Hot Plum Jam Donuts

RECIPE

These jam donuts remind me of the donut vans from my childhood and their piping hot sugary treats that were worth burning your mouth to enjoy by the bagful. I’ve added a slight spin on the classic, by using in-season plums to make a delicious textural jam filling. You can swap the plums for other fruits though, or even store-bought jam to save time.

Enjoy these doughnuts best while they’re still hot!

RECIPE

Hot plum jam donuts

PREP: 45 mins | COOK: 45 mins | REST: 1 hour 15 mins
DIFFICULTY: Medium | MAKES: 16

Ingredients:

Donuts / Doughnuts:
3 1/4 cups flour
3 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup milk
40g butter, chopped
2 eggs, room temperature
2lt canola oil (or vegetable oil)
White sugar for rolling, approximately 1 cup

Plum jam:
500g plums
3 tbsp water
2 cups caster sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Mix together flour, yeast, salt and caster sugar. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

2. Place the milk and butter in a saucepan, heat over medium heat until butter starts to melt. Add the warmed milk mixture and the eggs to the flour mixture, and stir until combined into a rough dough. Tip out onto a floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes until smooth (alternatively use a stand mixer with a dough hook if you’d prefer to skip the workout). Place in a greased bowl and cover with biodegradable plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours depending how warm it is).

3. While your dough is rising, it’s the perfect time to work on your jam (or you can make the jam ahead, and simply warm up before piping). Start by cutting your plums into chunks and removing the pip - around 8 pieces per plum. Add to a medium saucepan with the water. Cover and simmer on medium heat for a few minutes until softened.

4. Remove the lid from the saucepan and add in your sugar and lemon juice, stir over a high heat until sugar has dissolved. Keep your jam over a medium-high heat at a rolling boil, stirring regularly until reduced and syrupy. A good way to test if your jam is ready, is by spooning some out onto a plate or bowl and allowing to cool. Poke the cooled jam, and if it has wrinkle lines, it’s done! If it’s still liquid, reduce it some more. Set aside finished jam in your saucepan until your doughnuts are ready, or spoon into sterilised jars and seal.

5. Returning to your dough, tip out onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out into logs, and cut your doughnuts into rough shapes. Aim for around 16 mid-sized donuts. Place on a lined tray and cover with a paper towel. Allow to rise in a warm spot for another 15-20 minutes.

6. Heat the oil in a deep, medium-sized saucepan. Oil should be at 190ºC (too low and your donuts will have an oily flavour). If you don’t have a thermometer, place the base of a wooden spoon into the hot oil. It should bubble gently. Not enough bubbles and it’s not hot enough, bubbling violently means the oil is too hot. Place donuts in batches - around three at a time - into hot oil. Cook for around 2 minutes each side, however watch the colour. Depending how hot your oil is, they could cook quicker or slower. You’re looking for a golden brown tone. Too yellow and they’re not cooked enough, too dark brown and they’re overcooked. I like mine a little crispy on the outside, so I tend towards a slightly darker golden brown.* Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel before quickly tossing in the sugar. Set aside on a tray to cool slightly before piping with jam.

7. Pierce each donut on the side with a knife, send it 90% through the donut and twist to open up some space inside. Follow with a piping bag full of warm jam, and fill each cavity until the jam starts coming back out of the opening.

   Enjoy while they’re hot!

Tip: If you have any of these babies leftover, freeze them individually for ready-to-go donuts! Simply defrost in a microwave, sprinkle a little water on top and oven bake at 140ºC fan-forced for 10-15 minutes. Roll in some fresh sugar before enjoying.

*If in doubt about whether your donut is cooked enough, simply taste test one first before cooking the rest of your batch.