These mini brioche doughnuts literally melt in your mouth and are the perfect sweet treat to share with friends or for your next date night! Easy to make, can be prepped a day in advance, and taste better than any bakery doughnuts!
There is something amazing about mini doughnuts. Even though they’re made with the same dough as regular doughnuts, something about their shape and size takes their flavor and texture to a whole new level.
These mini doughnuts, for instance, are made with my signature brioche doughnut recipe. And while the OG brioche doughnuts are amazing, these mini versions are just…something else.
They so soft and fluffy, they literally melt in your mouth. I mean, Timbits? Yeah, you’re gonna forget those after trying these.
They’re not overly sweet, and can be paired with a number of dips like melted chocolate, peanut butter, jam, caramel sauce, and anything else you fancy!
The doughnuts are also super simple to make and can be prepped a day in advance, making them the perfect party or date night snack.
Let’s get into the recipe.
Brioche Doughnut Dough Recipe
These doughnuts are made with a brioche dough, which is a type of enriched dough that’s made with a high fat percentage by using milk and butter. The high fat amount makes the doughnuts SUPER soft and fluffy, unlike any doughnuts you’ve eaten before.
The process is also quite simple, and requires only 7 ingredients – eggs, sugar, salt, milk, yeast, melted butter, and flour. I would recommend making the dough with a stand mixer as it takes quite a bit of kneading, but you can always make it by kneading with your hands. It will just take a little more effort and time.
Here are the steps for making the brioche doughnut dough.
- In a bowl, add the eggs, sugar, and salt and whisk until just combined, Both the sugar and salt are added in moderation so the dough is not too sweet or salty. If you are using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment for these steps. If not, you can use a hand whisk.
- In another bowl, mix the instant yeast with warm milk. Make sure the milk is just warm, not too hot or cold, or the yeast will not activate correctly. Add the milk and yeast mixture to the eggs and whisk until just combined.
- Add the melted butter and whisk again, then add half of the flour and whisk again until the mixture is thick and just combined.
- Switch to the dough attachment (or your hands), add the remaining flour and knead the dough until the dough starts climbing the dough hook (or until it’s firm and not tacky). the dough may be a little greasy, but that’s okay. If the dough is sticky even after 15-20 minutes of kneading, add more flour, a little at a time, until you reach the right texture.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover tightly with cling film. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
Wanna learn more about Brioche? I’ve shared a lot more on my original Brioche Doughnut recipe!
Shaping & Frying The Doughnuts
Once the dough has rested, it’s time to shape and fry. Here are the steps.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and start forming doughnut balls by pinching put a little dough and shaping it into a ball by rolling it in between your palms. I like to measure out eat doughnut to 15 grams as that gives the perfect size for a mini doughnut and ensures that all doughnuts are equal in size.
- Place on a baking sheet, cover lightly with a towel or cloth, then let the doughnut balls rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they double in size. Tip: if your house is cold, preheat your oven on the lowest temperature, turn it off and wait for 5-10 minutes for it to cool down slightly, then place the doughnuts in the warm oven to proof. Make sure it’s not too hot.
- 10-15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, heat the oil to 170 degrees celsius. If you do not have a thermometer, try to take it to a high temperature for even frying.
- Once the doughnuts have risen and the oil is at the right temperature, place each doughnut into the oil carefully. The oil will be very hot so make sure not to splatter it on yourself. Be very gently while handling the doughnuts or they may deflate. Fry the doughnuts until they are golden brown from both sides.
- Remove the doughnuts on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak the excess oil. In a separate big bowl, add the sugar and cinnamon powder and mix until combined. Place the doughnuts into the bowl with the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm and toss them around to coat in sugar evenly. If the doughnuts are not warm, the sugar will not stick to them properly. Like I mentioned earlier, the dough itself is not too sweet, so the cinnamon sugar is an important addition.
- Serve with melted milk and white chocolate or any dips of your choice.
These doughnuts are one of those desserts that are really worth making at home because the difference is MONUMENTAL. Once you try these soft, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth brioche doughnut holes, you’re never going back to those average doughnut stores.
Ready to make the best doughnuts? Let’s get started!
PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are unreliable and can give different measurements, so I suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups; however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.
Mini Brioche Doughnuts | Brioche Doughnut Holes
Equipment
- Stand mixer with whisk and dough attachment optional, but recommended
- Hand whisk
- Baking paper
- Saucepan for deep frying
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 25 grams caster sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 5 grams instant yeast
- 120 ml warm milk
- 85 grams butter melted
- 280 grams all-purpose flour
- 300 ml vegatable oil for frying
- 50 grams white granulated sugar for cinnamon sugar
- 2 tsps cinnamon powder for cinnamon sugar
- Dipping of choice (melted chocolate, jam, caramel sauce etc.)
Instructions
- Add the egg, sugar, and salt in a bowl. If using stand mixer, use the whisk attachment and whisk until combined, or use a hand whisk.1 egg, 25 grams caster sugar, 1/2 tablespoon salt
- In a separate bowl, mix the warm milk with instant yeast. Make sure the milk isn’t too hot as that will kill the yeast. Add the milk mixture into the eggs and whisk until combined.5 grams instant yeast, 120 ml warm milk
- Add the melted butter and whisk again, then add half the flour and mix until you have a thick batter-like consistency.85 grams butter melted, 280 grams all-purpose flour
- Add the remaining flour and switch to the dough attachment (if using a stand mixer) and knead on medium speed for 5-10 mins until the dough forms a soft ball and starts climbing the dough hook. If not using a stand mixer, start kneading by hand and knead for 10-15 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball.
- Transfer the dough ball to an oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it rest and rise in the fridge for three hours. The dough should double in size during this time. You can also let it rest overnight, for 12-16 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, take it out of the fridge and start forming mini dough balls for each doughnut. I like to measure out each doughnut to 15 grams as I find that to be the best size for mini doughnuts. Don’t forget, they have to rise yet again so they will become bigger in size.
- Place the doughnut balls on a tray lined with baking paper, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let them rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they double in size. Meanwhile, heat the oil to 170 degrees celsius.300 ml vegatable oil for frying
- Make the cinnamon sugar: In a large bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon to toss the doughnuts in once they are cooked.50 grams white granulated sugar for cinnamon sugar, 2 tsps cinnamon powder for cinnamon sugar
- Once the doughnuts have risen and the oil is hot, cook them for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides.
- Transfer the doughnuts on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil, then place them in the bowl with the cinnamon sugar and toss them while they are still hot.
- Enjoy with any dip of your choice like melted chocolate, jam, caramel sauce, etc.Dipping of choice (melted chocolate, jam, caramel sauce etc.)
Notes
-
Melted chocolate – milk, dark, or white
-
Vanilla Custard – you can use this easy recipe.
-
Nutella
-
Pistachio Butter
-
Lemon Curd – you can use this easy recipe.
- Caramel Sauce
- Make sure the milk is not hot when mixing it with yeast as that will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise. The milk should be lukewarm, around 30-35 degrees celsius.
- Knead the dough until it forms a completely smooth ball with just a little stickiness.
- Make sure the oil is at the right temperature before adding the doughnuts into it. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat it until it’s very hot the way you would for deep frying potato fries.
- Keep an eye on the doughnuts and don’t let them get too dark.
- If your dough does not rise, it means that your yeast is dead. In this case, buy new yeast and make sure the milk isn’t too hot.
- If the doughnuts come out dry, it means you have overcooked them.
- Roll the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar while they are still hot so that it sticks on the surface.
Once you make these, you’re gonna get requests for them all the time! And trust me, you’re never going back to any bakery cause these doughnuts are better than any store-bought ones!
They’re simple, delicious, and a total party-pleaser.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know how you liked it in the comments. And of course, share it with me on Instagram!
Until next time.
