Benjamina Ebuehi's recipe for strawberry and custard doughnuts
Prep 15 min
Prove 1 hr 45 min+
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Makes 9
For the custard
4 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
25g cornflour
400ml milk½ tsp vanilla bean paste
100ml double cream
For the strawberry jam250g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped100g caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the dough360g bread flour, plus extra for dusting
7g dried instant yeast
55g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
½ tsp salt
100ml milk1 large egg
40g unsalted butter, softened1 litre vegetable or sunflower oil
Make the custard by beating the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until smooth. Put the milk and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat gently until steaming. Pour a big splash of the hot milk mix on to the eggs, whisk well, then whisk in the remaining milk. Pour back into the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, over a medium heat, until thick and bubbling. Pour the custard into a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm so it touches the surface, and leave to cool completely before chilling in the fridge.
To make the strawberry jam, put the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for seven to nine minutes, until softened and jammy, using the back of a spoon to mash any large pieces of fruit. Set aside to cool, then spoon into a piping bag.
To make the dough, put the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre, pour in the milk, water, egg and softened butter, and knead on low speed for six to seven minutesrest uncovered in the bowl for five minutes.
Knead again for five minutes, until the dough is smooth and supple and isn't sticking to the sides of the bowl, then transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover and prove in a warm place for one or two hours, until nearly doubled in size.
Knock out the air, turn out the dough on to a well-floured surface and roll the dough into a rectangle about 1¼cm thick. (If it keeps springing back, let it rest for a few minutes before rolling again.) Use a round cutter to stamp out nine doughnuts, re-rolling the dough if needed.
Put each doughnut on a small square of greaseproof paper, cover with a damp tea towel and prove for 30-40 minutes, or until puffy.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan until it reaches 175C. Fry two or three doughnuts at a time (no need to peel off the greaseproof paper; it will float in the oil so you can pick it out) for a minute and a half to two minutes per side, until deeply golden. Transfer the cooked doughnuts to a plate lined with kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining dough.
Once they're cool enough to handle, put some caster sugar on a shallow plate and roll each doughnut around until covered. Remove the custard from the fridge and whisk well to remove any lumps. Lightly whip the double cream to soft peaks, then fold into the custard; transfer to a piping bag.
Using a skewer, make a hole in the top of each doughnut and fill with custard and jam. Serve immediately.
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