Butternut Squash & Ricotta Doughnuts

INGREDIENTS:

Doughnut Dough

• 640g high grade flour
• 7g salt
• 40g White sugar
• 60g Unsalted Butter, softened
• 320g Milk, warm
• 1 Free Range egg
• 14g yeast

Butternut Squash and Ricotta Filling

• 600g finely chopped butternut squash
• 1 tsp cumin seeds roughly ground
• 1 tsp coriander seeds roughly ground
• Knob Unsalted Butter
• Salt to taste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chilli
• 5g ginger
• 100g Ricotta

Crème Fraiche Topping with Toasted Salted Pumpkin Seeds

• 200g crème fraiche
• 1 tsp icing sugar
• Pinch salt
• Sprinkling of paprika
• ½ cup of toasted pumpkin seeds

METHOD:

Dough

1. Prepare the bread dough by firstly mixing the yeast into the warm milk
2. Once bloomed, combine with the eggs and the dry ingredients
3. Slowly mix until combined, add softened butter, and then mix until it becomes more elastic
4. Take out the dough and knead a little before placing in an oiled bowl to proof for 40 minutes

Filling

1. While the dough is proofing finely chop up the butternut squash, chop up the garlic cloves and roughly crush the spices
2. In a hot pan place oil and fry the garlic and spices, add butter and the squash and brown
3. Turn down the heat till low and cover the squash to steam them until soft (15 minutes)
4. While they are steaming toast some pumpkin seeds with salt and paprika for the final garnish
5. Once the dough has proofed, punch down and shape into 80g balls, place on cut out baking paper squares, allow to proof for another 30 minutes
6. Check squash. If soft, put aside to cool.
7. Blend squash with the ricotta until a fine paste. Season.

Frying Doughnuts

1. Make sure oil in the pot is 170-180˚C
2. Slowly place the doughnuts into the hot oil with the paper
3. Slowly remove paper and cook until brown (1 minute), turn and cook on the other side
4. Remove from the oil and place on a rack with kitchen towels

Decorating

1. Once cool, use the piping nozzle to make a hole in the doughnut
2. Pipe the filling into the doughnut until a small amount blobs out
3. Top with the crème fraiche and paprika and crush up the pumpkin seeds before sprinkling on top