Berliner: The Classic German Donut Recipe

5 from 26 votes

Berliner: The Classic German Donut Recipe

Berliner, Krapfen, Kreppel, Pfannkuchen... there are way too many words to describe the perfection that a German donut is. Fluffy, deep-fried, powdered sugar drenched and usually filled with jam!

Find this in 'German Home Kitchen'!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Resting Time1 30

Total Time2 5

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee, Dessert, Kaffee

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Authentic German donut recipe, Easy filled German donut recipe, Easy German donut recipe, Fastnacht recipe, German Berliner recipe, German carnival recipe, German donut recipe, German Krapfen recipe, Jam filled German donut recipe, Krapfen recipe, Kreppel recipe, Pumpkin Berliner Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 322kcal

Author: Author: Sophie Sadler

Equipment

Ingredients

250 milliliters milk luke warm
500 grams all-purpose flour plus a little dusting for shaping the berliner
7 grams active-dry yeast 1 small pouch
4 egg yolks large US size, room temperature
80 grams granulated sugar
60 grams butter room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt a pinch
200 grams jam My favorite jam to use is raspberry because it does not need to be strained before filling the Berliner. Other jams work great too, but most will need to be strained. I also like using apple butter, plum butter or chocolate hazelnut spread for filling.
powdered sugar for dusting your Berliner after frying
1 liter frying oil Avocado oil is my preferred option because it's higher quality, but other high-heat oils will work too (examples are peanut oil and even vegetable oil).

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Combine the luke warm milk and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. It should be bubbly. If not, start over (your milk may have been too hot or too cold). In the bowl of a standmixer, combine all ingredients for the dough and knead for 10 minutes on the medium-low setting. Cover the bowl and allow to rest in a warm spot until doubled in size, about one hour.
250 milliliters milk, 500 grams all-purpose flour, 7 grams active-dry yeast, 4 egg yolks, 80 grams granulated sugar, 60 grams butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
Divide the dough up into equal pieces (best to use a kitchen scale), and using flour-dusted hands, shape each portion into a ball. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes (covered up by a clean linen towel).
Preheat frying oil (I prefer using avocado oil) to 160°C/320°F and bake in 3 batches, 4 Berliner each batch. You will want the donuts to be able to swim on the surface.
Fry them for about 2 ½ minutes on one side, then flip over to the other side using your strainer or slotted spoon and fry them until golden on the outside, 2 ½ more minutes. Your Berliner will fry for a total of 5 minutes. I always set a timer for this.
1 liter frying oil
Fill each Berliner with your favorite jam using a decorating bag and filling tip and dust with powdered sugar. I also LOVE filling them with plum butter! So lecker!
To fill, it's easiest to twist the bag pretty tightly, so that the bag is able to stand upright when holding it in your palm. You then jab the filling tip in from the side until you almost don't see it anymore, indicating you have found the center. Push the filling in, stop pushing when your Berliner is sufficiently filled, and remove the tip. I like holding the Berliner in one palm, and the filling in the other, so I can feel the amount of filling going into the Berliner. You can also place it on a scale and add about 15 to 20 grams of jam into each Berliner (just tare in between filling since each Berliner can vary in weight). I hope this is extra helpful for you when filling your Berliner!
200 grams jam, powdered sugar

Notes

Variations:

To make Chocolate Berliner, add 60 grams (2 ounces) melted chocolate into the dough when kneading together all ingredients. To make it extra chocolatey, also add 8 grams cocoa powder (1 Tablespoon) and 1 Tablespoons milk. After baking, fill with chocolate pudding. Dust in powdered sugar.

To make Cinnamon Plum Berliner, roll your donuts in cinnamon sugar after frying and fill your Berliner with plum butter or strained plum jam.

Make White Chocolate Cherry Berliner by kneading one piece of white chocolate into each Berliner. After baking, fill with strained cherry jam and dust with powdered sugar.

Nutrition