Martha Collison's orange blossom French crullers

1. Place 225ml water, the butter and sugar into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and when all the butter has melted, add the flour and vigorously beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball of dough forms.

2. Keep the pan on the heat and stir rapidly for a few more minutes to dry out the dough – there should be a thin film on the bottom of the pan when it is ready. Tip the dough into a bowl and leave until it has stopped steaming, or tip into a stand mixer and beat slowly until no longer hot.

3. Beat the eggs and egg white together briefly in a small jug. Pour the eggs into the cooled dough in 3 separate additions, beating well between each one. You might not need all the egg – when you are adding the final amount you want just enough so the dough looks glossy and falls off the spoon leaving a ‘V’ shape. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle, then set aside.

4. Prepare the glaze by beating together all the ingredients until smooth. You’re looking for the consistency of double cream, so add a little more milk if necessary. Line a baking tray with kitchen paper and set up a cooling rack over a separate baking tray.

5. Take a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and pour in enough oil to come about 5cm up the sides of the pan, or use a deep fat fryer. Warm over a medium heat until the oil is hot, or 170°C on a thermometer.

6. Meanwhile, cut 4 small squares of baking parchment and grease each one. Pipe a ring of dough approximately 6-7cm in diameter onto each square, making sure the ends join up. When the oil is hot, use tongs to carefully place the squares of parchment into the oil, dough facing down. The paper should loosen up, so remove it with the tongs and reuse for the next batch.

7. Cook the crullers for 2-3 minutes on each side. They should be a pale golden colour when they are ready. Remove from the oil and drain on the kitchen paper, then dunk ridged side up into the glaze and allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough, then serve on the day they are made.