Recipe of the week: Donuts by Al and Kitty Tait

Our donuts have a twist, say Al and Kitty Tait from Orange Bakery in Watlington, Oxfordshire. We wrap the dough around a piece of chocolate and give it a beautiful gooey center. There’s a whole world of possibilities – Terry’s Chocolate Orange, the entire cast of Celebrations, Snickers Bites. It’s your decision.

Makes 25 donuts

Ingredients:

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 80g icing sugar, plus extra for topping
• 7 g instant dry yeast (2 tsp or a whole packet)
• 10 g fine sea salt
• zest of a lemon or orange (optional)
• 4 eggs
• 150ml water
• 125g softened unsalted butter
• Piece of your favorite candy bar (optional)
• Vegetable or sunflower oil for frying

Method:

• In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and lemon zest, if using. Crack the eggs and pour in the water. Mix everything well and then knead for 4 minutes until there are no visible spots of dry flour. This is a very wet batter, so an electric stand mixer is the best option.
• Gradually add the butter (a little bit at a time) until your dough is smooth and elastic. Place a cover on top and let stand for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Knead the dough again and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. This dough really needs to be chilled before you handle it.
• Take your dough out of 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 sheet with plenty of space between them so they can rise without merging. Cover loosely with cling film and let rise in a warm, comfortable place for 2-3 hours.
• Fill a heavy-bottomed pan or deep fryer half full with vegetable or sunflower oil. Heat the oil to 180°C. Fry the donuts in batches until well browned (about 1 or 2 minutes), then flip with a fork to cook the other side. Drain well on kitchen paper and roll in a bowl with powdered sugar until well coated. If you like it particularly chic, you can flavor the sugar with a little cinnamon or ginger.

Taken by Bread song: How baking changed our lives by Al Tait and Kitty Tait, published by Bloomsbury for £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99 call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.