Ash Baber

Honeycomb Doughnuts

I think I’ve only ever had honeycomb on it’s own, never with anything else but it is so much better with doughnuts! However, if you’ve never made honeycomb before I’ve got a few things to say before you try……

  1. Honeycomb is one thing that tastes the same whether you buy it or make it so honestly I recommend just buying a few crunchie bars and using them instead.
  2. If you are going to make it, you need a thermometer. The temperature is really important and I don’t know how you could figure it out without a thermometer
  3. I feel like the pot you use makes a huge difference to the taste, you wanna use a tall non stick pot. I’ve realised some pots don’t heat very evenly which can end up making your honeycomb bitter
  4. Make sure you have a baking paper lined tray ready, as soon as the honeycomb reaches the right temperature you want to move quickly so have the tray ready
  5. Finally, back to the first point, buying a crunchie bar will make this easier. I very much recommend it  
Also side note, I use a Japanese milk bread dough for my doughnuts. If you’re wondering what a ‘tangzhong’ is, it’s just a water and flour mixture. The doughnuts will be dry and crusty if you don’t add it so please don’t skip that step!
Honeycomb Doughnuts

Honeycomb Doughnuts

Ingredients
MAKes: 8 Doughnuts

  • for the tangzhong:

  • 20g plain flour

  • 100ml water

  • for the dough:

  • 330g plain flour

  • 30g granulated sugar

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 8g instant yeast

  • 1 egg

  • 120ml warm milk

  • the tangzhong

  • 30g soft unsalted butter

  • for the honeycomb:

  • 300g granulated sugar

  • 70g honey

  • 2 tbsp water

  • 15g baking soda

  • for the filling:

  • 200g cream cheese

  • 200ml double cream

  • 150g honey

  • 2 tsp vanilla

Directions

  • tangzhong:
  • start by making the tangzhong, so add the flour and water into a pot, mix these together then put the pot over medium heat
  • whiles stirring, keep heating this mixture until it thickens. this happens within a few seconds so don't walk away
  • leave this to cool in the fridge for 10 minutes
  • dough:
  • add all the ingredients, except the butter, into a bowl. please don't forget to add in the tangzhong you just made
  • mix this together until a dough forms. then once a dough does form, add in the butter and knead this for 10 minutes
  • warning this is a sticky dough, that's ok
  • add this into a greased bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume, this should take 1-2 hours
  • honeycomb:
  • meanwhile you can make the honeycomb, so add the sugar, water and honey into a tall pot
  • put this over low heat and keep heating it until it reaches 140c. don't mix it during this, just swirl the pot around every now and then
  • as soon as it reaches the right temperature, take it off the heat straight away, mix in the baking soda then pour this onto a baking paper lined tray
  • leave this to set completely, 30 minutes should be good. once it's set you can break it into pieces
  • cutting and frying the doughnuts:
  • once the dough has risen, add this onto a very floured surface then roll it out until it's around 1.5cm thick. try not to make them any thicker than this, they won't cook in the centre if they're too thick
  • cut out your circles, i used an 8.5 cm cookie cutter for this
  • add the circles of dough onto another baking paper lined tray then cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes. you're not looking for them to double in volume this time, they should just look a little more fluffier and feel a little softer
  • when there's around 10 minutes left, you can start heating your oil (i used vegetable). also i don't use a thermometer when frying things but if you want too, 180c is a good temp for doughnuts
  • fry the doughnuts until they're golden brown, about 1 or 1.5 minutes on each side
  • whiles they're still warm dip them into some sugar, i like to use caster sugar but granulated works too
  • filling:
  • add the cream cheese into a bowl and mix just to loosen it up and make it smooth
  • in a separate bowl add the cream and whisk this until it starts to thicken slightly
  • now add the cream cheese into this, along with the honey and vanilla. whisk until you get a thick mixture
  • once the doughnuts are completely cool (the filling will melt out if the doughnuts are still warm), pipe the filling into them, then add a piece of honeycomb and then you are done!

Notes

  • i always use instant yeast when making doughs just because i think it's easier to use and find. instant yeast doesn't need to be activated but if you're using active yeast, activate it in the warm milk before mixing it with everything else
  • i made the filling for this completely to taste. if you want it sweeter, add more honey or icing sugar or if you want a stronger cream cheese flavour, add more. you can change this however you want
  • also once you have filled these, they can stay out at room temp for about 2 hour but then they need to go in the fridge because of the filling. i recommend only filling these before you're about to eat them, the actual doughnuts taste much better at room temp!

Video Tutorial

@ashbaber

honeycomb doughnuts 🤤

♬ original sound - Ash

 

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