O-TOWNER DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• For the cinnamon sugar: Combine sugar with cinnamon in a bowl and whisk to combine. Reserve until needed.
• For the O-Towner donuts: Place the milk and eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
• Add the flours, sugar, shortening, salt and yeast and mix with dough hook on slow speed for 6 minutes. The dough should be all together and perfectly soft. Take out of the bowl and shape into a ball.
• Line a small tray with wax paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray, then place the dough ball on top and cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray.
• Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Place dough on a lightly floured table. Push down with your hands to form a small square, then using a rolling pin, roll out to an 11-inch square.
• Spread butter on dough, keeping it centered. Fold the dough over the butter like a letter.
• Next, roll out dough into a long rectangle, about 30 to 35 inches.
• Do a book fold by bringing each end towards each other meeting in the middle, then folding one side over the other. (This is one book fold.)
• Let the dough rest 10 minutes and repeat the process, rolling to 30 to 35 inches and doing a second book fold. (If dough is hard to roll, let rest 5 minutes; see Cook's Note.)
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Unwrap dough and place on a floured table. Start to roll out the dough again to 30 to 35 inches, and give a third book fold.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. Take out and unwrap, then place on a lightly floured table and roll out again to 30 to 35 inches. Make its last book fold (that will be its fourth).
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured table to about 1 inch thick and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Cut out 4-inch circles of dough, then use a 2-inch round cutter to cut the centers out so they look like doughnuts.
• Place the round doughnuts evenly on lightly-floured dry dishcloths or baker's linen separated by 1 inch each, and cover with dry dishcloths or baker's linen.
• Let sit at room temperature, or even better, a warm part of your kitchen, until almost doubled, about 2 hours.
• Heat a few inches canola oil or shortening in a large Dutch oven to 400 degrees F using a thermometer to be very accurate, and carefully add the doughnuts. Let cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and fry 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and roll right away in cinnamon sugar and leave on a wire rack to cool.
• For the filling: Place raspberry jam in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream until well combined.
• Flip the O-Towners upside down. Using a paring knife, poke 3 holes in a donut, twisting the knife at each incision and then pulling out: one at 2 o'clock, one at 6 o'clock, and one at 10 o'clock.
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip halfway with Pistachio Pastry Cream, then carefully insert the tip into the 3 holes you made and carefully fill the doughnuts.
• Use you fingers to clean any cream that spills out anywhere.
• Flip the doughnut right-side up again. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip halfway with raspberry filling.
• Pipe a perfect circle on top of the doughnut and garnish with a fresh raspberry and any other garnish you want.
• Remember, the simpler it looks, the better.
• Place the milk, pistachio paste and scraped vanilla seeds in a pot and bring to a simmer, whisking to incorporate the ingredients.
• Mix together the cornstarch and sugar in a bowl, then add the eggs and whisk until smooth.
• Pour in a quarter of the hot milk mixture, and whisk to combine. Take the pot off the heat and while whisking, quickly scrape all the egg mixture into the pot. Turn the heat back on to medium-high and cook, whisking constantly, to bring to a boil. Take off heat and add the butter, whisking in until smooth. (See Cook's Note.)
• Take a tray and line it with plastic wrap, then scrape all the pastry cream onto the tray. Cover the hot cream with more plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Place the pastry cream in a stand mixer and whip up using a paddle until smooth.
• Fold in the whipped cream with a rubber spatula. The mixture should be smooth and perfectly thick, like a pudding.