Apple fritters has become one of my favorite naughty snacks, ever since we moved to Seattle. I call it apple stuffed dough nuts! whats not to like about it? Really?!!! Donuts are fritters are so much different here and there are so many varieties but apple fritters with its sweetness and tang, cannot be beaten.
I always get a fritter ‘for the road’ on my way back from weekend grocery shopping. I have to be honest though, I am not a fan of overly sweet things, so I can never finish a whole fritter in one go. So it has become a thing now, that we share a fritter instead of two. But, one thing is sure, we can never resist it!
Every time I bite into one, I dream of making them at home. I would imagine what I would do differently, so I can finish an entire one and go for a second. For example, I’d definitely add more apples, make it sourdough (surprise!) and way less sugar in the glaze. And this is exactly what I did. It was a lengthy (somewhat messy) process, but totally worth it. So let me explain it step by step below;
Feed the starter as usual, several hours before you plant to use it. I do it overnight.
I’m using a 100% hydrated starter. That means 1:1 water to flour ratio to feed. If you are new to starters I have a post about sourdough starter.
Mix all the ingredients to make the dough, using a stand mixer. ( you can of course do this by hand) We are essentially making a doughnut dough. Mix on medium until the dough comes together. It should be a softer, sticky dough. Take the dough on to a floured bench and slap and fold a few times to bring it together. Now place it in a plastic tub, cover and leave to ferment. In colder weather this may take about 6-7 hours (overnight is fine too)
After several hours, you will see some expansion in the dough and few air bubbles. Punch down and round the dough to a smooth ball and cover and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Use the same container. This will harden the dough, develop gluten strength, ferment slowly, develop flavor.
To prepare apples; peel and core the apples of your choice. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or smaller if you prefer that way) Melt butter in a saucepan, add the apples, cinnamon and sugar and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. make sure to stir and with time, the juices and sugar will turn in to a thick syrup and coat the apples.
This is how it should look like once cooked. Apples are softer but still hold its shape and got a bite to it. The sugar syrup has thickened and coated the apple bits. Its not watery. Cool completely and refrigerate until needed.
When you are ready to make the fritters, bring the dough out and let it come to room temperature. This will take a few hours depending on the room temperature. But do not worry if it happen to sit around for a little bit longer.
Let the apple mixture come to room temperature if it was in the fridge.
Roll-out the dough on a floured surface and scatter the apple pieces. This doesn’t have to be any exact length or width, we are just trying to incorporate apples in to the dough. Press down apples so they get tucked in.
Roll it like you’d do with a cinnamon roll. Lightly press again.
using a knife or scrapper, cut the dough as shown in the picture.
Then cut length-wise too. This will help get the apples mixed with the dough. This doesn’t have to be perfect. All we are trying to do is mixing apples with the dough.
This is the messy bit. Flour the bench generously. Pres the dough and with your fingers try to incorporate everything together. And shape the dough back into a log, like shown in the picture.
Now using a sharp knife/scrapper divide the log in to 8 or 10 pieces. I think 10 is better, so you get smaller fritters and they are manageable. Prepare a tray with a parchment dusted with flour generously.
Take one dough piece at a time and shape it in to a disk using your palm and fingers. Tuck in any exposed apple pieces and place on the tray. Cover and let proof for about 5-7 hours. It’s winter and it took 7 hours for mine to rise.
This is how they looked like after proofing. Puffed up and softer dough. It’s time to heat up the oil now. In a deep pot bring oil to medium-high heat. ( if you have a thermometer it should be around 180 C) I don’t have one so I always use a tester fritter 😉
Make the glaze before frying and keep it ready
Once oil is hot drop one fritter or two at a time and fry turning until deep chocolate color is achieved. I like mine crispier. Once cooked, let the excess oil drain for about 30 seconds and dip both sides with glaze. Leave the fritter on a wire rack placed on a tray
Do this while still hot, so excess glaze is dripped off leaving a thin coating. You can reuse the glaze dripping.
Let these cool. As they cool, the glaze will firm up and become less sticky. Now take a good bite out of one, close your eyes and thank yourself!
There are several ways to make a glaze, choose your favorite:
- Using just water and icing sugar
- Using milk powder, water, icing sugar, vanilla
- Using condensed milk, water, icing sugar (I went with this as I had some leftover condensed milk )
- using lemon juice, icing sugar
Make sure the glaze is thick but runny. If it is too thick, add a drop of water and if it is too watery, add a table spoon or so icing sugar.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 250 g flour (all purpose) and more for dusting
- 1 small egg
- 40 g castor sugar
- 2 tablespoons of butter softened
- 70 ml full fat milk ( extra if needed)
- 100 g fed starter
For the apples
- 2 big honey crisp apples (use any type of apple)
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/8 cups castor sugar ( or more if you like it sweeter)
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp water/milk
- 1 tbsp milk powder
- (Use 4 tbsp condensed milk instead of water and milk powder)
Instructions
- Weigh everything for the dough into a bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until incorporated
- Mix on medium until dough is developed (for about a minute), add water or flour to adjust consistency
- Take dough out onto a floured surface and fold (slap and fold) several times to form a smoother dough ball
- Dough should be soft, slightly sticky
- Place in a bowl, cover and let ferment for several hours ( 5-7 hours or until you see it expanded a bit and air bubbles formed) You’d feel dough fluffier than it used to
- Now punch it down or rather round it up to a smooth ball. Surface is much silkier now and less sticky
- Place in the same container, cover and refrigerate (mini 8 hours/ overnight)
- Make the apple mixture in the meantime
- Peel and core the apples, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- Melt butter in a saucepan, add the apples along with cinnamon and sugar
- Cook stirring for about 10 -12 minutes until apples are a bit softer and syrup thickens and coated the apple pieces
- Let cool and refrigerate if using following day
- Next day or when you are ready to make the fritters, bring both dough and apples to room temperature
- Prepare a tray with a parchment dusted generously with flour, set aside
- Dough can stand for a few hours until it thaws and start to ferment again. If you didn’t see a lot of action in the first proof, this is a good time to let the dough ferment a bit further
- Flour a bench surface and roll out the dough ( 1 cm thickness roughly, it doesn’t matter really)
- Scatter the apple pieces on the dough, press lightly and roll to form a log.
- Using a sharp knife or scrapper, cut the log in to slices and repeat length wise
- The idea is to incorporate apple bits into the dough. The cutting action would cut the apples and force them into the dough
- Now use your fingers to mix everything and form the messy dough into a log again
- Use flour to stop it sticking
- Once a log is formed, divide into 8-10 pieces (you can decide how big or small)
- Take one piece at a time, on to your palm, form in to a disk, tuck any lose apple pieces in and place on the tray
- This doesn’t have to look pretty nor perfect
- Once done cover the tray and leave aside for the final proof
- This might take 5-7 hours
- When ready, they will look puffed up and dough will be fluffier and softer
- Make the quick glaze and have it ready
- Heat oil in a deep pot ( 180 C – medium-high temperature)
- Drop one/ two fritter at a time and fry turning (about 1 minute each side) until deep chocolate color is achieved.
- Let excess oil drain ( 30 seconds) and dip both sides in the glaze while fritter is still hot( you can choose to drizzle instead)
- Leave on a wire rack so excess glaze can drip away. Place a tray underneath to catch the dripping glaze and you can reuse it
- Once done let then cool
- As they cool, the glaze will set and harden.
- Enjoy!!
Notes
You can easily double the recipe
25 comments
Another delicious recipe! All my friends are jealous.
😀 Thank you. I am glad you liked it!
Your fritters look amazing. We’ve made apple fritters a few times using a different recipe and they break apart like crazy. The look perfect going into the oil and even while they fry on one side but as soon as we flip them gently over they just break apart into little pieces:(
How do yours look so perfect and stay together?
We are looking forward to making our fritters tomorrow!
I have never had my fritters break part or split. they are quite firm.
The dough holds everything nicely.
This is our first time making your recipe and look forward to making them tomorrow. How do you keep the fritters from seperating while frying? Every time we’ve made other recipes for fritters they completely break apart when we flip them while frying:(
This recipe used a dough instead of a batter so everything hold together.
It was almost like frying a donut and I never has any of mine separated.
This is the only recipe I have tried. A few had tried this recipe and they didn’t mention any separating, so hopefully everything will be good
Thank you for your response. We made the fritters this morning and they didn’t fall apart while frying!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe we’ve been hunting for, they were amazing!
I am ecstatic to hear that, honestly 🙂
Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Thanks for the amazing recipe. So easy to follow and the results were fabulous!!!
Thanks 🙂
I’m hoping to freeze some as i (Perhaps foolishly) doubled the recipe.
Would You recommend doing it before or after cooking?
Thank you!!!!
Oops!! 🙂
Difficult question to answer, I have not done tried freezing.
I feel like freezing before would be wiser, I have seen frozen row donuts
fingers crossed!!
Oh my goodness!
First batch was scrumptious.
Put the second into freezer before rise/fry. Will let you know how it turns out.
Thank you!!!!!!
That is awesome! high five!!! 🙂
Yes, please do let me know how the second(frozen) batch turns out. I am curious.
Buongiorno, non è possibile avere la traduzione in italiano di questa ricetta?
Grazie
Scusate. Non parlo italiano. Puoi provare il traduttore di Google. 😉
Cheers!
Overnight thaw and rise made scrumptious can’t just eat one sour dough apple fritters.
Thank you again for your lovely recipe <3
Agreed, can’t stop with just one 😀
These are pretty amazing! We loved them. Thank you for a great recipe!
You are welcome! So glad to hear that Jessica 😀
This recipe is awesome! First try and they came out perfect. Quick question- what type of oil do you recommend frying these in?
I use canola oil. Vegetable oil, sunflower etc. work too.
I’m glad you like the recipe 🙂
These look fantastic and my daughter just gifted me with my first sourdough starter. This will be one of the first things I make! 🙂
Has anyone tried “frying” them in an air fryer? I would rather not use oil, but not sure if the air fryer is even an option? Maybe baking?
Hopefully someone who tried will reply. If not, I think they could be air-fried just like normal doughnuts. I haven’t done this so I can’t be sure.
I think air-frying would be better than baking.
Hope you’ll end up making them. Let me know how it all went. Would love your feedback.
Cheers 🙂
Vindi
Made the dough as directed,but didn’t want to fry so I did an egg wash, then sprayed lightly with olive oil before putting in air fryer/convection oven for 12-15 minutes at 370 F they are a little different consistency than an apple fritter, but they taste wonderful – nice fluffy bread with hunks of apple.