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.