continuously, then pour back the whole mixture into the pan

Cook on low heat while stirring constantly until you get a custard like consistency. Add the butter and mix it in

Remove from heat and pass through a strainer to make sure there are no lumps. If the cream feels lumpy, blend it for 30 seconds to make it smooth

Place in the fridge for at least 15 min to cool down

Transfer the crème patisserie into a piping bag with a Bismarck tip. Carefully puncture the donuts and fill them with the custard until they feel heavy

For the caramel, mix the sugar, salt and water in a nonstick pan and place on low heat. This will take some time, try not to stir

Slowly the sugar will dissolve and start to caramelize. Once your caramel reaches a deep golden color, take it off the heat 

While the caramel is still hot, carefully dip your donuts on one side so they get a thin caramel coating. If the caramel starts to harden, reheat it until it becomes runny again

The donuts should form a crispy coating once they cool

Serve & enjoy!