Pennsylvania Dutch Fasnacht Doughnuts with Pastry Cream

Method

1. In a small saucepan, scald the milk, then set it aside to cool.
2. Put the 2 packets of active dry yeast and the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let the yeast proof, or rest, for 10 minutes.
3. Add the melted butter, cooled milk, salt, granulated sugar, nutmeg, and eggs. Set the mixer to low and add the flour one cup at a time, until the dough starts to come together. The dough will be a lot and quite sticky, but it should pull cleanly away from the bowl's sides. If it's too sticky, add 1 tbsp. of flour at a time until it feels slightly tacky.
4. Move the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it for about 5-8 minutes, until smooth.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased, medium bowl, turning it once so the whole ball is coated. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap (do NOT use aluminum foil), lay a clean, dry kitchen towel over the top, and set it somewhere warm and free of drafts for about 1 - 1.5 hours, until it has almost doubled in size. This last part is very important!
6. Gently punch the dough down in the center, turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface, and roll it with a floured rolling pin to about 1/2" thick. Dip your circle cutter (mine measured 2.5") in flour, then cut out the fasnacht doughnuts and set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1" apart since they will grow. Roll any leftover dough into balls to make doughnut holes.
7. Cover the doughnuts with a clean tea towel or dish towel and let them rest for 1 hour, or until they have nearly doubled in size.
8. Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with 2-3 layers of paper towels and set a cooling rack on top. Set it aside. The cooling rack is optional.
9. When you're ready to fry, pour the canola oil into a deep, heavy skillet or stockpot and heat it to 365ºF. Two important notes: 1. Add the oil BEFORE you turn on the heat. 2. Don't guess the temperature. Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer.
10. Fry 2-3 doughnuts at a time for about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side, turning them with tongs or a slotted spoon. You want a nice medium golden brown. At the right temperature they fry quickly, so pay close attention. If you're new to homemade doughnuts, fry just one at a time until you get the hang of it.
11. When the doughnuts are done, lift them out of the oil and set them on the cooling rack or paper towels to drain. Let them cool slightly before cutting the opening for the filling (optional).
12. While the doughnuts are still warm, put 2-3 at a time in a large ziplock bag with either the sugar or the cinnamon sugar and toss until coated. Set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, or go straight to eating them.
13. Let the doughnuts cool completely before adding the vanilla pastry cream filling.
14. In a medium bowl, whisk the vanilla pudding mix and milk together until thick.
15. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on high for several minutes, until medium peaks form.
16. Fold the whipped cream into the vanilla pudding mixture with a spatula until fully blended.
17. Fill a large piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice (I used the Wilton 1M tip) with the vanilla pastry cream. Pipe it into the doughnuts until they are full.

Baker’s notes

• The equipment listed above is only a suggestion. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever has worked well for you before.
• If you don't have cinnamon sugar on hand, it's very easy to make! Check out my Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe for some pointers!