Now that you have obtained your apples (from your neighbors, local farm, farmers market, or grocery store). It’s time to cook them apples.
Sure you can make a pie, but I think a much better approach is making apple pecan fritters with browned butter glaze. Try saying that 10 times fast.
Apples and pecans go perfectly together. Take that flavor combination and throw it into a bowl of spiced dough which is then fried and you have a pastry that will put a smile on your face for days to come.
The recipe below is part one of the fritters. The apple pecan filling and instructions are on the next page which you can access by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- .5 oz active dry yeast (two .25 oz packets)
- 4 oz water, warm
- 2 oz sugar
- 10 oz bread flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 oz unsalted butter, room temp (soft)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Add soft butter, vanilla, and egg to yeast mixture, then add the dry ingredients.
- Using the dough hook attachment, on low speed, mix dough until it forms a soft ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides and bottom of bowl. If needed, add an extra 1 Tbsp of flour to bring dough together if it’s too soft. Increase to medium speed and mix dough for 8-10 minutes. Final dough should be smooth and slightly tacky, but not sticky.
- Transfer dough to a large clean bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rest for 2 hours or until doubled in size. (If preferred, allow the dough to rise overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to use the next day, remove from fridge and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the apple filling.)
- While the dough rises, prepare the apple pecan filling and brown butter glaze (recipes below).
- Roll out dough into an 11” x 11” square (about ½” thick), on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread the cooled apple mixture onto half of the dough, then fold the other half of dough over the apples. Press down the dough edges lightly to seal.
- Using a bench scraper, or a large knife, cut the dough into 1/2-inch strips vertically and then repeat the same process horizontally across the dough (creating a checkerboard pattern). Lightly scoop up the pieces and rearrange, with the bench scraper, and repeat the process. Apples should be well dispersed throughout small pieces of dough.
- With floured hands, form the dough into a 12” x 4” log shape. Generously sprinkle the surface of the log with flour and cut into 10 pieces, around 1” thick. Scoop up and shape each piece into a small mound with floured hands. Be sure the dough and apples sticks together or it will fall apart while frying.
- Arrange dough mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil (the oil should not come more than halfway up the pan) or prepare a deep fryer with its recommended amount of oil. Heat over medium-high heat until a thermometer registers 340°F.
- Using a spatula, carefully and gently lower one or two fritters into the oil. Don’t crowd them. Fry fritters for 1-2 minutes (deeply golden) and then gently flip over to cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from oil and transfer fritters to a cooling rack, set over a baking sheet, and let cool slightly. While still warm, dip the entire rounded side of each fritter into the glaze. Flip back over and allow to finish cooling on rack. If you like a thick coating, dip the fritter a second time into the glaze after the first coating has cooled.
[nextpagelink][/nextpagelink]
