Provided you have a deep-fat fryer doughnuts are easy to make and an unbeatable sweet treat. This recipe is more of a classic French cinnamon baignet, but don’t be afraid of adapting it and filling the dough with your favourite jam or fruit puree.

Cinnamon doughnuts

Serves 4

250g bread flour

220g caster sugar

5g salt

60g butter, softened

10ml dark rum

100ml milk

2 egg yolks

1 egg

10g fresh yeast

10g ground cinnamon

Place the flour, 20g of the sugar, salt and butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix well with a dough hook. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl mix the rum, milk, egg yolks, egg and yeast. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and continue to mix until the dough is smooth, elastic and begins to come away from the side of the bowl.

Remove the dough from the mixer into a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for one to two hours.

After the dough has rested remove it from the fridge and cut it into 25g pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a baking sheet with silicon paper, leaving plenty of space in between each ball.

When all the dough is rolled place a sheet of clingfilm on top and leave the dough somewhere warm to prove until doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size, heat a deep-fat fryer to 170C. Carefully lower each doughnut into the oil and roll it around with a spoon to cook evenly. You may need to do this in batches. The doughnuts should take around five minutes to cook.

While the doughnuts are cooking take mix the remaining sugar with the cinnamon in a large bowl. Once the doughnuts are done carefully remove them from the oil on to a tray with kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.

Toss the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar then serve.