food

Doughnut Wreath

The doughnut centrepiece you've been waiting for

food

Doughnut Wreath

The doughnut centrepiece you've been waiting for

Supplies

  • For the Doughnuts:
  • 250g strong white flour, plus extra for flouring
  • 25g caster sugar
  • 20g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 free-range egg
  • 7g instant yeast
  • 5g salt
  • 75ml warm milk
  • Sunflower oil, for deep fat frying
  • For the icing:
  • 200g icing sugar
  • Up to 25ml cold water
  • 1 lemon, zest only
  • Red food colouring, green food colouring
  • Freeze dried strawberries, Christmas sprinkles & glitter spray to decorate
  • Jam
  • Redcurrants
  • Icing sugar

Steps

  1. Place all the doughnut ingredients into a large bowl (except the sunflower oil) with three tablespoons of water. Stir with your hands to make a dough.
  2. Gradually add another another tablespoon of water and massage in the bowl for four minutes. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  3. Place into a bowl and leave to rise for 40 minutes, covered with cling film. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half.
  4. To make doughnut rings (with 1 half of the dough): with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough quite thinly to about 1cm/½in thick. Cut into rounds using an 8cm/3¼in straight sided round cutter, then use a 2cm/¾in cutter to cut holes out of the middle.
  5. Spin each doughnut on your index finger to expand the hole. You should be able to cut out about eight doughnuts from this dough. Place all circles onto an oiled baking tray, loosely cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180C. Drop each doughnut in separately, cooking each side for about 2 - 3 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil. Leave to cool.
  7. To ice, make up the icing and split into three. Colour one bowl with red food colouring, one bowl with green and leave the final bowl white. Drizzle the icing over the ring doughnuts and sprinkle over toppings of your choice.
  8. To make doughnut balls (with the remaining half of the dough): divide into 12 balls and place in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until they have doubled in size. Preheat a deep fat fryer, filled with sunflower oil to 180C.
  9. Drop each doughnut in separately, cooking each side for about a minute or until golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil.
  10. Roll the hot doughnuts in caster sugar. Make a small slit in the doughnut with the tip of a knife, and fill with a teaspoon of strawberry jam. Leave to cool.
  11. Arrange the doughnuts in a wreath shape on a large circular platter, alternating ring doughnuts with doughnut balls. You can add fruit and sprinkle icing sugar to decorate.