Sourdough Apple Fritters (2024)

Dough

• 1 c (275g)unfed sourdough starter from fridge
• 1 1/4 c (160g) all purpose flour
• 1/4 c (60g) water see notes below
• 1 ½ tsp (7g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (4g) salt
• ½ tsp (3g) cinnamon
• ¼ tsp (2g) ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp (1g) ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup (50g) sugar
• 1 egg

Apples

• 2 large Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored, and chopped to ¼ inch pieces
• 3 tbsp (40g) unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp (12g) sugar
• ½ tsp (3g) cinnamon

Frying

• 3 cups (650g) canola oil

Glaze

• ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp (15g) oatmilk or other dairy or unsweetened non-dairy milk, this is what I had on hand

• The night before you want to make the fritters, mix the flour and sourdough starter together until thoroughly combined. Depending on your starter hydration, you can add up to 1/4 cup water to get consistency right. Then cover and let rest in a warm spot (I use the oven with the light on) overnight to let the starter do its thing.

• The next morning, take your starter and flour mix, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer, and add in the remaining ingredients from dough section (baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sugar, and egg. Using paddle attachment, mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Then cover, set aside for 30 minutes while you prep the apples.

• In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat, then add chopped apples, cinnamon, and sugar. You're going to stir this occasionally, for roughly 10 minutes until apples soften up and begin to release some of their juices.

• Strain apples and allow them to cool off a bit. While you're waiting for them to cool, add canola oil to large pot and heat over medium heat until temperature reaches 350 degrees. Use a meat or candy thermometer to test. While monitoring temperature, add cooled apples to the dough and stir to incorporate.

• Once oil has reached frying temperature, take a cookie scoop or spoon and carefully drop 1/4 cup sized dollops of the apple fritter dough mixture into oil. Fry for up to 2 minutes per side, checking frequently to assess color. You're going for golden brown, and they can quickly burn so keep a close eye on them!

• Once both sides are browned, carefully remove the fritters from the oil with a slotted spoon (or anything, really. I used grill tongs!) and transfer to a plate covered with paper towels so the fritters can drain off excess oil.

• Once all of the fritters are fried, transfer them to a serving plate, quickly whisk up the powdered sugar and milk for a glaze, and drizzle. Serve immediately, or flash freeze extras for longer term storage!

• I initially made these in Fall 2021 with an 80% hydration starter, and the original recipe reflected that — I mixed 1 cup starter and 1 cup flour together the night before baking. After hearing some folks say this seemed too dry for them, I retested in Winter 2024 with a new 65% hydration starter (my current baking preference) and indeed found that I needed to add 1/4 cup water to the overnight mixture! Recipe is updated to reflect that, and thank you to everyone who mentioned the issue they had!
• I tried baking a couple to see if they would turn out alright, but they ended up more like apple cookies. If you’re not a fan of fried foods, I can’t personally vouch for how they will bake — I would look for another recipe!
• You can reserve the juices from cooking the apples and add a bit of milk to that and use for the glaze. Someone mentioned they did that and I tested it in my recent retest of this and it was fantastic!