Edd Kimber's Christmas pudding doughnuts

To make the dough, put the flour, yeast, sugar and salt into the bowl of a freestanding mixer and mix to combine. Add the milk and egg and stir together to form a shaggy dough. With the dough hook attached, knead on a low-medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. With the mixer still running, add the butter a piece at a time and continue kneading until all the butter has been combined and the dough becomes smooth and elastic again (it should form a ball that clings to the dough hook). Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp clean tea towel and chill overnight.

For the filling, combine the apple, sugar and lemon juice in a small pan; cook over a medium heat until tender and lightly caramelised. Add the Christmas pudding and 50ml water; cook until the mixture forms a moist but not wet paste. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 50cm x 40cm rectangle. Spread the Christmas pudding paste over the entire surface of the dough, then sprinkle with a thin dusting of flour. Roll up from the longest side into a cylinder. Flatten the cylinder slightly, then use a sharp knife to cut the roll into long, thin strips. Slice again at a 45º angle to cut the dough into little diamonds. Sprinkle the pieces of dough with a little flour and gently push back together into a sausage shape that resembles the original roll (the flour will act as glue and stick the filling and sticky brioche dough together). It doesn’t have to be done too exactly. Cut the sausage into 6 slices widthways and put, cut-side down, on a lightly floured surface. Gently shape into discs. Cover the doughnuts with baking parchment and prove for 30 minutes, until slightly puffed.

When ready to cook, fill a medium-sized saucepan three-quarters full with vegetable oil and heat over a medium heat, until it reaches 170-180ºC on a sugar thermometer. Once at temperature, lower the temperature a little to maintain it within that range. Fry the doughnuts two at a time, cooking for 2-3 minutes until a deep golden brown, turning once halfway through cooking. Use a slotted spoon to carefully lift out onto a baking tray lined with kitchen paper, to absorb any excess oil.

To make the glaze, mix the icing sugar and cranberry juice together in a wide, shallow bowl. Dip the doughnuts one by one into the glaze, allowing the excess to fall back into the bowl, then set them aside for a few minutes until the glaze has set. As with all doughnuts, these are best served on the day they are cooked. However, the dough can be made in advance, covered and chilled for up to 2 days, if liked.