No, you don’t *have* to use crabapples for these – it’s officially apple season, and the markets abound with bins of crisp, flavourful apples – and just about any would do well here. But they do make good use of tart crabapples, which don’t need to be peeled – just slice off their cheeks, chop them a bit more if they’re big, and let the soft, sweet dough offset their tartness. It’s a delicious use for those apples that might otherwise compost themselves on your lawn.

There are many ways to make an apple fritter, and a sticky, wet, cakey batter (like this one) would definitely be easier: stir chopped apples into the batter, drop in hot oil, and voilà – cakey apple fritters. But I’m a fan of the soft yeast doughnut, and so I’m willing, if I’m going to eat fried dough, to spend the extra time letting it rise, and working the apples in.

This is the tricky, messy part. Sautéing the apples first with some brown sugar makes them a bit squishy, so you kind of have to fold the dough over the apples (plenty of recipes sprinkle the apples with flour, to make them more grippy) a few times.

Here’s how: roll out an oval or rectangle, spread the apples over half, fold the dough over and pinch it closed, and roll the dough again. Fold it over itself and shape it into a kind of rough log – the good news here is you’re not aiming for any sort of perfection – and cut it with a knife or bench scraper in one direction, then the other. Essentially you’re chopping it all into bits.

You then gather the scraps of dough and apples into little piles, flatten them into rough patties, and let them sit for a bit while you heat up some oil. Don’t worry at all about how they look – it’s these rough, nubbly edges that make them look the way apple fritters look. The key is to make sure the apple bits are more or less trapped in the dough, so that they don’t escape out into the oil as you cook them. You’ll get the hang of it. (And no need for a deep fryer – I just use an old enamel coated cast iron pot!)

Note: drizzle the glaze over your doughnuts while they’re still hot, and it will kind of melt onto the surface like a traditional doughnut shop apple fritter. If you wait a bit, the glaze will be fine but more opaque.

(Crab) Apple Fritters

AuthorJulie

Yields-6 Servings

Dough:

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry or instant yeast

1/2 cup warm water or milk

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1 large egg

1 tsp salt

Filling:

a drizzle of oil or 1-2 Tbsp butter

2 cups chopped crabapples (or apples)

2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

a shake of cinnamon

Glaze:

1 cup icing sugar

2 Tbsp butter, melted

2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey

canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and add a pinch of sugar; set aside for 5 minutes, until it gets foamy. Add the remaining sugar, flour, butter, egg and salt and stir until the dough comes together; knead (I use the dough hook of my stand mixer) for 5 minutes, or until the dough is soft and elastic, but still tacky. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for an hour.

Meanwhile, cook the butter, apples, sugar and a shake of cinnamon for 3-5 minutes, until the apples are just tender. Set aside to cool completely.

Roll or pat the dough out into a large rectangle (about 8x12-inches) and spread half with the cooled apples. Fold the other half over to cover the apples, pinch to seal and roll again until it’s about as thin as it originally was. (Don’t worry about the apple pieces poking through.) Fold it over itself and cut with a knife or bench scraper into 1/2-inch strips in both directions, chopping the log into chunks.

Flour the board or countertop and gather the dough and apples into balls, and shape into patties about the size of your palm, sprinkling with flour as they get squishy and the apples try to escape. They’ll look messy and rough — that’s OK! Put them on a parchment-lined sheet, cover with a tea towel and let rise for an hour. (They need to rise long enough to sort of puff around the apples - this will help them hold together as they cook.) To make the glaze, whisk together the icing sugar, melted butter and maple syrup.

When you’re ready to cook your fritters, heat a couple inches of oil in a deep skillet or shallow pot until it’s hot, but not smoking — if you have a thermometer, aim for about 375F. Cook the fritters a few at a time, without crowding the pot, flipping with a slotted spoon as they turn deep golden. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil, and drizzle generously with glaze while they’re still hot. Makes about a dozen fritters.

Categorybread, breakfast, snacks

Ingredients