Description
Delight in these homemade Baked Apple Fritters, featuring a soft, yeasted dough filled with spiced tart apples and finished with a sweet vanilla glaze. Perfectly golden-baked, they offer a delicious twist on the classic fried fritter with a tender texture and a burst of cinnamon apple flavor.
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
- ⅓ 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 to activate the yeast.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine bread flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, mace, and salt. Mix well to distribute all dry components evenly.
- Combine dough ingredients: Add shortening, egg, vanilla extract, and the foamy yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly to form a sticky dough.
- Knead the dough: On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 6–8 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- First rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Prepare the apples: Toss the chopped apples with sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Set aside to macerate and soften while the dough rises.
- Shape fritters: Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out to about ½-inch thickness on a floured surface.
- Add apple filling: Evenly spread the macerated apples over the rolled dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of bread flour over the apples.
- Fold and cut: Fold the dough over the apples and gently press to seal. Cut into 12 equal pieces for individual fritters.
- Second rise: Place the fritters on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise for 30 minutes to puff up slightly before baking.
- Preheat the oven: Set oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking.
- Bake: Bake the fritters for 18–22 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through, checking to ensure a tender crumb and slightly crisp exterior.
- Prepare the glaze: Whisk together confectioners sugar, light corn syrup, salt, vanilla extract, white sugar, and water until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more water or sugar as needed for drizzling.
- Finish and serve: Drizzle the warm glaze over the freshly baked fritters. Serve warm for the best taste and texture.
Notes
- Be sure to use tart apples like Granny Smith for the best balance of sweetness and tartness.
- If you prefer a nuttier spice, mace can be substituted with nutmeg.
- Make sure the yeast water mixture is warm, not hot, to avoid killing the yeast.
- Adding the bread flour to the apple mixture helps absorb excess moisture for a less soggy filling.
- These fritters can be reheated in a warm oven to regain some crispness.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute shortening with vegetable oil and confirm your sugar choices are vegan.
