How Do You Like To Doughnut?

Ah, doughnuts! They’re light and fluffy in the middle with a satisfying bite on the outside, temptingly sweet and a little bit naughty. But while most of us would agree that you can’t beat a doughnut, there’s much more debate about the best way to get your fix.

This National Doughnut Week – May 11th to 18th – we’re investigating all the ways to indulge in this delicious treat. Does your doughnut need to have a hole or are you all about the jammy filling oozing out? And did somebody say doughnut ice cream sandwich? Oh yes, they did.

If you were to draw a doughnut, it’d probably have a hole in it, and the Snack Collection comes with a handy pan that perfectly shapes your doughnuts in this way. Not only that, but it tells you when they’re ready, meaning you can get on to icing and decorating your creations.

This recipe from The Peachicks Bakery is a great place to start your exploration of ring doughnuts, especially as it’s vegan so everyone can get involved. Once you’ve got the basics down, try adding some extra flavourings or ramping up your glaze with rose water, chocolate or citrus flavours.

People are using that hole in ring doughnuts in loads of creative ways, with some fans even having doughnut walls at their weddings. Now that’s a trend we can get on board with.

Arm yourself with a Deep Fryer and you can make filled doughnuts to your heart’s content. Just look at the perfect golden brown colour on these beauties from The Little Loaf and start plotting your plan to recreate them at home. Baking Martha provides a masterclass on making jam if you don’t want to fill your doughnuts with the bought stuff, and Patisserie Makes Perfect shows you how to do a creamy custard filling.

Yes, there is such a thing as a healthy doughnut and all you need is an ActiFry. This handy gadget means you can make doughnuts with as little as just one spoonful of oil and still get that crunchy texture on the outside. It’s like some kind of magic and means you can enjoy a little bit of indulgence without too much guilt.

Round doughnuts work best in the ActiFry, but we can cope without the hole if it means sticking to the diet. Make mini versions to go with your afternoon cuppa or if you’ve got friends round and want to offer them a little treat.

Nothing screams summer like ice cream, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your doughnuts to enjoy this cooling treat – mix your two favourites together. Simply select a doughnut type from the ones above, slice it horizontally through the middle and add ice cream of your choice. If you want slightly more detailed instructions, check out Paper and Stitch Blog, which has got you covered.

We hate to do this to you, but there’s something so satisfying about finding a way to make naughty desserts into legitimate items you can have as part of your dinner. Step forward savoury doughnuts from Baking Fanatic, who suggests filling them with red pepper chutney. Cheese and spinach sauce could also work well, as could a rich tomato salsa or even a garlicky pesto. Get experimenting and fill them with whatever you like.