Moroccan yeasted doughnut rings (Sfenj)

1. In a large bowl mix the flour, salt and sugar; dissolve the yeast in a little of the lukewarm water and pour into the flour with the rest of the water.

2. Work it with your hand or a wooden spoon for 5 minutes until you have a very soft, sticky, elastic dough; that's how it should be, no more flour needed.

3. Leave covered in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until doubled and bubbly.

4. Heat the oil to 175-180 °C in a deep pan; dip your hand in water, pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough, push a hole through the middle with your thumb, stretch into a ring and drop into the oil.

5. Fry for 1-2 minutes per side until golden and puffed, then drain on kitchen paper.

6. Serve warm, sprinkled with sugar or drizzled with honey, with mint tea.

Tip: Sfenj is the street doughnut of Moroccan mornings: vendors fry them at dawn and sell them threaded on a palm leaf. The dough is deliberately very soft, which makes them crisp outside and airy and chewy inside. Wet hands are the secret, so the dough doesn't stick while shaping.