Beer doughnuts

Beer doughnuts rise beautifully, are light and fluffy, and do not absorb fat :). You cannot taste the beer, although the raw dough smells strongly of it, as does the dough during frying. Doughnuts made with the addition of beer (any type of beer can be used, including wheat beer; apple cider can also be used instead of beer) can be prepared in the traditional round shape with your favourite filling. Mine are made as doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar. For me, Carnival season has officially begun!

Makes 20 doughnuts.

Ingredients for the yeast dough:

• 550 g strong white bread flour+ extra for dusting
• 14 g dried yeast or 30 g fresh yeast
• 200 ml beer, at room temperature
• 50 ml double cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 70 g caster sugar
• a large pinch of salt
• 80 g butter, melted and cooled

For frying:

• rapeseed oil, lard or coconut oil, about 1.5 litres

Sift the flour and mix with the dried yeast; if using fresh yeast, first prepare a starter (yes, in this case using beer!). Add the remaining dough ingredients and knead, adding the melted fat towards the end. Knead for several minutes until the dough is smooth and soft (trying not to add extra flour, even though the dough will be slightly sticky; I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a bread machine). Place the kneaded dough into a lightly floured bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1½ hours).

After this time, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Roll out to a thickness of about 1 cm, lightly dusting with flour, and use two glasses, one larger and one smaller (for example, a shot glass), to cut out the doughnuts. Knead the remaining dough again, roll it out and cut out more shapes. Cover the doughnuts and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 30–40 minutes depending on the room temperature; the doughnuts should be well risen but not overproofed).

Once risen, fry the beer doughnuts in oil heated to 175ºC for approximately 2–3 minutes on each side. Immediately coat the hot doughnuts in cinnamon sugar and place them on a tray lined with kitchen paper.

Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar coating:

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Mix together on a plate.

Note: if you decide to make the doughnuts in the traditional round shape, do not roll out the dough; instead, shape the dough into balls by hand!

Enjoy!