Doughnuts don’t just have to be reserved for the kids. Bake Off chef/judge/presenter and Hand & Flowers chef-owner Tom Kerridge has provided us with a delicious grown up doughnut recipe, perfect for weekend baking—these doughy delights with chocolate sauce and lavender sugar will have you reaching back for more!
Makes 16 doughnuts
260g strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for dusting
70ml whole milk
70ml water
20g caster sugar
20g butter, melted
20g fresh yeast, crumbled
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
Groundnut, vegetable, grapeseed or other flavourless oil, for frying
For the lavender sugar
20g dried organic lavender flowers, plus a few more for decorating
200g caster sugar
For the chocolate sauce
225g dark chocolate, about 70 per cent cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
25g butter
150ml milk
40g caster sugar
Rose water, to taste – about 1 teaspoon
150ml double cream
- Put all of the dough ingredients in a stand mixer with the beater attachment and mix until combined. Continue to knead in the mixer until it’s smooth and elastic—about 5–10 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to prove in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, remove the dough from the bowl and, on a lightly floured surface, knock it back and knead the dough for a few more minutes.
- Line two baking trays with floured 5cm squares of baking parchment. Divide the dough into 30g balls—they should be about the size of large walnuts.
- Place each ball on a separate piece of parchment, leaving space between them. Dust a little more flour over the doughnuts and leave them to prove until they almost double in size—about 40 minutes.
- Make the lavender sugar. Blitz the lavender in a spice grinder, small food processor or clean coffee mill until it’s a fine powder then mix with the caster sugar. Pour the sugar out on to a plate.
- Preheat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 175°C. You may need to cook the doughnuts in batches as it’s important you don’t crowd the pan. Make sure the oil comes back up to temperature between each batch.
- Carefully lift the doughnuts off their papers on to a slotted spoon and lower them into the hot oil. Cook on each side for about four minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oil with the spoon and immediately roll them in the lavender sugar, shaking off the excess. Place on kitchen paper to drain and cool.
- Make the chocolate sauce. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water to melt—the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
- Pour the milk and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour on top of the melted chocolate and butter and mix together until smooth. Add the rose water and cool.
- In a separate bowl, lightly whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and gently fold this into the chocolate mixture with a spatula.
- Chill for an hour or two until it thickens to piping consistency. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle with the mixture. Push the nozzle into the side of each doughnut and fill until almost bursting with the chocolate mixture.
- Serve with a few more of the lavender flowers scattered over the top.
