The initial idea of this recipe was to make of bofrot; one of my favorite Ghanaian fried doughs but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't for the love of me get the right texture, it was either too soft or too hard. I somehow ended up with these delicious doughnuts and decided to fill them with chocolate. I made 15 pieces that run out before I could finish photographing them. If you don't own a kitchen scale, measure your flour by scooping it into the measuring cup and then shaking it to get the excess off. If you dip the cup into the flour and shake to level, you're going to end up with more flour than the recipe states.

Recipe Yields 16 medium doughnuts

What you need

500g hard/ all purpose flour (4 cups)

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter/margarine (at room temperature)

1 large egg yolk

1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk/water

2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

1 1/2 cups nutella ( used any brand you prefer)

1 liter sunflower oil for frying (any unflavored vegetable oil works too)

Directions

Combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until everything dissolves then set aside.

Combine the flour, nutmeg, and yeast in a bowl and stir. Add the water mixture and mix until it’s well combined. Pour unto a clean surface and knead until a smooth elastic dough forms. Add the butter/margarine and knead for about 10 minutes . Cover with cling film and set aside to proof until it’s doubled in size.  Alternatively you can use the electric mixer, first start by combining the flour, yeast and nutmeg then add the water mixture. Knead for 3 minutes then add the butter/margarine and knead for 5 minutes.

Lightly flour a work surface and pour proofed dough unto it. Punch to deflate. Divide dough into 16 equal sizes. To shape dough, work with one dough at a time, roll dough into a tight ball and set on a floured tray. Be sure to leave about 1/2 an inch of space between them so they don’t touch each other when proofing. Lightly flour the top of the balls and cover with a kitchen towel. Set dough aside in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 50 mins.

Heat 1 litre of oil over medium low heat to 185C. To check if oil is hot enough (if you don't have a thermometer), stick a wooden ladle upright in the oil, if you see tiny bubbles then the oil is hot enough. Fry in batches turning regularly until they’re golden brown. If oil is too hot, it’ll brown too quickly without the insides cooking completely. Place fried doughnuts on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

To fill the doughnuts, allow them to cool completely. Gently poke a hole in them using a toothpick or a sharp small knife. Pipe the chocolate filling into them and set aside until they've all been filled. You can also fill them with my salted whiskey caramel.

Eat and refrigerate any left over. Just let it come to room temperature before eating.