Bomb with the best

Decadent, artisanal and oozing with filling, brioche doughnuts are giving fried treats a good name. Here are Sunday mid-day’s top three

In times of blink and miss

Insta-worthy food trends, thank goodness there are some that stay true to the hype. Brioche doughnuts is a case in point. Tad crispy on the outside and soft, buttery on the inside, it’s their drool-worthy filling oozing out of the bun that makes you fall in love at the first bite. Made in small batches, the dough is prepared  with carefully weighed, high-quality butter and eggs, then fried to perfection, giving out just a little tempting ooze of the filling. It’s almost a conspiracy to make fried desserts fashionable again.

It’s not a new fad, though.  Brioche doughnuts have a documented history that dates back to 18th century Paris. The world over, they go by names like—bomboloni (Italy), krapfen, kreppel and berliner (German), and paczki (Polish), or are simply called “filled doughnuts”. These must be baked and consumed fresh, because the filling can make the brioche soggy. However, once you’ve tasted these, it’ll be hard to go back to the conventional doughnut.

‘I decided to give it a savoury twist’

Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Devika Manjrekar started Toast Doughnut Shop this year in May during the peak of the lockdown. Her small, women-led team makes fresh brioche doughnuts every day.  “We first started making doughnuts at Toast Café, which opened last December. A select few loved them and kept ordering them but it hadn’t become a big deal then. Just before the lockdown was announced, we sold 60 [brioche] doughnuts in a day and that made us believe that we were on to something,” shares Manjrekar, who sampled it in London the first time.

Sweetcorn and chipotle

At her Mumbai cafe, she chose to go with the classic jam and custard, which is still the all-time favourite among patrons. Then came lemon meringue, tiramisu, kaffir lime and pandan, followed by chocolate salted caramel. A first in the city, Manjrekar has even experimented with savoury brioche and introduced sweetcorn and chipotle on the menu. They’re made fresh every morning, which is why they make it to trays a bit late. “We use the best ingredients and it shows—they’re deliciously pillowy and I think we’ve cracked the balance of flavour,” says Manjrekar.

SMD tried: Mature cheddar and green chilli, mushroom and truffle (savoury); jam and custard, chocolate and cornflake, lavender and lemon meringue (Rs 150 per piece onward)
Our verdict: In the savoury ones, it’s the cheesy goodness that bowls you over. The floral, starchy notes of lavender custard are an acquired taste, while the citrus filling lends it a distinct flavour. It’s nice that Manjrekar is going bold with flavours.  We’d like to see matcha, Vietnamese coffee and Sriracha perhaps?
To order@toastdoughnutshop, Instagram

‘It’s all in the dough’

Chef Bianca Manik started Blanchette in February 2020, right after coming back from Le Cordon Bleu in London. The brand advocates simple flavours and indulgent desserts made with quality ingredients.

Chef Bianca Manik with a box of brioche doughnuts at her Santa Cruz East bakery. Pic/Anurag Ahire

“Our desserts are meant to be a guilty pleasure, something that is supposed to be eaten in bed, in your PJs,” says Manik, who, while growing up, was obsessed with the doughnuts from a neighbourhood store. “I was introduced to the incredibleness of brioche doughnuts during my travels to Italy and while studying in London. The exceptionally soft dough and decadent fillings inspired me to create my version.”

Chocolate ganache

She started with the classics: the luscious sugar-coated one and the other using chocolate ganache. This was followed by a lemon curd doughnut, made with Sicilian lemons, a cinnamon and sugar-coated doughnut as well as a Madagascar vanilla pastry cream filling. “We plan on introducing a cappuccino one as well as a toffee pastry cream soon,” she adds.  According to her, what sets the doughnut apart is the dough. “Brioche tends to be rich, buttery as well as fluffy at the same time. Some of our clients love the doughnuts coated with only powdered sugar just so they can enjoy the texture!”

SMD tried: Chocolate ganache, pastry cream, cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar. (Rs 900 for a box of six)
Verdict: While all were decadent and creamy, our vote goes to the Madagascar pastry cream.
To order: @blanchetteindia, Instagram

‘Next would be Kashmiri flavours’

Chef Noor Mubarak at the Notting Hill bakery in Colaba. She plans to introduce the cereal milk brioche as a pop-up soon. PIC/SURESH KARKERA

Chef Noor Mubarak started making brioche doughnuts a little before she launched The Notting Hill home bakery. Tucked away in one of the bylanes of Colaba, this outpost offers English desserts such as Banoffee pie and millionaire shortbreads being made alongside brioche doughnuts, éclairs and many other decadent treats.

There was no particular reason as to why she started brioche doughnuts, though. “I was experimenting in the kitchen with various desserts and brioche doughnuts were one of them. I honestly did not think they’d work here, because I had never seen anyone doing them in the city. But now, my brioche doughnuts are my bestsellers,” she adds. 

Mubarak first started with simple fillings such as nutella and vanilla custard ones and later graduated to dulce de leche, lotus biscoff and glazed doughnuts. “While nutella is my favourite, the one flavour that I did for a short while, which I really enjoyed, were my cereal milk doughnuts. I’d also like to do some flavours that revolve around Kashmir, where I’m originally from, using saffron or lavender,” says Mubarak, who had until now never been a doughnut fan.

SMD tried: Nutella, vanilla, lotus biscoff cream, dulce de leche and glazed (Priced at R150 per piece)

Our verdict: Deliciously satisfying, these were light and airy, with melt-in-the-mouth goodness. The smooth, thick lusciousness of dulce de leche paired perfectly with the pillowy texture of the brioche to make it creamy dreamy.
To order: @thenottinghillbakery, INSTAGRAM

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