Russell Norman’s Venetian doughnuts

1. Dissolve 1 tsp sugar in 240ml warm water; stir in the yeast. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and, with a wooden spoon, stir in the eggs, 75g sugar and the yeast mixture. Still stirring, add as much milk as you need, a little at a time, to create a soft, loose dough. Add the sultanas, lemon and orange zest, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly until the dough is pliable and springy, then cover with a damp cloth or cling film. Leave in a warm place for up to 2 hours until the dough has risen to about double its original size.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan to around 180˚C. You can test this by dropping a small cube of white bread in the pan – it should turn golden-brown in 15-20 seconds.

3. Scoop out a dessertspoonful of the dough at a time and drop into the hot oil; don’t overload the pan. The doughnuts should start to turn golden after a couple of minutes. Turn them over with a slotted spoon for another couple of minutes on the other side (4-6 minutes in total). Remove from the oil onto several sheets of kitchen paper. While they are still hot, sprinkle with the remaining 20g caster sugar. Serve immediately or at room temperature.