Warm Spanish doughnuts

"Rejoice! The Smith & Daughters doughnut recipe! Shannon's got many a doughnut recipe up her sleeve, but these are everyone's favourite restaurant doughnuts." – Smith & Daughters

1. Place the yeast, warm water and sugar in a small bowl and stir well to combine. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly.

2. Place the flour, salt, mixed spice, caster sugar and no egg powder in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Combine the yeast mixture with the warm soy milk and, with the stand mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until the liquid is completely incorporated. If the mixture seems too sticky, add a little extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.

2. Add half of the butter to the dough, increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 minute before adding the remaining butter. At this stage the dough may look like it doesn’t want to take in the butter. If necessary, add a little extra flour again, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough just begins to pull away from the side of the bowl again. Knead on medium speed for around 4 minutes or until the dough is very soft, smooth and elastic. Place in a bowl that has been sprayed with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to prove in a warm place until doubled in size. This could take anywhere between 30–60 minutes depending on the temperature of the room.

3. Dust your work surface with flour and dump the dough on top. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough until it is approximately 1.5 cm (½ in) thick. Cut out doughnuts using a round cookie cutter of any size, then transfer to a baking tray sprayed with olive oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to prove again until the doughnuts have increased their size by half. The dough should feel very soft and bounce back slowly when pressed with your finger.

4. Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan to 170°C (340°F) or until a scrap of dough dropped into the oil turns golden in 15 seconds. Carefully drop a few doughnuts into the oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry the doughnuts for approximately 1 minute before turning over and frying for a further 1 minute. Obviously, if you decide to make larger doughnuts the cooking time will be a little longer, so just go on the colour and make sure you have a beautiful golden brown on both sides. Test one by breaking it in half to make sure they are cooked through. Transfer to paper towel and allow to cool slightly.

5. This is the point where you can get creative and fill the doughnuts with whatever you like. At the restaurant we coat them in cinnamon sugar and fill them with Spanish quince paste that has been whipped with a little hot water to make it easier to use in a piping bag. But Shannon’s favourite way to eat these is simply dusted in cinnamon sugar and dipped in chocolate pâté.

This recipe is extracted with permission from Eat Vegan by Smith and Daughters’ owners Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse . It’s published by Hardie Grant Books.
Photography: Bonnie Savage

Find more doughnut recipes here.