Desserts

Berliner: Germany’s Jam-Filled, Powdered Sugar Dream

3 min

Soften your butter before you start, because it has to disappear into the dough during the knead rather than sit on top of it. This is an enriched yeast dough with three eggs and a long knead, so plan for soft, slightly tacky dough that firms up as it rises. The fry is quick, two to three minutes a side at 350F, and the jam goes in after they cool, injected through a small tip so the crumb stays whole. A Berliner is named for the city, though Berliners themselves tend to just call it a Pfannkuchen.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

In Germany the story attached to these is the Silvester, or New Year's Eve, prank: a few in the batch get filled with mustard instead of jam, and whoever bites into one is in for a bad year. They also turn up heavily around Karneval. The famous bit of trivia is that John F. Kennedy's 1963 "Ich bin ein Berliner" line supposedly meant he called himself a jelly doughnut, which is a fun legend but mostly a myth, since Berliners understood exactly what he meant.

American doughnuts have holes. Berliners do not. That hole is filled with jam.

Fluffy, yeast-risen dough. Fried until golden. Injected with raspberry or apricot jam. Rolled in powdered sugar. One bite. You’re in Berlin. No plane ticket required.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1 1

Make the Dough

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy.

Add sugar, salt, 1 cup flour, eggs, and warm water. Mix.

Gradually add remaining flour and softened butter. Knead 8-10 minutes until smooth.

Cover. Let rise 1 hour until doubled.

2 2

Shape and Rise Again

Punch down dough. Roll to ½-inch thickness. Cut circles with a 3-inch cutter.

Place on floured baking sheet. Cover. Let rise 30 minutes.

3 3

Fry

Heat oil to 350°F (175°C).

Fry doughnuts in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels. Cool slightly.

4 4

Fill and Coat

Fill a piping bag with jam. Use a small tip to inject jam into each Berliner.

Roll in powdered sugar until fully coated.

5 5

Serve

Serve same day. They’re best fresh. Eat immediately. No sharing required.

Summary

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Rise Time: 1.5 hours | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: ~2.5 hours

Yield: 12-15 Berliner

Difficulty: Medium

Storage Notes

Best Fresh: Berliners are best eaten the day they’re made. Day-old is still good, but not the same.

Freezer Friendly: Freeze unfilled, uncoated doughnuts for 1 month. Reheat in oven, then fill and coat.

Pro Tip

No piping tip? Poke a hole with a chopstick and use a squeeze bottle.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

30 minutes

Cook

15 minutes

Total

~2.5 hours

Yield

12-15 Berliner

Ingredients

Makes 12-15 Berliner.

2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
¼ cup warm milk (110°F)
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
3½ cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
½ cup warm water
Oil for frying (vegetable or canola)
1 cup raspberry or apricot jam
1 cup powdered sugar (for coating)

Instructions

1
Make the Dough. Make the Dough. Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Add sugar, salt, 1 cup flour, eggs, and warm water. Mix. Gradually add remaining flour and softened butter. Knead 8-10 minutes until smooth. Cover. Let rise 1 hour until doubled. 2 2
2
Shape and Rise Again. Shape and Rise Again. Punch down dough. Roll to ½-inch thickness. Cut circles with a 3-inch cutter. Place on floured baking sheet. Cover. Let rise 30 minutes. 3 3
3
Fry. Fry. Heat oil to 350°F (175°C). Fry doughnuts in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Cool slightly. 4 4
4
Fill and Coat. Fill and Coat. Fill a piping bag with jam. Use a small tip to inject jam into each Berliner. Roll in powdered sugar until fully coated. 5 5
5
Serve. Serve. Serve same day. They’re best fresh. Eat immediately. No sharing required

Swaps & Substitutions

Active dry yeast → instant yeast works one to one; skip the milk-proofing step and mix it straight into the flour.
Unsalted butter → if you only have salted, cut the added salt from 1/2 tsp to about 1/4 tsp.
Whole milk → any dairy or oat milk warmed to 110F is fine; the milk is mostly there to wake the yeast.
Raspberry or apricot jam → plum butter, lemon curd, or a thick custard all pipe well; loose jam runs out, so chill it firm first.
Powdered sugar coating → roll in granulated or cinnamon sugar while still warm instead, which sticks better than powdered sugar on a cooled doughnut.
All-purpose flour → bread flour gives a chewier bite; a gluten-free blend will not hold this enriched dough and is not worth attempting here.

Questions & Answers

Why did mine come out greasy?

The oil was probably below 350F, so the dough sat and soaked instead of frying. Use a thermometer and let the oil recover between batches.

Why is there a pale ring around the middle?

That white band is normal and actually a good sign. It means the doughnut floated high in the oil with the dough above the surface puffing up, which is exactly what you want from a well-proofed Berliner.

Can I make these ahead?

Fried, filled Berliner are best the same day and go stale fast. For a head start, freeze them unfilled and uncoated for up to a month, then thaw and fill the day you serve them.

How do I know when to flip?

Fry two to three minutes until the underside is deep golden, then flip once. Flipping repeatedly knocks out the puff and makes them greasy.

My dough barely rose. What happened?

Usually dead yeast or milk that was too hot. The milk should be around 110F, warm to the touch but not hot, and the yeast should foam within five minutes before you build the dough.

Berliner: Germany’s Jam-Filled, Powdered Sugar Dream