Oliebollen

Makes : 2 dozen mini fried doughs

Fluffy balls of dough studded with apple and currants, fried to golden perfection and tossed in spiced sugar.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 1/3 cup (50 grams) currants
• 1 tablespoon of rum
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (255 mls) warm full fat milk
• pinch sugar
• 1 teaspoon active dried yeast
• 300 grams all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup (125 grams) diced apple (approx. 1 large eating apple)
• 2 tablespoons diced candied peel

For cooking and coating:

• 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• canola oil for frying (approx. 2 litres)

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Bowls and spoons
• Deep fryer OR
• A large heavy bottomed saucepan and a candy thermometer
• Medium cookie scoop or two large dessert spoons
• Wire rack lined with paper towels

Directions:

Mix the currants and rum in a small microwave safe bowl. Zap them for 30 seconds, give them a stir, and give them 30 more seconds in the microwave. Put the bowl to one side to cool down a bit. You now have rum infused currants.

Warm the milk and add a pinch of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over and leave until it forms a foamy layer on top – about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, sugar, currants, diced apple and chopped peel. Dice your apple into half inch pieces. Peel or not as you please.

Add the yeasty milk to the dry ingredients and beat with a wooden spoon to combine thoroughly. It will be a sticky unattractive bowl of goo.

Cover and leave to double in size – about an hour.

Using a deep fryer or a large heavy saucepan on the stove-top, heat oil to 180C (350F). Use a candy thermometer if you are working on the stove-top so you can keep an eye on the temperature.

Set out a wire rack lined with paper towels. Mix the sugar and spices in a shallow bowl ready to coat the oliebollen.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop off portions of dough from the bowl. Dip the scoop in the hot oil first to coat it and then scoop the dough. If you don’t have a cookie scoop you can use two large dessert spoons – one to scoop and the other to scrape the dough off into the oil.

Be careful not to overload your fryer/pan. I can get 8 to 10 small doughs into my 5 litre casserole at a time.

Fry fro 90 seconds to 2 minutes on each side. The oliebollen should be dark golden brown all over.

Transfer to the paper towels to drain and continue frying the remainder of the dough.

Coat each one in spiced sugar and serve immediately. If you don’t think you can eat them all at once, only coat as many as you will eat.

While a cold next-day oliebollen isn’t quite as good as a soft warm one they are still bloody good with a cuppa. Just coat with sugar just before eating.

Cook’s Notes:

• You can mix up the fruits in these oliebollen – they are delicious with only apple if you are not on team dried fruit!
• Be careful when frying – make sure you have all your equipment ready before you start so you can focus on the task at hand.

 – These doughs are best within a few hours of frying – if you want to eat them up to the next day hold of coating them in sugar until just before eating – 

Adapted from Delicious December by Peter G. Rose.

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