Apple Fritters; the adult version of monkey bread kicked up a notch.

Pre-celiac, when I bought donuts (which I did often) I always looked for the apple fritter first.   Maybe because it is bigger than all the rest… but apple fritters are my favorite of all the donuts, with the others following close behind.   Knowing this, my daughter found a great recipe and we tweaked it to match our dietary restrictions and taste.

Normally, I am a throw it all in a bowl and mix type cook but with this recipe make sure you follow the steps to ensure you get the best texture, look and taste.

Step 1:  Make your dough

2.75 cups Tom Sawyer Gluten Free Flour
1 packet gluten-free instant yeast
3 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk (baby bottle warm)
1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
4 Tbsp sweet cream butter (softened)

Add 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt.  Slightly mix and then add the warm milk, vanilla, and egg yolks.  Mix until smooth adding the additional flour and butter a little at a time until the dough is soft, sticky but smooth looking.

Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rise in a warm spot for a minimum of 1 hour.

Step 2:

While the dough is rising make your apples.

3 large crisp apples cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 TBSP sweet cream butter

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the apples and seasonings.  Cook, stirring occasionally until tender and the liquid becomes syrup like; approximately 10 minutes.  Set aside and let it cook while the dough continues to rise.

Step 3:

Roll out dough on a floured surface or using your Silpat about 1/2 inch thick.

Step 4:

Spread your apple mixture onto half the dough just like you were making a very large apple turnover.

Pay attention this is where it gets important (sorry no photos as we were very focused on what we were doing)

With a bench scraper or large knife cut the dough with apples into 1/2 inch strips, then cut again using a diagonal pattern and again going the other direction.   What you should end up with is a mess.   The dough will be in cubes among the apples in odd shaped that should be no larger than 1-inch cubes. If you see a really large piece of dough cut in half.

Step 5:

Flour your hands (keeping a pile by the side of your dough to re-flour when needed) scoop the dough together and arrange it on your work area or Silpat into a loaf shape like you would for a french bread (about 3 inches wide)

Step 6:

Coat two baking sheets with flour

Cut the loaf you just made into 12 equal parts.  take each section and smash together lightly making sure all your apples are secure in the dough and it isn’t falling apart.  Place each “Patty” on a baking sheet.

Cover with plastic wrap and put back in a warm place to rise another 20-30 minutes

Step 6:

while the dough is rising a second time get your deep fryer ready to go at 350 degrees.

Also, get your glaze ready.

This is so important.  In the past I would just put a plain powdered sugar glaze on these but by adding this simple change, it made a huge difference.

Glaze:

2 cups powered sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla

add water to thin out.  You want it fairly thin to cover the fritter evenly.

Step 7:

Frying the fritter.   Simply take the fritter using a slotted metal (heat-resistant) spoon and lower it into the fryer.   Depending on the thickness this will take 2-3 minutes on each side.  make sure you flip it.    Place it on paper towels to let drain and slightly cool.

Step 8:

While warm dip the fritter, both sides into glaze and set on parchment paper.   Best enjoyed fresh and warm.

Just look at these pictures.   The texture you get is amazing, they pull apart and are light and fluffy and flavorful and all the cracks soak up the glaze.   These were just amazing, I could have eaten all 12 of them myself, definitely a keeper.    And despite the fact that they look hard and complicated they were very easy and the reward is well worth the work.

Enjoy!

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