My brother has a proclivity for drinking Milo in the morning as though he were a retired man enjoying his Americano. He interminably stirs his drink while proclaiming “I feel like I’m drinking coffee!” until it turns cold. Every time I come down to eat my oatmeal, I have to endure the clinking noise he makes with his mug and teaspoon which sounds as if I was at a wedding and the couple is about to kiss. I had to find a way for him to enjoy his beloved “coffee” in a subtler manner, so I can read my book in peace.
To arrive at a feasible solution, I decided to note down food I can incorporate malted chocolate powder into. A Milo-filled brioche donut was first on the list, and it seemed straightforward enough to make. Unsurprisingly enough I was wrong. Again. But, that is my fault because the cookbook makes it seem so easy through the images they have provided. I altered the measurements of the ingredients to make it much easier for home bakers in the Philippines to make.
Here are some of my tips for when you decide to make this recipe. First of all, do not follow just any recipe especially if the author comes from a different country that experiences and inhabits an entirely disparate climate type. Second, if you have a thermometer, do not be lazy. Use it to monitor the temperature of the oil when frying because a mere 20 degrees difference in the oil’s temperature can result in a whole darker shade of gold or brown for your donut. And lastly, be patient and do not keep flipping the donuts until it has reached your desired color on each side. If you do so, the coloring will not turn out even. When you consider all these notes, you will be left with the most mouthwatering brioche donut with the crispest exterior and the butteriest melt-in-your-mouth center.
Recipe
Yields 20 donuts
~ Ingredients ~
Brioche Dough
600g bread flour
15 grams salt
80 grams white sugar
8 grams instant dry yeast
125 mL milk
4 eggs
270 grams unsalted butter, room temp
Oil for frying
Milo Pastry Cream
1 large egg
3 egg yolks
30 grams cornstarch
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
300 grams hot milk
75 grams sugar
30 grams unsalted butter
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 grams or 2 packets milo powdered drink
Sugar for donuts
~ Procedure ~
Brioche Dough
In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine bread flour, salt, sugar and yeast.
In another bowl, crack open the eggs and mix them with the milk. Pour this mixture into the mixer slowly.
Slowly add the butter into the dough.
Let it knead for 20-25 minutes until a windowpane can be formed without the dough tearing.
Once ready, remove the dough from the mixer, knead it a little more and divide them into 20 balls. Each weighs around 50 grams.
Roll each portion into perfect spheres and place them on top of square pieces of parchment paper.
Let the donuts rise for 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled in size, heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pan until it reaches 300°F.
Fry each donut for 3-4 minutes, 1.5-2 minutes on each side.
Use a slotted spoon or kitchen spider to retrieve the donuts and place them on a rack to cool.
Milo Pastry Cream
Let the Milo powder dissolve in the hot milk.
Boil some water in a medium saucepan.
Combine the large egg, egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, milk, sugar, unsalted butter and vanilla extract into a bowl.
Place the bowl on top of the saucepan with boiling water and lower the heat to create a makeshift Bain-marie or double boiler. Using a spatula, constantly mix the pastry cream until thick. This took me around 4 minutes.
Put the mixture through a sieve to get rid of clumps.
Place it in a piping bag and let it chill.
Assembly
Using a chopstick, poke a hole on the side of the donut.
Cover each donut with sugar.
Fill each donut with pastry cream.
Top the ends with extra Milo bits, serve and enjoy!
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