Loukoumades With Spiced Honey Butter Syrup
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus time for rising from 1 hour to overnight
Cooking time: 25 minutes
- 300g/10.6ozs. plain all purpose flour
- 190ml/6.4flozs water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 190ml/6.4flozs. milk
- 2 teaspoons/7g/1packet instant dried yeast
- 2 teaspoons/8g sugar
- 1.5 litres oil
For spiced honey syrup
- 2/3 cup/230g/8ozs. honey
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs water
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 pieces mandarin or orange zest
- 40g butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped, toasted pistachios to serve
Step 1a- Overnight dough: dissolve the salt in water and then add to a bowl and mix the salt water with the flour, milk, yeast and sugar with a spatula until there are no lumps. Cover and allow to rise overnight.
Step 1b - Quick dough: dissolve the salt in water and then add to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix the salt water with the flour, milk, yeast and sugar until starting to come together. Knead using the dough hook until elastic - 5 minutes or so. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until triple in size.
Step 2 - When you want to make these donuts, start the honey syrup so that it is hot when you finish frying the donuts. Heat the honey, water, cinnamon and orange zest in a small saucepan and bring to a boil for around 5 minutes. Add the butter and salt and allow to thicken a little (you still want it to be a good pouring consistency, a bit like warmed honey).
Step 3 - Meanwhile while it is heating away, heat up the oil in a deep fryer or a heavy based pot until it reaches 180C/350F. Using an oiled ice cream scoop (small 3/4 ounce one) scoop out a small round of dough. I brush oil in the scoop between each ball. Repeat until you have half a dozen donut balls in the oil. Avoid cooking too many at once or the oil temperature will drop too low. Cook for 5 minutes turning them so that all sides are cooked. I found that most of the balls rolled around by themselves in the hot oil but a couple got caught at the bottom so make sure they don't catch and that they rise to the top of the oil.
Step 4 - Place cooked donuts on a tray lined with paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Step 5 - Place on a serving plate and drizzle with the hot sauce. Or alternatively, you can soak the donuts in the syrup if you like your donuts sweeter. Sprinkle with chopped, toasted pistachios.