Great British Bake Off: Batter Week recipes from Yorkshire pudding to doughnuts

As the Great British Bake Off hosts its first ever Batter Week, we share some deep fat frying-worthy recipes and comfort food ideas to recreate at home

Lower calorie baked jam doughnuts

The ultimate treat, jam doughnuts are vastly improved when made at home and eaten, still slightly warm, with the jam oozing out of the middle. Follow this easybaking recipe, and you could always experiment with different flavour jams and fillings once you’ve mastered the basic sugary buns.

1¼ tsp dried yeast
225ml of milk, warm
250g of caster sugar
450g of strong bread flour, white
1 large egg
2tsp vanilla essence
25g of butter, thinly sliced
½tsp salt
1000ml of vegetable oil, for frying
360g of strawberry jam, for filling

To activate the yeast, combine with slightly warm milk and 50g of the sugar and bring to 38°C (body temperature). Leave in a warm place until it begins to foam. Mix the flour, salt, egg and vanilla in a food mixer with a dough hook attachment. Once the yeast mixture has begun to foam, pour into the flour mix and continue to mix until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes to strengthen the dough.

Place the dough in a large plastic container. Spread the thinly sliced butter over the top. Cover the container with a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm to prove – until doubled in size. Knock back the dough and ensure the butter is evenly mixed in. Separate into doughnut-shaped balls, approximately 20g each, and knead again until smooth and round.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread the uncooked doughnuts out on the tray, leaving plenty of room for them to prove. Cover loosely with greased cling film and leave somewhere warm to prove again. Heat a deep fat fryer to 190°C. Once the balls have doubled in size, carefully place them, one by one, into the fryer. Once the underside is golden brown, use a slotted spoon to gently turn over. Continue to fry until evenly coloured.

Remove the doughnuts from the oil, shake off any excess. Roll the doughnuts in caster sugar until evenly coated. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, make an incision in the side of each doughnut and pipe in a small amount of strawberry jam and serve

Toad in the hole

Indulge in this old favourite once again, by following this simple yet superb toad in the hole recipe. Serve with your favourite side dishes and indulge in classic comfort food.

12 sausages, pricked with a fork
225g of plain flour
3 eggs
275ml of milk
25g of duck fat
1 pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 pinch of sugar
1 pinch of black pepper
1 pinch of salt

Make the batter well in advance. Sieve the flour, salt, pepper, sugar and grated nutmeg into a bow. Make a well in the centre and break in the three eggs. Use a hand-held whisk to slowly incorporate the eggs and then – while continuing to whisk – slowly add in the milk until the batter has the consistency of double cream. Whisk thoroughly to ensure there are no lumps of flour in the mixture. Place in the fridge for a least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Place a roasting tin in the oven until scorching hot. Add the duck fat and the sausages to the hot tin and return to the oven. Shake at regular intervals until the sausages are coloured all over and the fat is hot. Remove the batter from the fridge and give it a quick whisk. Once the sausages are evenly coloured, remove the tray from the oven and immediately pour the batter over the hot sausages – the batter should start to sizzle.

Return to the oven immediately and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the batter is well risen and golden. Serve immediately with your chosen accompaniments.

Yorkshire pudding

This classic Yorkshire pudding recipe makes a fantastically crispy Yorkshire for your Sunday roast. Don’t forget to get the oil or dripping smoking hot before cooking – this is the key to any good Yorkshire pudding.

80g of plain flour
1 egg
80ml of milk
60ml of water
2tbsp of vegetable oil, or beef dripping
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon to make a well in the centre. Break the egg into the well and mix with the flour. Add the milk, water, salt and pepper, whisk until you have a smooth batter, then set aside. Add the vegetable oil or dripping to a 28 x 18cm roasting tray. Place into the oven until the fat gets smoking hot, for around 10 minutes. Carefully remove the tray from the oven, pour in the batter and return to the oven until crispy and puffed up around the edges – this should take approximately 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

These recipes originally appeared on The Great British Chefs. For more recipes visit greatbritishchefs.com