Bake a Stutenkerl or Weckmann

To bake the donuts, first put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Crumble the yeast into the center. Add the sugar and lukewarm milk and stir gently with a spoon. Leave to stand for 15 minutes so that the yeast can start to work.

After 15 minutes, you should see that the yeast has formed bubbles. This is a good sign that our yeast is active - an important step for the success of the recipe.

Now add the softened butter, 2 egg yolks, salt and lemon zest. Knead everything well until you have a smooth yeast dough. The longer you knead, the better the pastry will be. Around 10 minutes should be enough.

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until it has doubled in volume.

Now it's time to shape. Divide the dough into four equal parts and shape each part into an elongated body. Place two raisins as eyes and three raisins as buttons. Score the mouth and eyes with a sharp knife. For the pipe, simply cut a small slit in the bottom of the dough and insert the pipe.

Now place the donuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with the beaten egg. Leave to rise again for around 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C top/bottom heat. Bake the donuts for approx. 20 minutes until golden.