Berry Jam Doughnut Filling Recipes

Steps:

• In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 350°. Separate biscuits; press each to flatten slightly. Fry biscuits, a few at a time, until golden brown, 1 to 1-1/4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. , Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag; insert a small pastry tip. Fill bag with jam. With a small knife, pierce a hole into the side of each doughnut; fill with jam., Toss with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Put 150g water and all the dough ingredients, apart from the butter, into the bowl of a mixer with a beater paddle. Mix on a medium speed for 8 mins or until the dough starts coming away from the sides and forms a ball. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 1 min.
• Start the mixer up again on a medium speed and slowly add the butter to the dough - about 25g at a time. Once it's all incorporated, mix on high speed for 5 mins until the dough is glossy, smooth and very elastic when pulled.
• Cover the bowl with cling film or a clean tea towel and leave to prove until it's doubled in size. Knock back the dough in the bowl briefly, then re-cover and put in the fridge to chill overnight.
• The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into 50g pieces (you should get about 20).
• Roll the dough pieces into smooth, tight buns and place them on a floured baking tray, leaving plenty of room between them, as you don't want them to stick together while they prove.
• Cover loosely with cling film and leave for 4 hrs or until doubled in size. Fill your deep-fat fryer or heavy-based saucepan halfway with oil. Heat the oil to 180C. Read our guide on how to deep-fry safely for more essential information.
• When the oil is heated, carefully slide the doughnuts from the tray using a floured pastry scraper. Taking care not to deflate them, put them into the oil. Do 2-3 per batch, depending on the size of your fryer or pan.
• Fry for 2 mins each side until golden brown - they puff up and float, so you may need to gently push them down after about 1 min to help them colour evenly.
• Remove the doughnuts from the fryer and place them on kitchen paper.
• Toss the doughnuts in a bowl of caster sugar while still warm. Repeat the steps until all the doughnuts are fried, but keep checking the oil temperature is correct - if it's too high, they will burn and be raw in the middle; if it's too low, the oil will be absorbed into the doughnuts and they will become greasy. Set aside to cool before filling.
• To fill the doughnuts, make a hole with a small knife in the crease of each one, anywhere around the white line between the fried top and bottom.
• Fill a piping bag with jam and pipe into the doughnut until nicely swollen - about 1 tbsp per doughnut. After filling, the doughnuts are best eaten straight away, but will keep in an airtight tin.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Place flour in a large bowl. Form a well in the center; add eggs, yeast mixture, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the butter, nutmeg, and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a sticky dough forms. Turn out dough onto a well-floured work surface; knead until dough is smooth, soft, and bounces back when poked with a finger, about 8 minutes (add more flour if necessary). Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 20 rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 20 minutes.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk in a medium, shallow bowl until smooth. Cover glaze with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to fill doughnuts.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 370 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, carefully slip 4 dough rounds into the oil. Fry until golden, turning once, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat process with remaining dough rounds.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and small bismark pastry tip for filling (such as #230) with the jam. Using a chopstick or a wooden skewer, make a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fit the pastry tip into the hole, and pipe about 2 teaspoons jam into doughnut. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and jam.
• Dip tops of doughnuts in the glaze to cover. Let stand, glaze-side up, until set.

Steps:

• Toss berries and sugar together in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Let sit for at least 15 minutes and up to overnight, periodically tossing to coat and to dissolve the sugar. (This will help coax the juices out of the fruit.)
• Place a small plate in the refrigerator to chill. (You'll use this later.)
• Bring the fruit to a strong simmer over medium heat until the berries burst and the juices start to boil, about 15 minutes. If using a vanilla bean as an add-in, put it in the pot at this point.
• Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook the jam, at first stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula, then more frequently as the juices thicken. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the fruit has begun to break down, 40 to 50 minutes. How much it breaks down will depend on its type and ripeness: For example, strawberries are likely to retain more of their shape, while raspberries will break down almost entirely.
• As the jam cooks, the liquid will reduce, the sugars thicken and the natural pectins activate. You'll notice the liquid go from a rapid, rolling boil with smaller bubbles to a slow, thick, tarlike boil with larger bubbles: This is the stage at which it's most important to stir constantly along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and sticking. (Sugar is heavier than water and will concentrate there, increasing the chance that the fruit will burn.) It's also the stage at which splattering may occur, so take care in stirring.
• Once the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the jam returns to its earlier consistency, about another 5 minutes. To test the consistency, spoon a bit of jam onto the chilled plate, return it to the refrigerator and chill for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through it: It should hold its shape on either side without appearing watery or runny. If it's not there yet, cook a few minutes more. (Note: Some fruit, like strawberries, contain more water and less natural pectin than say, a raspberry. This means the jam will never be quite as thick or gelled, but it will still be delicious).
• Remove from heat, and incorporate any of the add-ins listed (see notes). Pick out vanilla bean if you added it earlier. Divide jam between several 8-ounce canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space, and seal immediately. Can the jams (see our How to Make Jam guide for more instruction), or store in the refrigerator, using them within a couple of weeks.