Doughnuts

Yeast Doughnuts

450g Strong flour
55g sugar
15g honey
6g salt
45g butter room temperature
20g milk
180g/ml water
14g instant yeast ( or 28g fresh yeast)
1 egg

With a dough hook fitted to a mixer, mix all ingredients to together at low speed, once the dough has started to come together, increase to medium speed and mix for 7 minutes.

Cover with cling (touching the surface of dough) and allow the dough to rest one hour

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and allow rest another 10 minutes before shaping

Shape as follows:

flatten out the dough

Fold in half

turn the dough around....

and fold in half again

now turn the dough so it is facing as pictured

fold in half

turn around

fold in half again

flip over so that seam side is down

cup the dough in you hand and turn clockwise while keeping light pressure on the dough

the dough will form a round

continue until you have formed  all the dough into balls

Allow the  balls to prove (rise) until almost  double in size, you can fill them with your filling of choice by making a hole with your finger in the dough and inserting a piping bag fitted with a nozzle and your filling or choice, or you can wait until they are baked and then fill - this latter method iseasier

when they have proved you can fill with filling of choice or you can fill after they have been cooked

Cooking Methods:

You can now either:

1. Deep Fry
2. Fry on both sides for about 1 minute per side and finish in a preheated oven set at 170C for about 20 minutes - when the doughnuts are out of the oven, pour over some stock syrup over the hot doughnuts for a beautiful sweet crisp skin.
3. Poach for minute or two in stock syrup then finish in the oven as above
4. Bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes at 170C and sprinkle with stock syrup when still hot and out of oven

Fill the doughnut with filling of choice then roll the doughnut in caster sugar or sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon (optional)

These doughnuts pictured are fried then finished in the oven

Finished doughnut, filled with pastry cream

Suggested fillings:

• Jam
• Pastry Cream
•  Dulce de leche
• Chocolate Ganache

Ring Doughnuts:
You can make ring doughnuts by:

1. Making into rounds as above, flattening slightly and cutting out a round from the centre-these pieces can cooked or added to a second batch of doughnut dough
2. Shaping into a long piece of dough and forming a circle
3.  Making into rounds and piercing the centre with a finger or wooden spoon handle and widdening the hole with these tools