Baked Jam Doughnuts

 

Doughnuts are something I associate with the fairground from my childhood, the smell of them brings back memories of the Big Dipper rides, the Haunted House and the Dodgem Cars. They were a treat that we savoured, it was a special occasion to be bought food while out on a day trip, we normally had our picnic lunch all packed to sustain the whole day. Moving into my teenage years I worked weekends in a hotel near to the fairground and we used to go their in between ‘shifts’ and buy a big bag of doughnuts for lunch, I think once I had my own money I went potty for all the food I wanted to buy as a little girl! Then I started to cook my own while still living at my parents house, then I moved into my own house and realised I didn’t want the lingering smell of fat in MY house so doughnuts became a neglected friend of the past. Then I stumbled on this recipe in The Gourmet Traveller for baked doughnuts last week, I was a bit dubious about it at first, how could they possibly compare to my memories? As the first batch was cooking they smelt just how they were suppose minus the cooking fat of course. Dipped in sugar and cinnamon while hot I had to use all my will power to wait a few minutes so I didn’t burn my mouth while eating them. The verdict? Perfect yeasty, sugary, fluffy doughnuts and I now have old friends back in my life, maybe not every weekend, after all I wouldn’t sell them to you as a healthy treat but they have got to be better than deep fried with the added bonus of no fat frying smells!

Ingredients

750g plain flour
140g castor sugar
7g yeast (1 sachet)
330ml luke warm milk
2 free range eggs
150g butter, melted
1/2 cup strawberry jam for filling
1 cup of castor sugar for coating doughnuts
100g butter, melted for coating doughnuts
2 tsp cinnamon

Method

Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl.
Add the yeast to the milk and put aside for a few minutes until it starts to ferment. Then whisk the yeasty milk together with the eggs and melted butter. Add to the flour mix and combine into a dough ball.
Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes then lightly oil the dough and place it back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to prove for 1-1.5 hours or until more than double in size.
Preheat oven to 190C. Lightly flour 2 baking trays.
Knock the air out of the dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 or 16 depending on whether you want regular or smaller doughnuts.
Roll into balls, trying to keep a smooth top and sides and only a seem underneath. Take the underside (less smooth side) and press your thumb into the dough and work it into a ‘well’ to fill with jam. Make sure there is enough dough to bring up over the jam without it squeezing out. This takes a bit of practice.
Place a teaspoon of jam in the well and bring the dough over the jam and pinch it together. Place seam side down on prepared baking tray.
Give the doughnuts plenty space to double in size without touching each other.
Cover with glad wrap and stand in a warm place until they have risen double in size.
Bake for 10 minutes until golden.
Melt the extra butter in a bowl and mix the extra sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.
Once the doughnuts come out of the oven dip them while hot in the melted butter, then dip them into the cinnamon sugar and serve hot.