Mini pumpkin spice doughnuts recipe

Put flour, yeast, spices, 50g of the sugar and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and set aside.  

Gently heat milk and butter in a pan until milk is just beginning to steam and the butter has melted, tip into a jug, allow to cool slightly then beat in the egg. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and stir to make soft dough. Tip on to a lightly floured worktop and knead for 5min until smooth. Return to the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1hr. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and tip the dough on to a lightly floured worktop. Roll into a sausage shape, then cut into 10 equal pieces. Using both hands, pull edges of each piece of dough underneath itself, pressing ends together at the base. Keep repeating the motion to make a tight, smooth round, then roll the dough against the work surface to make a ball with no visible creases or joins. Use a pair of scissors to snip into each ball about 7 or 8 times around the edge, making sure you don’t cut all the way into the centre (don’t worry about cutting too evenly – the pumpkins look better if the cuts are irregular) – it should resemble a flower. Put the snipped dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and push the centre of each one down with a finger to make a deep indentation. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for 45min.  

Fill a deep saucepan 1/3 full with oil and heat to 180°C. Push the centre of each doughnut down again (it will have puffed up), then use a fish slice to carefully lift the doughnuts into the oil. Fry in batches of three or four until deep golden brown, about 3min, turning them over halfway through. Lift the doughnuts on to kitchen paper to drain and leave to cool for 5min. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. 

Put the remaining sugar in a large bowl and toss the warm doughnuts in to coat. Cut the fruit yoyo strips into 2.5cm long pieces and poke into the indentation to make a pumpkin stalk. Serve immediately.