Homemade Cronuts
A simple copycat recipe yields a flaky, delicious croissant-doughnut hybrid pastry.
This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and buy, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Instructions
-
Heat milk and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
-
In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, flour, and salt.
-
Slowly whisk the heated milk into the egg mixture, then return the entire mixture to the saucepan.
-
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens.
-
Stir in vanilla extract, then strain the cream into a non-reactive bowl.
-
Cover the cream's surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
-
Warm water and milk to lukewarm, then whisk in yeast and let stand 5 minutes until bubbly.
-
In a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 tablespoons softened butter with the yeast mixture; mix for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once.
-
Form dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes until doubled.
-
Punch down the dough, then cover and chill for 1 hour.
-
While dough chills, flatten the remaining butter into an 8x8-inch square between parchment paper and refrigerate.
-
Roll chilled dough into a 12x12-inch square on a lightly floured surface.
-
Place the chilled butter square on the dough, orienting butter corners towards the dough's sides.
-
Fold dough corners over the butter, sealing the edges to enclose the butter.
-
Roll the dough into a 20x8-inch rectangle.
-
Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Repeat this fold and chill process two more times.
-
After the final chill, roll the dough into a 6x18-inch rectangle.
-
Cut the dough into three 6x6-inch squares and stack them.
-
Roll the stacked squares into a 6x18-inch rectangle.
-
Cut 12 donut shapes from the dough using donut cutters; place on parchment.
-
Cover the donuts loosely and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
-
Heat oil to 350 F in a large pot.
-
Fry donuts for 1 1/2 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown; cook in batches if needed.
-
Transfer fried donuts to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
-
Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
-
Fill a piping bag with the chilled vanilla pastry cream.
-
Whisk powdered sugar and water in a separate bowl to make a glaze.
-
Inject each pastry with vanilla cream at 4 points, roll in cinnamon sugar, and drizzle with the glaze.