Honey doughnuts

Makes 15

200g clear honey 40g butter 190ml milk 250g strong flour 50g sugar pinch of salt 5g fast-action dried yeast vegetable oil, for greasing and frying icing sugar, to dust

Place the butter in a jug and melt in a microwave for 1 min, then mix in the milk. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the middle of the mixture. Add the yeast and pour in the milk and butter. With a fork, fold in the flour to cover the liquid, whisking it in at the same time. Stir in 1 tbsp of the honey. Stand for 10 mins. Oil a work surface and the hands, then knead the dough for 10 mins, keeping a small bowl of oil close to re-oil the hands if the dough becomes sticky. The dough will be gooey at first but by the end of the kneading time, it should be smooth and oily. Oil the bowl and put the dough back in. Tightly cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for up to 2 hrs or until the dough has doubled in size. Oil a deep-sided tray, then separate the dough into 14 balls by pinching away handful-sized pieces. Place the balls on the tray, spaced out from one another by 4cm. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 mins. Fill a large saucepan with oil to about two thirds of the way up and heat until the oil is 140°C. Try to keep the heat of the oil constant. Lower the dough balls into the oil with a slotted spoon or a chip fryer basket, in batches, for 1 min, turning halfway through, until golden. Allow to cool slightly, then fill a piping bag with the remaining honey. Take each doughnut and make a small hole with a skewer. Insert the nozzle of the piping bag into the hole and pipe each doughnut with approximately 15g honey. Dust with icing sugar and serve.