Rachel Khoo: Cinnamon-dusted doughnut bites

I can’t even glance at Instagram these days without being confronted with doughnut porn. It’s not that I mind seeing pictures of delicious custards and jams oozing out of soft, puffy, sugar-dusted doughnuts (yes I’m talking to you, Crosstown doughnuts), it just makes me want one. So I am embracing the problem with this mini version — no oozing creams or custards, just a good dusting of cinnamon-spiced sugar.

Cinnamon-dusted doughnut bites

Makes 24

Deep fat fryer or thermometer

240g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

25g sugar

5g salt

7g instant dried yeast

70ml warm milk

2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

125g butter, softened and cubed

2l sunflower oil, for deep frying

100g caster sugar

3 tbsp cinnamon

Place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on a slow speed, then add the milk. Follow with the eggs and continue to mix on a slow speed for 2 minutes. Switch to a medium speed for a further 6-8 minutes. The dough will become soft, smooth and elastic. Add the butter cube by cube and mix until it is thoroughly combined (about another 5 minutes). Tip the dough into a bowl, cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise for 1-2 hours or until double in size.

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface, knock back, divide into 24 equal parts and roll each into a tight ball. Place on a tray dusted with flour and cover with oiled cling film. Leave for 1-2 hours or until double in size.

Fill a deep fat fryer or heavy-based saucepan with oil and heat to 180C. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together on a plate. When the oil is hot, use a spatula to slide (don’t drop) batches of 4-6 doughnuts into the oil (be careful; hot oil is very dangerous). Fry for 3-4 minutes, moving them around to brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on a paper towel before tossing in the sugar and cinnamon.