In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and butter. Bring to the boil to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Do not boil.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Mix the dry yeast with 2 spoonfuls of orange flower water. If using fresh yeast, crumble it over the flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl, sift the flour and mix with the salt.  Add the eggs, lukewarm milk, orange flower water and yeast.

Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth. It is slightly sticky. If it is very sticky, it means your flour absorbs less liquid. Add a little flour, just enough to bring the dough together into a ball. You can see its texture below.

Gather the dough into a ball and place in a mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.

Let it double in size at room temperature for 1 hour in a draft-free place.  In winter, you can heat your oven to 30°C (86°F), then turn it off and place the dough inside.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your hand to deflate it. Roll it on the work surface to form a smooth ball.

Flour the work surface and gently roll out the doughnut dough to a 1.5 cm / 0.6 inches thickness. Using a cup or cookie cutter the size you like, cut out rounds.

I used a 8.5 cm / 3.4 inches cookie cutter for the ones with holes and a 7.5 cm / 3 inches for the ones without holes.

Gently place them on the baking tray and, using a piping tip or the cap of a water bottle, make a hole in the center.

Rework the scraps, let the dough relax a little and roll out to form doughnuts.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Place a heatproof bowl filled with water at the bottom of the oven.

Brush the donuts with milk using a pastry brush and bake for about twelve minutes. Keep an eye on the baking, they should develop a light golden color to prevent them from hardening and ensure they stay soft. If you cook them too long, they will dry out.

Take them out of the oven, brush each one with melted butter, and roll them in granulated sugar, with or without cinnamon. Place on a serving dish.

Once lukewarm, you can top them with a spread or jam. Enjoy with a cup of coffee!