Doughnuts

Taken from: Feed your family for about £20 a week

Go nuts for doughnuts!!! We bloody adore these bad boys!! It's a bit of effort, but seriously worth it! Really, you knead (see what I did there?) these in your life!

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• 40g/1½oz unsalted butter
• 2 free-range eggs
• 2 x 7g sachets instant yeast
• 10g/¼oz salt
• 150ml/5fl oz warm milk
• 130ml/4½fl oz water

Method

• For the dough, place all ingredients into a large bowl holding back a quarter of the water.
• Stir with your hands until a dough is formed.
• Slowly add the remaining water and knead the dough in the bowl for four minutes. (Alternatively, you could mix with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook).
• Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for an hour.
• Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface, and knock it back by kneading it a few times.
• Divide the dough into 20 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball.
• Place all balls onto a floured baking tray and allow to rise for an hour.
• Preheat a deep fat fryer, filled with sunflower oil, to 180C/350F.
• Lower each doughnut into the fryer, cooking each side for about five minutes or until golden brown. Remove the doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon and immediately roll in caster sugar so that the hot fat makes the sugar stick to the sides.
• Set aside and leave to cool.
• When completely cool, using a small, sharp, knife make a cut into the side of the doughnut, reaching to the centre.
• Spoon some smooth or sieved strawberry jam into a piping bag, or piping syringe.
• Pipe, or syringe, the jam generously inside. You could use custard, chocolate or apple sauce! Make your own! Sometimes, I don't even fill em!

Sugar Doughnuts