Bavarian-style doughnuts

Heat the milk and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and yeast, stir gently and cover. Leave for 10-15 minutes to activate the yeast. Add the flour, salt, butter and eggs to the milk/yeast mixture. Knead the ingredients until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume.

When the dough has risen, transfer it to a clean, floured surface. Divide the dough in two, then divide each part in two again and so on until you have 16 parts. Form the pieces into balls, roll them out and brush them with a little oil to prevent them from drying out. Cover with plastic and then with a towel and leave to rise for about 15-20 minutes. When the balls have doubled in size, heat enough oil to cover a frying pan about 2-3 cm deep. Form two or three doughnuts at a time and bake. The easiest way to form them is to press the centre of each dough ball with your thumb a few times until it flattens and spreads. The sides should remain raised.

Fry them so that the side with the indentations is facing down first, then turn them over so that the flat side is fried. Make sure that no oil accumulates in the middle. Fry until golden brown and place on paper towels or a cooling rack. While still hot, dip in vanilla sugar or sprinkle with icing sugar. You can also fill the centres with jam or Bavarian cream.