Orange-Blossom Honey Fricassé Doughnuts

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl and finely grate in just the orange part of the orange peel (the white pith is bitter). Add the lukewarm milk and knead for 5 minutes, then work in the softened butter and keep kneading, 10 min in total, until smooth and slightly tacky.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 200 gInstant dried yeast 1 tspSugar (for the dough) 20 gSalt 1 pinchOrange (for zest) ½Lukewarm milk 110 mlUnsalted butter, softened 20 g

2. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 h, until doubled. Knock it back, divide into 6 pieces and roll into balls a bit bigger than a ping-pong ball. Set each on its own square of oiled baking paper, cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 min.

3. Warm the honey and water in a small pan on low heat for 2 min, just until it bubbles at the edges, then turn off the heat and stir in the orange-blossom water. Adding it off the heat keeps its perfume.

   Add in this stepHoney 2 tbspWater 2 tbspOrange-blossom water ½ tsp

   low heat

4. Mix the coating sugar and cinnamon evenly on a wide plate.

   Add in this stepSugar (for coating) 40 gGround cinnamon ½ tsp

5. Pour 5 cm of oil into a 20 cm pot and heat it on medium-low heat to 165 °C. Sweet dough browns quickly, so this is a little cooler than for savoury fricassé. Lower each doughnut in on its paper so it keeps its shape (the paper soon floats free; lift it out with tongs). Fry 2 or 3 at a time for 1½ to 2 minutes per side, until evenly deep golden. Frying them all takes about 8 min. Break the first one open to check it is cooked through.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil, for deep frying 750 ml

   medium-low heat

6. Roll the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar while still hot so it sticks. Pile them on a plate, drizzle with the orange-blossom honey syrup and scatter with pistachios. Serve warm.

   Add in this stepUnsalted pistachios, roughly chopped 10 g