Activated charcoal and blood orange cronut

Directions

Two days before you make your cronuts

1. For the blood orange whipped ganache, soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water until softened and hydrated.

2. Put the cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and squeeze out the gelatine sheets.

3. Add the gelatine to the hot cream and stir until dissolved. Put the chocolate in a bowl, pour the cream over it and stir with a spatula until the ganache is smooth. Leave to cool to room temperature.

4. Whisk in the blood orange juice, cover with cling film touching the surface and refrigerate until set.

5. For the dough, put the strong flour, activated charcoal, salt, sugar, yeast, water, egg white, butter and cream in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix for approximately 2–3 minutes, just until combined: the dough will remain rough and slightly sticky.

6. Lightly oil a medium-sized bowl and transfer the dough to it. Cover with cling film touching the surface to prevent a crust forming.

7. Leave to rise in a warm place for 2–3 hours, or until doubled in size.

8. Remove the cling film and deflate the dough by folding the corners into the centre to remove as much air as possible.

9. Put the dough on baking paper and shape into a 25 cm square. Remove the paper, wrap in cling film, place on a tray and refrigerate overnight.

10. Prepare the butter block: draw an 18 cm square on baking paper and turn the paper over. Put the butter in the centre and spread evenly with an offset spatula to fill the square. Wrap in the paper and refrigerate overnight.

One day before you make your cronuts

1. Remove the dough and butter block from the refrigerator. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface: too much flour would make it tough. Put the butter in the centre, rotated relative to the dough like a diamond.

2. Fold the dough corners into the centre, fully covering the butter, and seal the seams. You will have a square.

3. Roll out with even pressure to make a square approximately twice the size.

4. Fold the dough in half horizontally, then in half vertically, forming a square again.

5. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat rolling to twice the size and folding in half twice to form a square.

6. Refrigerate the dough overnight.

On the day of making the cronuts

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll into a rectangle approximately 40 × 20 cm. Use a 9 cm round cutter to cut the discs and a 2.5 cm cutter for the centre holes. The dough should yield 12 cronuts.

2. Line two baking trays with lightly floured baking paper. Place the cronuts 5 cm apart and leave to rise for at least 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Do not reuse the offcuts: they would not rise evenly.

3. Heat 1 litre of oil to 175°C and fry the cronuts two at a time for 90 seconds on each side.

4. Drain on kitchen paper placed on a rack and leave to cool to room temperature.

5. Whip the cold ganache in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until firm.

6. Use the piping nozzle to make 4 holes in the top of each cooled cronut and fill with ganache.

7. Mix the blood orange zest with the granulated sugar and leave to infuse.

8. Put the fondant icing in a microwave-safe container. Heat on high in 10-second intervals until thick but pourable.

9. Add the blood orange juice and food colouring until the desired shade and consistency are reached. Transfer to a piping bag and cut off the tip.

10. Roll the sides of the filled cronuts in the flavoured sugar. Pipe a ring of icing on top, covering the filling holes.

11. For the best experience, eat within 24 hours.