Today's post achieves two feats: the first being it memorializes the conquering of my fear of frying things in hot oil, and two, it documents this recipe for delectable sourdough apple fritters. If you have a glut of apples on your counter from a festive day of apple picking, this is a great way to use some of them up!
Recipe here, and more information after the jump. I’ve been on the internet long enough to know that the most common gripe with food blogs is that the blogger rambles on for too long before sharing the recipe. But if you happen to enjoy rambles, there will be some below!
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Apple Fritters
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 c (275g) unfed sourdough starter from fridge
- 1 ¼ c (160g) all purpose flour
- ¼ c (60g) water see notes below
- 1 ½ teaspoon (7g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (4g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (3g) cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (2g) ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
- 1 egg
Apples
- 2 large Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored, and chopped to ¼ inch pieces
- 3 tablespoon (40g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (12g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon (3g) cinnamon
Frying
- 3 cups (650g) canola oil
Glaze
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) oatmilk or other dairy or unsweetened non-dairy milk, this is what I had on hand
Instructions
- 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 ¼ 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 ¼ 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!
Notes
- 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 ¼ 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!
Nutrition
I know one of the common complaints about apple fritters -- what’s the point? Why would anyone knowingly reach for an apple fritter at a donut shop when presented with all manner of delectable donuts coated in the most imaginative toppings? But time and time again I order an apple fritter and relish in the doughy glory, the little tart bites of apple, and the sweet, sticky glaze.
The only reason I haven’t made them before is...I’m scared of frying things in hot oil! Chalk it up to an unfortunate fried plantain escapade 10 years ago when I made said plantains and then proceeded to clean up -- by putting the frying pan in the sink and turning the water on.
Big. Mistake.
I learned my lesson the hard way that you never, ever, EVER, under any circumstances, pour water in a pan of scalding hot oil. Because let me tell you, that stuff will splatter like there's no tomorrow.
Now, at the mere whiff of potential oil splatter, I shriek and leap away from the stove. But the 20 lbs of apples from a recent apple picking outing was looming large over my head, well, on my counter, and I had apple fritters on the brain. So I put on my big girl pants and set out to make one of my favorite fall treats.
I knew I wanted to incorporate sourdough because I’m always on the hunt for ways to use up sourdough discard from my bread baking. If you’re looking for tips on sourdough bread for beginners, that post has everything you need to get started!
The resulting sourdough apple fritters have the perfect mix of tang from the sourdough discard, tart from the Honeycrisp apples, and sweetness from the glaze. I personally love baked goods that are not too sweet so I intentionally kept the sugar on the lower side. Also, cooking the apples first before adding them to the batter results in a much softer overall finished product. Some apple fritter recipes I've seen call for simply adding the chopped apples straight to the batter without cooking them first, but that's not my style.
This recipe makes roughly 18 fritters depending on what you use to drop them in. I used this nifty little cookie scoop and it worked like a charm! I brought a big plate of these out to the team of guys putting a new roof on our house this week and they gobbled them right up so I think it's safe to say this is definitely a recipe that's getting added to my fall baking repertoire.
If you try this, I'd love to hear what you think!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great way to enjoy other kinds of pastries with sourdough!
Amy Bauer says
I'm a sucker for incorporating sourdough starter into baked goods!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a fun one to make for weekend brunch!
Amy Bauer says
Yes! They've been a hit at our house. Can't wait to make them again!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Amy Bauer says
They only lasted two days in our house, but I am a big fan of flash freezing any baked good and then thawing out as needed. I haven't tried it with these yet, though!
Carol says
The direction don't include adding cooled apple to the dough before frying.
Amy Bauer says
Thank you for letting me know, Carol! I've updated the recipe to reflect this important step that my mom brain managed to overlook. Appreciate it!
Carol says
The direction don't include adding cooled apples to the dough before frying.
Amy Bauer says
Thank you for the heads up, Carol! Fixed it. I appreciate you letting me know 🙂
Kourtney says
Hi! I made these tonight for my husband! They taste amazing! But I have one thing to add, do not throw out the apple "juices" after they were in the skillet. Save that and instead add the powdered sugar to that and put it on top. So good that way! Just my suggestion. Other than that, I'll be making these alllllll the time!
Amy Bauer says
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that! Great suggestion 🙂
Joannie says
Sounds good too
Melanie Maxwell says
My kids are loving these! They picked some honey crisp apples with their grandma so I’ve been finding ways to use them up. I used half active starter and half discard because that’s what I had on hand. I left out the baking powder and they are perfect.
Amy Bauer says
I love how forgiving active/discard combinations can be. Use what you have! Thanks for sharing!
Ruth says
These look so good! In the first step, 160g seems like more than 1 cup of flour…..isn’t AP flour usually 120g for 1 cup? I’m making them right now and went with 160g, but it seems like very dry dough! Crossing my fingers that they come out okay!
Amy Bauer says
Hi Ruth! My mom brain mistyped — I'll update to reflect 1 1/4 cups, as I use 160g when I make these!
Deb says
1 and 1/4.cups flour was super dry and needed kneading to incorporate.. should i add liquid? This is supposed to be gooey droppable dough?
Amy Bauer says
Updated this in notes! As I originally wrote it, I was using a very high hydration starter and my mixture didn't require additional water. But I just retested this week with a 65% hydration starter (I baked my old one, oops!) and found I needed to add 1/4 cup water. Updated recipe to reflect this — thank you!
Pj says
I thought one cup of flour was 125 gm not 160?? I'm going to use the 160 but I get so 😕 confused when recipes call for different weights for one cup of flour.
Amy Bauer says
Hi PJ! My new-mom brain wrote it incorrectly — I've updated to reflect 1 1/4c flour! Thank you!
Pj says
No liquid in the levain??
Stephanie N says
How my starter do I use if mine is already fed and active?
Kay Ludlum says
This is by far the BEST Apple fritter recipe I have found!
Bonus, it uses my sourdough.
This will be the only recipe used from now on in our house!
Amy Bauer says
I'm so happy to hear that, Kay! Anything that uses up excess sourdough discard is a win in my book. Thank you for taking the time to share 🙂
Catherine says
Is there any way to bake them rather than frying?
Amy Bauer says
I haven't tried, but I don't see why not! Unsure about timing but maybe look for a baked apple fritters recipe and try those!
Amy Bauer says
I tried this in a recent retest and they came out more like....apple cookies. My husband ate the two that I tested it on and liked them, but I can't in good conscience recommend baking them as I wasn't impressed!
Cat says
No liquid in the levain?
Amy Bauer says
Updated this in notes! As I originally wrote it, I was using a very high hydration starter and my mixture didn't require additional water. But I just retested this week with a 65% hydration starter (I baked my old one, oops!) and found I needed to add 1/4 cup water. Updated recipe to reflect this — thank you!
Keira says
These look amazing! One fo my favorites! I need to try to make these.
Melissa says
I'm curious about step 1, do you really not add any liquid with the flour and starter? I just mixed mine and it made a very shaggy dough that wouldn't even come together. I ended up adding a splash of water, but it's still very dense. What texture is your dough after this step?
Amy Bauer says
Updated this in notes! As I originally wrote it, I was using a very high hydration starter and my mixture didn't require additional water. But I just retested this week with a 65% hydration starter (I baked my old one, oops!) and found I needed to add 1/4 cup water. Updated recipe to reflect this — thank you!
Felicia says
Ok, so my husband uttered a string of happy exclamatory profanities and said these are the best apple fritters he’s ever eaten! I did double the glaze just to fully cover, but the sweet apples and glaze combined with the crispy edges is the best!
Amy Bauer says
I'm so happy to hear that, Felicia!
Jessica R. says
Can you include in your recipe how the consistency of the dough should be? Should it form a dough ball? Be wet or shaggy? I have never made these before so I want to make sure I do it right
Amy Bauer says
I'll edit to add that, it's a shaggy dough. If too dry, add a bit more water.
Jessica R. says
Thank you! They came out delicious, my husband couldn't stop 😂
Dominic says
I don’t get 80% hydration starter and 65% hydration starter. I’ve been baking sourdough for 40 years and I’ve never seen any starter other than 100% starter, meaning it contains equal parts of flour and water. For 275 grams of starter to be 65%, you would have 108 grams of water and 167 grams of flour; and, 80% would be 122 and 153, respectively. I calculated the batter as 64% hydration. I’m very confused.
Amy Bauer says
Hi Dominic! Thanks for explaining the bakers math, you are far more experienced than I am, and I'm merely trying to explain that I use a stiffer starter as opposed to more liquid ones. It's personal preference, and Perfect Loaf and King Arthur both have good explanations for stiff starter if you're curious to read more!
Katrina Anthony says
Thank you so much for this recipe. Mine turned out amazing❤️
Shaneé says
I made the starter/flour mix and then proceeded to read on and it says make night before. If I made the mix at 6am, when is the soonest I can I use it?
Kym says
I was looking for that answer as well because I’d prefer not to start the night before.
Amy Bauer says
That should work fine! It's fairly forgiving, but you might not get as much of the sourdough taste coming through. Wow apologies for the delayed response — sometimes comments get hung up in the system and I just did a bunch of updates.