Baked Gluten Free Apple Fritter Donut Food

GLUTEN FREE APPLE FRITTERS RECIPE

Steps:

• Peel and chop apples to the size of blueberries or small grapes. Pat the pieces dry if they are very juicy. Set aside. Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss the apples in the dry mixture bowl to coat, then set aside. In a larger mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients through melted coconut oil. Once mixed, stir in the dry-apple mixture, adding the apple cider by pouring on top. Stir to combine well, but do not over-mix. The dough should hold together easily when scooped with a spoon; if it is too dry, add more apple cider by the tablespoon until the consistency is right. Heat 3 cups of vegetable oil in a large pot -- or enough to cover the bottom of your pot to about 3 inches. Heat on medium-high to a temperature of 325 F. If you do not have a thermometer to test the oil, drop a small amount of batter into hot oil to test: if it burns quickly, the oil is too hot; if it bubbles as pictured in the video -- and the fritter begins to gently brown and float -- the temperature should be right. Once the oil is the proper temperature, drop 1/3 cup spoonfuls of batter into the oil, leaving enough room between them so they are not touching. Once the underside of each fritter has browned nicely, use tongs to flip the fritter over to cook on the other side. Total cook time should be around 3-4 minutes. Remove to drain on paper towels on a wire rack or plate and repeat with remaining batter. Once cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl. The glaze should be thin but not watery. Place one fritter inside the glaze bowl and turn over to coat on all sides; remove to a plate and repeat with remaining fritters. Serve immediately or anytime on the day you make them; if serving later, allow glaze to set, then place in a container with a lid to keep the fritters crisp.

GLUTEN FREE APPLE FRITTERS

Steps:

• Dough:
• In a medium bowl, combine gluten free flour blend, guar gum, salt, and sugar and stir to combine. Set aside.
• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk for approximately 1 minute or until the temperature is around 110 degrees F. Add the yeast and gently stir until combined. Set aside for 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl (I like to use my stand mixer for this) add the butter and eggs and beat until combined. Add the milk with yeast and stir to combine (your milk should have a foamy mixture on top where the yeast is growing. If this didn't happen your milk could've been too hot or your yeast is no longer good. You will have to start over or your dough won't rise!). Add your flour mixture to the milk and butter mixture and stir for 2-3 minutes.
• Using a spatula, scrap the dough from the edges of the bowl to form a ball in the center. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm location for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. I use the 'proof' setting on my oven, which is around 100 degrees F. (Note: after your dough rises, you can place in the refrigerator overnight to use the next morning)
• Apple filling:
• While the dough is resting, in a medium skillet, melt the butter and add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and salt over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes. The apples should be softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the apples to cool.
• Assembling the fritters:
• Prepare your work space by starting with a clean surface to roll your dough on. I like to use a Silpat mat, or parchment paper to roll my dough on. Sprinkle cornstarch over the surface so your dough (which WILL be sticky) will not stick and coat your rolling pin as well. I like to keep a pile of cornstarch in the corner of my work surface so I can lightly coat my hands or rolling pin quickly if needed. The trick with cornstarch is to use what you need so the dough doesn't stick, but not so much that you alter your dough.
• You can do this in one large batch, but I'm going to walk you through splitting the dough in half and doing this twice to make it easier to work with. Take half of your risen dough and lay it on your dusted work space. Using your rolling pin, gently roll the dough out, until your dough is about 12 in. wide by 8 in. tall. Spread half of the apple mixture across half of the dough, and then fold the dough in half (it will look similar to a calzone). This is where the bench scraper comes in handy, but if you don't have one a knife will do. Make several (maybe 10-12) 1 in. vertical slices through the dough. Now come back and make another series of slices at a 45 degree angle, making several diamond shapes through the dough. (See pictures above). Using your bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Take each piece and gently press it together to form a flattened ball, about 4 in. diameter. Set these aside for 20 minutes to allow for a small rise on the dough before frying. Now take the other half of your dough and repeat.
• Heat your fryer to 350 degrees F. Only fry 1-2 fritters at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan.
• Using a slotted spoon or spider basket, gently lower the fritter into the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes, gently flip the fritter and fry another 1-2 minutes. Using your spider or slotted spoon, remove the fritter and place on a wire cooling rack with paper towel underneath to catch any grease drippings. Repeat with remaining fritters.
• In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and water and stir until smooth and no lumps remain. The consistency will be very runny, which you want so a fine layer of icing will spread over and seep down into the fritter. Using your spoon or a pastry brush, gently brush the icing over each fritter.
• Best eaten the same day, but you can store any uneaten ones (good luck!) in an airtight container.

CLASSIC APPLE FRITTER DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• For the dough: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the yeast, either active dry or instant, to the 1/2 warm water. Add the 2 teaspoons of sugar, stir and let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, mace and salt. Set aside.
• When yeast is ready, add the shortening, egg and vanilla and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed for 1 minute (to break up the shortening). Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add a second third of the flour mixture and again, mix until combined. Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour mixture. Knead with the hook until all that flour is incorporated. Now start adding flour in 1 Tbsp. increments, until the dough comes together, clears the bottom of the bowl and is becoming smooth. Knead on medium for about 2 minutes more. The dough should be smooth and but still a bit moist (but not sticky).
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set-aside to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
• Meanwhile, make the apple filling. Place the diced apples, sugar and lemon juice into a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated and the apples are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl to cool completely before using.
• When bread has finished it's first rise, remove to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10-inch x 10-inch square. Sprinkle the apples over one half of the dough. Sprinkle the 1 Tbsp. cinnamon evenly over the apples and then sprinkle with the 1 Tbsp. flour. Fold the empty side of the dough over the side with the apples. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 1/2-inch wide strips from top to bottom. Repeat cutting 1/2-inch strips from side to side, so you end up with small chunks of dough. Gather up the dough bits and cut some more, from different directions, until it is in small chunks and evenly mixed with cinnamon/apples/dough etc.
• Using floured hands, roughly shape into a 12-inch long x 3-inch wide log. Cut the log into 1 inch slices. With each slice, roughly pat into a disc, about the size of your palm (use some additional flour, as needed, if your dough is sticky). Place the dough discs onto a parchment lined or floured baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches of room around each. Repeat with all 12 dough pieces. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed on the under-side with baking spray and set-aside to rise until doubled again, about 30-45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Add the icing sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the water and white granulated sugar to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 minute. Add this mixture to the bowl with the icing sugar and whisk until all the sugar and has been incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
• When dough is about ready to cook, heat oil in a deep fryer to 370° (alternately, use a heavy deep pot and a thermometer to monitor temperature). Fry each donut until deep golden on the underside (1 1/2 - 2 minutes), flip over and fry the other side. (*time and temperature may need to vary. Watch closely the first few to determine timing. If they seem to be browning too quickly, lower temperature slightly). Remove to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet. While still quite warm, dip into prepared glaze and return to cooling rack to cool completely.