ORANGE BLOSSOM DOUGHNUTS

Makes 12 doughnuts

The Bread Ahead Bakery doughnuts at the Market are iconic, legendary and incomparable. They are also pretty big. Eating one is a challenge I can’t say I haven’t succeeded at, but sometimes the kind of doughnut I want to make and eat is something a little smaller. So these fluffy rounds of doughnut are only a little bigger than bitesized, with a hint of orange blossom worked into the dough. They are ideal for dipping. That’s where having a jar of Porteña dulce de leche in the cupboard pays dividends. Or I might make some rich chocolate sauce as in the recipe below. Go wherever your doughnut inclinations take you.

Ingredients

20g unsalted butter, at room temperature

75ml whole milk

210g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

7g sachet of fast-action yeast

½ tsp fine salt

25g caster sugar, plus 3 tbsp extra for finishing

1 egg

1½ tbsp orange blossom water

1 litre sunflower oil or other deep-frying oil

Dulce de leche, for dipping

Method

Cut the butter into small pieces into a small bowl. Gently warm the milk in a small saucepan until almost boiling (about 80C), then pour it over the butter to melt it. Set aside.

Put the flour, yeast, salt and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg and add that too, along with the orange blossom water. Add the slightly cooled butter and milk mixture and start to bring it all into a dough with your hands. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 mins, or until smooth and springy. Shape the dough into a large ball, put it in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour to double in size.

Shape the risen dough into 12 equal balls, about 30g each. Sit them on a lightly floured tray somewhere warm for 30 mins to rise a little more.

Spoon the extra caster sugar into a shallow bowl. Pour the oil into a large deep saucepan –the oil should come about a third of the way up the pan. Heat to 160C, then use a slotted spoon to slide the dough balls into the hot oil. Don’t crowd the pan – just fry three or four at a time.

Fry them for 2-3 mins until the undersides become golden brown, then flip over with a spoon or fork and fry for another few minutes. Lift out with the slotted spoon, drain briefly on kitchen paper, then roll in the caster sugar.

Serve your doughnuts with the dulce de leche or a dipping sauce of your choosing.

Recipe from Borough Market: The Knowledge by Angela Clutton (Hodder & Stoughton)

Butter Hook & Son

Orange blossom water

Arabica

Dulce de leche

Porteña