Recipe of the week: doughnuts
Our doughnuts have a twist, say Al and Kitty Tait, of the Orange Bakery in Watlington, Oxfordshire. We wrap the dough around a chunk of chocolate, giving it a gorgeous gooey centre. There’s a whole world of possibility – Terry’s Chocolate Orange, the entire cast of Celebrations, Snickers Bites. The choice is yours.
Makes 25 doughnuts
500g strong white bread flour 80g caster sugar, plus extra for coating 7g instant dried yeast (2 tsp or a whole sachet) 10g fine sea salt zest of one lemon or orange (optional) 4 eggs 150ml water 125g soft unsalted butter chunk of your favourite chocolate bar (optional) vegetable or sunflower oil for deep frying
• In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and citrus zest, if using. Crack in the eggs and pour in the water. Give everything a good mix and then knead for 4mins until you have no visible patches of dry flour left. This is a very wet dough, so an electric stand mixer is the best option.
• Gradually incorporate the butter (a small chunk at a time) until your dough is smooth and elastic. Place a cover over the top and leave for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size. Knock back the dough and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. This dough really needs to be chilled before you handle it.
• Take your dough from the fridge and cut it into 30-40g pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. If you want to add a hidden chocolate filling, simply roll the ball of dough around your chosen treat. Place the balls on a floured baking tray with plenty of room between them so they can prove without merging. Cover loosely with cling film and leave in a warm, cosy place to prove for 2-3 hours.
• Fill a heavy-bottomed pan or deep-fat fryer halfway with vegetable or sunflower oil. Heat the oil to 180°C. Working in batches, deep fry the doughnuts until well browned (about 1 or 2 mins) and then flip them over with a fork to cook on the other side. Drain well on kitchen paper and roll in a bowl of caster sugar until well coated. If you want to go really fancy, you can flavour the sugar with some cinnamon or ginger.
Taken from Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives by AlTait and KittyTait, published by Bloomsbury at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.