Earl Grey bomboloni with lemon curd

MAKES 25 PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR (+ REFRIGERATION & STANDING TIME)

These little Italian doughnuts are a great start if you are new to making doughnuts. Lemon curd isn’t hard to make either; however there’s a fine line between getting it thick enough to coat the spoon generously, and not allowing it to boil.

80g unsalted butter

1 cup (250ml) milk

3 teaspoons (10g) dried yeast

¼ cup (55g) caster sugar

2 Earl Grey tea bags

3 cups (450g) plain flour

½ teaspoon table salt

2 egg yolks vegetable oil, for deep-frying

1 cup (220g) caster sugar, extra LEMON CURD

¾ cup (165g) caster sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind ½ cup (125ml) lemon juice

4 eggs, beaten lightly

150g cold unsalted butter, chopped

1 LEMON CURD Combine sugar, rind, juice and eggs in a medium heatproof bowl; place over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens and thickly coats the back of a spoon. Gradually add butter, stirring until smooth after each addition. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap; cool. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until cold.

2 Stir butter and milk in a small saucepan over high heat until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.

3 Meanwhile, place yeast, 1 teaspoon of the sugar and ¼ cup (60ml) lukewarm water in a small bowl; cover and set aside in a warm place until frothy.

4 Remove tea from bags; process tea with flour and remaining sugar until finely ground. Place mixture into the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast mixture, salt and egg yolks; mix for 5 minutes or until it forms a soft sticky dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. 5 Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok to 150°C or until bubbles form around the handle of a wooden spoon when placed in the oil.

6 Meanwhile, turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll dough until 2cm thick. Cut out rounds using a floured 4cm cutter. Re-roll scraps and repeat. Deep-fry rounds, about six at a time, for 1½ minutes each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towel. Toss bomboloni immediately in extra sugar.

7 Cut a small slit in each bomboloni. Spoon curd into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm plain tube; pipe into the centre of each bomboloni. Serve bomboloni warm or at room temperature. Not suitable to freeze.