Berliner Doughnut

About this dish

The Berliner belongs to a family of fried, filled yeast pastries found across Central Europe under different names — Krapfen in Austria, pączki in Poland — all of them tied historically to Carnival, when households used up sugar and fat before Lent. The distinctive pale band around the middle isn't a flaw: it's the mark of correct frying, the ring where the dough sat at the oil's surface and never touched hot fat directly, so a Berliner without one is usually a sign the fryer ran too hot or too full. Filling them after frying rather than before is what keeps the jam from scorching in the oil.

• Vegetarian
• Not vegan because of Whole milk, Eggs, Unsalted butter
• Contains gluten because of Plain flour
• Contains dairy because of Whole milk, Unsalted butter

• 500gPlain flour
• 7gDry yeast
• 250mlWhole milk
• 60gCaster sugar
• 2piecesEggs
• 50gUnsalted butter
• 6gFine sea salt
• 1lSunflower oil
• 200gRaspberry jam
• 30gIcing sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the milk until just lukewarm, stir in the yeast and a pinch of the sugar, and leave for 10 minutes until it foams on top.

   10 min

   Tip: If it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead or the milk was too hot and killed it — better to find that out now than after kneading a full batch of dough.

2. 2

   Mix the yeast liquid into the flour with the eggs, remaining sugar, softened butter and salt, and knead into a soft, smooth dough, about 15 minutes by hand.

   15 min

   Tip: The dough should feel tacky but not stick to your hands when you're done — under-kneaded dough won't trap the gas that makes the doughnuts puff up light instead of dense.

3. 3

   Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 60 minutes.

   60 min

   Tip: Warm, not hot — anywhere near a radiator or oven pilot light works, but a genuinely hot spot kills the yeast the same way scalding milk would.

4. 4

   Punch down the dough, divide into 10 pieces, shape into rounds, and let them rise again on a floured tray for 30 minutes.

   30 min

   Tip: This second rise is what gives the finished doughnut its light, airy crumb — skip it and frying will still puff them slightly, but the inside stays denser and doughier.

5. 5

   Fry the doughnuts in oil at 170°C (340°F), a few at a time, about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown on top and bottom with a pale ring around the middle.

   6 min

   Tip: Don't crowd the pan — doughnuts that touch each other while frying stick together and the sides between them never colour or cook through.

6. 6

   Once cool enough to handle, pipe raspberry jam into the centre of each through a small hole in the side, then dust with icing sugar.

   5 min

   Tip: Fill them once they've cooled slightly, not straight out of the oil — jam piped into a doughnut that's still hot melts and weeps straight back out of the hole.