Arctic Apple Fritters

“If there’s a deep-fried piece of dough to be had, especially in sub-zero Arctic temperatures, we are on it,” says Lindsay Anderson & Dana VanVeller, authors of Feast: Recipes & Stories from a Canadian Road Trip. “We dutifully visited Gypsy’s restaurant, an institution in Churchill, and purchased both apple and pineapple fritters. This recipe was developed in honour of those delectable doughnuts, consumed with snow on our boots and toques on our heads.” 

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Arctic Apple Fritters

Course Dessert

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

DOUGH:

• ½ cup (125 mL) warm water
• 2 tbsp (25 g) white sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) active dry yeast
• 3 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling
• 1 tbsp (12 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) buttermilk, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp (43 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 egg lightly beaten

APPLE FILLING:

• 3 tbsp (43 g) unsalted butter
• 3 tart apples (530 g whole) such as Granny Smith peeled and finely diced
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup
• 1 ½ tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp salt

GLAZE:

• 1 ½ cups (173 g) icing sugar
• 3 to 4 tbsp (45 to 60 mL) half-and-half
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 to 5 cups (1 to 1.25 L) canola oil, for frying

Instructions

• For the dough, mix the warm water and sugar in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Sprinkle in the yeast, stir gently, and let sit 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Once the yeast is foamy, stir in the buttermilk, butter, and egg. Mix in the flour, 1 cup (150 at a time, with a wooden spoon, or dough hook if using a stand mixer. Mix thoroughly, adding extra flour a bit at a time if the dough is too sticky. Knead (by hand or with the mix until you have a soft, smooth, and gently elastic dough. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• While the dough is rising, prepare the apple filling. Melt the 3 tbsp (43 of butter in a large frying pan over medium-low heat, then add the apple, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Stir frequently for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the apples have softened. Removed from the heat and let cool.
• Once the dough has risen, press it down, then turn it out onto a floured surface. Sprinkling with flour to prevent it from sticking, roll out the dough into a 9-x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) rectangle. With the longer edges of the rectangle at the top and bottom, spread two-thirds of the apple filling on one side of the rectangle. Fold the other half of the dough over it and seal the edges. Turn the dough so the longer sides are on the top and bottom again. Spread the remaining one-third of the apple mixture on one side, fold the dough over, and seal once again. Now you have a layered square of dough filled with chunks of apple.
• Sprinkle a generous amount of flour over a baking sheet and set aside. Using a knife or bench cutter, cut the dough so you have about 48 small squares. Gather four squares at a time and press them together to form one fritter. Don’t worry if they look a bit rough or the apples have to be pressed back in- you want a crater-like surface for these. Once all the fritters are formed, place them on the prepared baking sheet, cover very loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise.
• While the fritters are rising, fill a large pot with about 4 inches (10 cm) of oil and heat to 360F (182C). In a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, half and half, vanilla and cinnamon for the glaze.
• Lay out a baking sheet and place a cooling rack on top of it. When the oil is hot, gently drop the fritters in one or two at a time, depending on the size of the pot (they shouldn’t crowd each other). Fry until golden brown on one side, then flip over and fry until golden brown on one side, then flip over and fry until golden brown on the other, 3 to 4 minutes in total. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the cooling racks.
• Once the fritters have cooled enough to handle, dip one side into the glaze, shake off the excess, and place it back on the rack, glazed side up. The glaze shouldn’t coat the fritters too thickly, once you start dipping with warm doughnuts into it, you’ll know if you need to add more cream to thin it out. Repeat until all the fritters are fried and glazed.
• These are best consumed the day they’re made!

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