Baked Apple Fritters

Happy St.Pat’s Day to you all!

Start your ‘day after, St.Patricks Day‘ morning off right with these soft, eggy, sweet bread speckled with apples and glazed with sweet cinnamon icing. You know you will want nothing less after a long night of drinking and green glitter then homey, comfort food.

I found this recipe on Food.com and made a few changes to it but I encourage you to make these sweet pillowy treats for your next brunch occasion if you can’t get around to them this weekend BUT if you have the energy tonight or any (Friday or Saturday nights), they are great left to rise and eat first thing in the morning. Eat these warm out of the oven, with some tea and maybe some Tylenol if needed.

Baked Apple Fritters

recipe adapted from Food.com

• 3 tsp active dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water
• ¾ cup warm dairy milk
• ¼ cup butter (melted)
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 free range egg
• 2 cups peeled chopped apples, I used McIntosh

Cinnamon Maple Glaze

• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1- 1 +1/2 cups of icing sugar

Method

In a large bowl add warm milk, water and yeast. Combine well and leave for 5 minutes to proof.

Stir in butter, sugar and salt into the milk mixture making sure all the sugar is dissolved. Beat in 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour cinnamon and egg.

Add other 2 cups flour about 1/2 cup at a time. Once the dough starts to form, while it’s still sticky, I find it easier to knead on a  floured surface to combine all the flour that is needed.
Oil a large bowl with vegetable oil and let dough rest inside covered with plastic wrap and a towel. If you are eating these the next day you can leave int he refrigerator for 8-10 hours. If you want to eat them that day leave to rest about 1-1+1/2 hours.

I left my dough over night,  so I took it out about an hour before I wanted to bake it. I then prepared the apples, by peeling them and slicking them into 1/2″ cubes. If you are leaving your dough at room temperature, you can do this about 30 minutes before the rise time is due to end.

When dough has had time to rise, punch it down in the bowl and work in the apples.  Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Divide dough into thirds then each third into six. Roll between you hands to form a  smooth surface and place on baking sheet.

Cover and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F and bake fritters for about 15 minutes or until golden.

While they are baking make the glaze. Add maple syrup and cinnamon to a small bowl.  Using a fork, slowly mix in icing sugar until you have formed a thick paste.

Place a few wire racks over a large sheet of waxed paper. Once the fritters are removed from the oven, place on the wire rack s and spoon or brush glaze over the tops.