Doughnuts.

I have so much to say about doughnuts. They’re deep fried, they’re sugary, obviously very bad for you, addictive, crave-inducing from a single whiff carried on a light seaside breeze, impossible to resist, but with the added jeopardy of knowing if you finish them all your stomach won’t let you forget. Just as at home on the streets of New York as on the Whitby seafront. The everyman of the cake world. Perfectly simple but with ubiquitous appeal. I love doughnuts. I want doughnuts. Now I can make doughnuts. Here’s the recipe. Surprise surprise, it’s another sourdough discard recipe - a strong contender for my favourite yet. (Don’t worry if you haven’t got any sourdough because there is a non-sourdough variation on there too.)

Deep frying is a contentious cooking method. Yes, that is an awful lot of oil in that pan, but is your love for doughnuts deeper? Ask yourself ‘what would Ron Swanson do?’ Frankly, sometimes only deep frying will do. Try baking falafel, or onion bhajis. Welcome to dry-town. Or do you fancy popping out for some Southern Microwaved Chicken (or suitable meat-free alternative)? Let’s move on.

One other sticking point I had with his recipe was the flour measurement. Please do excuse the pun, for this truly was a sticky dough. Cups just really don’t cut the mustard for measuring flour. Depending on whether you spoon or scoop or pour the flour into the measure, you will end up with a very different result. I tried not to overfill my cups and the result was somewhere between a batter and a wet dough, so I had to add quite a bit more while gently kneading the dough so that I could cut the shapes without issue. On that subject - cutter choice is another key point. In the end I opted for a crumpet ring and a plastic shot glass respectively to get my desired ratio between doughnut size and hole. Dipping them in flour before each cut also helped in aiding a clean edge, without having to add even more flour to the dough.

My final tip is in regard to oil temperature. Around 190 C is ideal. A thermometer helps enormously with this, as maintaining the right temperature makes the cooking process much easier and more consistent. Otherise, keep your pan on a medium heat and just react to how quickly the doughnuts brown. They want a good couple of minutes per side, to cook through well, don’t be afraid to let them get really nice and golden. And remember to throw your doughnut holes in there too. They’re perfect little mouthfuls and it doesn’t count as an extra doughnut.