Isle of Wight Doughnuts – A Forgotten Local Speciality

A recipe from James Rayner’s book ‘Historic Isle of Wight Food’, available from

Wightlink Ferry terminals and retailers on the Isle of Wight

Makes 10

300g strong white bread flour

175ml whole milk

50g unsalted butter

50g fine brown sugar

7g sachet of yeast

2 tsp. allspice

1⁄4 tsp. cinnamon

a pinch of ground cloves

a pinch of ground mace

1⁄2 tsp. salt

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Filling: small wild plums / plum jam

1. Sift the flour and spices into a bowl, adding salt and sugar on one side and the yeast on the other. Add the softened butter and 120ml of the milk. Combine by hand, gradually adding as much of the remaining milk as you need until the dough is soft and tacky.

2. Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Oil the bowl, return the dough to it and cover, leaving somewhere warm to rise until doubled in size.

3. Place the dough back on a floured surface and fold inwards until the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth. Divide into ten and roll into balls.

4. Make a hole in each ball with the thumb and push or pipe some of the filling inside. Stretch the dough over the hole to close it, twisting the join to seal. Once filled, place the balls on baking trays lined with parchment and cover for 45 minutes to double in size.

5. Deep fry the balls, a few at a time for around 7 minutes, until cooked through and a fine brown in colour. Turn them over half way to ensure even colouring

6. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and leave to cool.