(you can prepare it the day before)

In a saucepan, heat the milk with a little sugar (taken from the total amount) over medium heat with the vanilla pod split in half and scraped (if using a pod) or vanilla sugar.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until the mixture becomes slightly pale.

Add the cornstarch and sifted flour. Mix to obtain a smooth batter without whisking too much.

When the milk is hot (without boiling ), gradually pour it over the egg mixture, stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking.

If you used a vanilla pod, remove it.

Pour the mixture into the saucepan and put it back on the heat. Thicken over low heat while continuing to stir constantly with a whisk.

The cream will thicken gradually. Remove from heat when bubbles start to burst on the surface.

Off the heat, add the butter and whisk well until it is completely melted.

Spread the pastry cream in a fairly wide dish, cover with plastic wrap, and press the wrap onto the surface to prevent a crust from forming.

Place it in the refrigerator to cool.

In the bowl of the stand mixer (like a KitchenAid), pour the salt then the sifted flour on top to prevent the salt from coming into contact with the yeast.  Add the sugar, crumbled baker's yeast, egg yolks and whole egg, and 3/4 of the milk.

Knead at speed 1 for 5 minutes while adding the rest of the milk to obtain a homogeneous dough. You may need to add more or less than 170 ml ( 6 oz )depending on the absorption of the flour. The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl and form a soft ball.

Add the butter in 3 parts while continuing to knead for an additional 5 minutes at speed 1. If the butter has difficulty incorporating into the dough, scrape the sides of the bowl and give 2 to 3 strokes with a dough cutter or your hand.

Continue kneading for another 5 minutes at speed 2 until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and wraps around the hook.

Turn it out onto the work surface and work it for 2 minutes to smooth it further. Form a smooth ball.

Place the ball of dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Cover with a clean cloth and possibly a blanket in cold weather.

Let it rise in a warm place away from drafts until it doubles in volume. This can take 1.5 to 2 hours or more depending on the ambient temperature.

After this proofing time, deflate the dough by pressing on it with your hand to release the trapped air.

Turn it out onto the work surface and knead it briefly to form a long dough log.

Cut pieces of 60 g / 2 oz each with a dough cutter. You will get 15 balls.

Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place them on a small square of parchment paper or a lightly floured kitchen towel on top of a baking sheet.

I recommend the small squares of paper which are very convenient for moving the doughnuts without deforming them.

As you go, flatten the balls a first time with the palm of your hand or using the bottom of a tartlet mold. Before flattening, place a square of parchment paper on top to prevent the dough from sticking to your hand or the mold.

Wait 1 minute for the dough to relax as it tends to retract (a sign of good kneading that has activated the gluten) and flatten again to obtain discs of about 6 cm / 2.4 inches.

Cover with a clean cloth and let rise until they double in volume. This usually takes about 30 minutes from the last ball formed and flattened.

Remove the pieces of paper as soon as they detach (15 seconds).

Cook slowly for about 2 minutes, until the bottom side has taken on a nice golden color, then turn them over.

Let the doughnut float and do not press it down to submerge it in the oil, otherwise you won't get the white line surrounding the Berliner.

Brown the other side for 2 minutes and remove the balls using a skimmer or kitchen spider.

Place on a tray covered with paper towels and continue frying the rest of the doughnuts.

Roll in granulated sugar as you go while the doughnuts are still hot. The sugar will adhere better. If you plan to cut the doughnuts in half to generously fill them with pastry cream, you can skip this step.

Place on a tray and let them cool down or cool completely before filling.

Whisk the pastry cream well to smooth it out and put it in a piping bag with a special filling tip.

Make a small cut with a knife on the white band of the doughnut and fill with pastry cream or other filling of your choice, jam or spread.

You can also cut each Berliner in half and fill with pastry cream. In this case, use a fluted nozzle for a nice finish. Close the balls and generously dust with powdered sugar.

Arrange them on a serving platter and serve to enjoy.