DOUGHNUTS

We have started up our own little vigilante group, determined not to surrender to the world-wide ‘cronut’ craze. We’ve been making doughnuts from day one, but struggled to sell them with the usual jam filling. We tried a good many flavours, scouring the internet and discovering amazing doughnut houses, such as Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon. Finally we came up with a lemon meringue doughnut, filled with lemon curd and paying homage to those American cream-filled cakes, Twinkies.

MAKES 8–10

60 g (2¼ oz) fresh yeast, or 30 g (1 oz) active dried yeast

2 eggs

200 ml (7 fl oz) milk

65 g (2¼ oz) butter

65 g (2¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar, plus extra for rolling

15 g (½ oz) sea salt

520 g (1 lb 2½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

your choice of filling, such as lemon curd, or a berry jam

Place the yeast, eggs, milk, butter, sugar, salt and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until you have a smooth silky dough.

Cover and set aside to prove in a warm place for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into portions of about 100 g (3½ oz) each. Mould into bun shapes and set aside on a greased baking tray. Leave to prove for another 20 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan half full with vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 165ºC (330ºF).

Add the doughnuts in two batches and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until dark golden.

Once cool, roll the doughnuts in extra sugar and fill with your choice of filling. Do this by making a small hole in the side of each one with the handle of a wooden spoon, then squeezing in some filling using a piping (icing) bag.

The doughnuts are best enjoyed same day.