Raspberry Jam Finger Doughnuts
Finger doughnuts are an absolute classic. They’re my go-to whenever I pop into a bakery. I can’t resist them! The fresh pillowy doughnut contrasted against sweet cream and tart homemade raspberry jam, makes for a perfect bite.
Ingredients - Makes 6 doughnuts
Doughnut Dough: (recipe from BreadAhead)
250g strong bread flour
30g caster sugar
5g salt
4g dried yeast
2 medium eggs (100g)
zest of half a lemon
75ml cold water
65g unsalted butter, softened
caster sugar, for coating
Raspberry Jam:
200g frozen raspberries
200g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
Chantilly Cream:
300ml double cream
30g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 lemon zest
raspberries, to garnish
Method
The evening before (make the doughnut dough):
Place all of the ingredients for the dough into a bowl, apart from the butter. Mix together until it forms a ball before turning out and kneading until smooth (about 5-10 minutes.) Cover the dough and leave to rest for a few minutes.
Continue to knead the dough while adding in small chunks of the softened butter. Knead until all the butter has been incorporated and you are left with a smooth ball of dough. This will take about 10 minutes and will be a little messy, but trust me, it will come together! A bench scraper is handy here to help keep the dough together and the counter clean.
Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Deflate the dough by punching it down with your hand. Cover again and place into the fridge to prove overnight.
The next day:
To make your raspberry jam: Place all the ingredients into a pan over low heat (TIP: zest the rest of the lemon, and keep to one side for the cream, before juicing for the jam). Leave the pan on low for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The jam should be thick and the raspberries fully broken down. Pour the jam into a container and refrigerate until cooled.
Take your dough from the fridge and line a large baking tray with paper ready for your doughnuts. Tip the dough out onto your counter and portion into six pieces, approximately 80g each. Roll each piece into a ball before using your palm to roll into a short oblong. Place onto your prepared baking tray dusted lightly with flour. Cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, reshape each piece of dough into a 15cm finger trying to keep the shape as even as possible. Place back onto the prepared tray, cover and leave to prove for approximately 30 minutes.
When you’re ready to fry; fill a saucepan at least halfway with vegetable oil. Bring the oil up to 175°C (please be very careful here.) Prepare a plate with caster sugar for coating later. Uncover the proved doughnuts and carefully cut the baking paper that the doughnuts are sitting on, so that they are all on their own individual paper. Gently lift one or two doughnuts (depending on the size of your pan) into the hot oil lifting by the paper underneath to ensure you don’t disturb their shape. Using metal tongs, fish out the paper and leave the doughnuts to fry for a couple of minutes on each side. Drain and remove the doughnuts and set aside on a piece of kitchen towel. Continue until all doughnuts are fried, keeping an eye on the temperature of the oil to ensure it doesn’t get too hot. While the doughnuts are still warm, roll in caster sugar to coat. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, to make the chantilly cream, place all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk to medium peaks. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle ready for piping.
Assembly:
Using a serrated knife, cut down the centre of each doughnut about halfway through. If you’re like me, and like a lot of filling, cut down the centre of the doughnut at an angle and again a cm to the side so that you can remove a middle panel from the doughnut. You can snack on these while you prepare the rest!
Pipe or spoon a generous amount of raspberry jam into the middle before piping the chantilly cream on top. Garnish with a few dots of jam and some raspberries. Best eaten on the day they’re made.