Doughnuts! Warm, sugary, chocolatey, filthy, filthy doughnuts... What’s not to like?
The success of places like the recently opened Aungier Danger proves that we just can’t get enough of these little doughy fellas.
For me, the only thing better than popping into a shop to get my hands on my daily calorie intake in one sitting is doing exactly that at home! Plus that way I get to make as many as I want, and nobody’s around to judge me as I tuck in to number 4...
Put all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix.
Add the wet ingredients (save 20ml of the water) and mix thoroughly with your hands. Gradually add the remaining water until a sticky dough is formed. If you have one, you can use an electric stand mixer with the dough hook attached.
Tip the dough onto a very lightly floured surface (using too much flour here can mess the dough up so be careful!).
Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and less sticky (about 5-10 mins). You’ll have to coat your hands in flour here and ignore the horrendous mess you’ll inevitably make!
Coat a clean bowl with oil, throw in the dough and cover with a tea towel.
Leave it to rise for an hour - it should double in size during that time.
Tip the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and roll out so it’s 2cm thick.
Use a 7cm cookie cutter to make round shapes and carefully place them on a floured baking tray. Cover loosely with clingfilm and leave for 30-40 minutes to prove. The dough should look light and airy.
Fill a heavy saucepan with the sunflower oil, leaving 2 inches at the top and heat to 180°C. Very carefully, drop the doughnuts one-by-one into the oil and fry for about 2 mins each side. Use a wooden spoon to flip them.
Once cooked, put the doughnuts on a wire rack to cool. If you’re coating with sugar, do it when the oil is still warm to make sure it sticks.
When you’ve cooked all the doughnuts you can make any toppings you like and dip them in.
My own personal favourites are pistachio, chocolate and poppy seeds. Incredible!
Read next: 13 Signs You're Actually A Child Trapped In A Human Body.
