Ballymaloe Balloons (Cheats Doughnuts)
There was a brilliant reaction to these balloons when I recently made them on the Today Show. My mother-in-law, Myrtle Allen, made them regularly for her children, then passed on the recipe to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
SERVES
10
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
40
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
15
MINUTES
Ingredients
150g white flour
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 level teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
175-200ml full-fat milk plus more if needed
light olive or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
extra caster sugar or cinnamon sugar (granulated sugar mixed with a little ground cinnamon), to coat
Method
Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl. Mix to a thick batter (dropping consistency) with the milk.
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 190°C. If you don’t have a deep-fryer, heat 4cm light olive or vegetable oil in a deep pan.
Take a heaped teaspoonful of the mixture and gently push it off with your finger so that it drops in a round ball into the fat. Fry until puffed and golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat the process until you have used up all the batter.
Roll the balloons in caster sugar or cinnamon sugar and serve at once. These are also delicious with sweet apple sauce flavoured with a little cinnamon or a bowl of lemon.
