Jam doughnuts

Makes 10-12

Strawberry and rhubarb jam

– 500g ripe strawberries

– 500g rhubarb stalks, ends trimmed – 1 lemon, juiced

– 1kg sugar

Hull the strawberries and cut in half if large. Wash and cut the trimmed rhubarb into one-centimetre pieces. Place the strawberries and the rhubarb in a wide-mouthed pot with the lemon juice.

Heat gently until the fruit is loosened and comes to the boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook until the jam reaches 104ºC or setting point. This can be checked by placing a small amount on a chilled saucer, letting it cool for a moment and then running a finger through to see if it “puckers”.

Pour the jam into sterilised jars.

Doughnuts

– 10g instant yeast

– 40g castor sugar

– 250ml full cream milk, warmed to blood temperature – 500g plain flour

– 7g fine sea salt

– 2 large eggs

– 60g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

– extra white sugar for rolling

Place the yeast and sugar in a bowl and add the milk. Stir and leave to rest for five minutes.

Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the eggs to the milk mix and then mix this into the flour. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle. Once combined start adding the butter little by little. Once it is all added, give the mixture a really good knead. Place the ball of dough in a clean bowl, cover, and leave in a warm spot to prove until doubled in size (about an hour).

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently fold it onto itself. Form into a sausage and cut into pieces about 60 grams each. Roll the pieces into balls and place on a greased tray. When all the dough is rolled, cover the tray with a floured tea towel and allow to prove until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).

While the dough is proving, preheat a deep-fryer to 180ºC. When the doughnuts have risen fry batches for four minutes, turn and fry for a further three minutes. Remove and drain. Roll in white sugar, then break into each doughnut and spoon in some jam.

(If you don’t want fried doughnuts, the balls of the dough can be baked in an oven preheated to 200ºC for 10-15 minutes and treated as cream buns at the end.)