Description
Delight in these homemade baked apple fritters featuring a soft yeast dough filled with tart apples, cinnamon, and a sweet glaze. Lightly baked for a tender, flavorful treat, these fritters balance the warmth of spices with a subtle glaze perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (14 g) active dry or instant yeast
- ½ cup (120 ml) warm water
- 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
- 2 cups (250 g) bread flour, spooned and leveled (can substitute all-purpose flour)
- ¼ cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon mace (or substitute nutmeg)
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 2 Tablespoons (30 g) shortening or lard (can substitute vegetable oil)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Apple Filling
- 2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into ½-inch pieces
- ¼ cup (50 g) white sugar
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon bread flour
Glaze
- 2 cups (280 g) confectioners/icing sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons light corn syrup or golden syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- â…“ cup (80 ml) water
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in warm water. Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy, indicating the yeast is active.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine bread flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, mace (or nutmeg), and salt. Stir well to blend the flavors evenly.
- Combine wet and dry: Add shortening, egg, vanilla extract, and the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until a sticky dough forms.
- Knead dough: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking but keeping the dough slightly tacky.
- First rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Prepare apple filling: While the dough rises, toss chopped apples with sugar and lemon juice to macerate and develop flavor.
- Roll out dough: After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it on a floured surface to about ½-inch thickness.
- Assemble fritters: Spread the apple mixture evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of bread flour to help absorb moisture.
- Seal the dough: Fold the dough over the apples gently press to seal the edges, and avoid apple filling spilling out.
- Cut pieces: Slice the filled dough into 12 equal pieces for individual fritters.
- Second rise: Arrange fritters on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let them rise for 30 minutes to achieve a light texture.
- Preheat oven and bake: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake fritters for 18–22 minutes until golden brown and fully cooked through.
- Prepare glaze: While fritters bake, whisk together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla extract, white sugar, and water until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more water or sugar as needed.
- Glaze and serve: Drizzle the warm fritters with the prepared glaze and serve immediately for the best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Use tart apples like Granny Smith for a good balance of sweet and tangy flavor that holds up well when baked.
- Ensure the water for activating the yeast is warm, not hot, to avoid killing the yeast.
- Kneading dough well is key to a light, tender texture in the fritters.
- Do not overfill with apples to prevent dough from tearing or leaking.
- Glaze can be adjusted to personal sweetness preference by modifying the amount of sugar or water.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute shortening with vegetable oil.
- These fritters are best served warm fresh from the oven but can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
