Oliebollen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Heavy 4-liter pot or Dutch oven
• •Cooking thermometer
• •Slotted spoon
• •Wire rack or paper-lined tray
• •Ice cream scoop or two large spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the fruit

   Put the raisins and currants in a bowl and cover them with warm water for fifteen minutes, adding the rum or orange juice if you like. Drain them very well, then spread them on a clean towel and pat them dry. Wet fruit makes the oil complain; dry fruit disappears into the batter like it belongs there.

2. 2

   Mix the batter

   In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk the lukewarm milk with the eggs and melted butter, then beat this into the flour until you have a thick, elastic batter. It should be looser than bread dough and heavier than pancake batter, able to drop from a spoon in a slow ribbon.

3. 3

   Fold and rise

   Fold in the dried raisins, currants, and diced apple. Cover the bowl and let the batter rise in a warm place for about one hour, until swollen, bubbly, and almost doubled. Do not rush this. The yeast is doing the lifting, and an impatient oliebol lands in the oil as a lump.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Pour the oil into a heavy pot so it comes no more than halfway up the sides, and heat it to 180C. Set a rack or paper-lined tray nearby. If you do not have a thermometer, drop in a small spoonful of batter: it should rise steadily and turn golden in about three minutes, not brown at once and not sink sadly to the bottom.

   Keep children and loose sleeves away from the pan. New Year is festive enough without a burn, and hot oil does not forgive theatrical movement.
5. 5

   Fry in batches

   Dip two spoons or an ice cream scoop in the hot oil, then drop rounded portions of batter into the pot, five or six at a time. Fry for six to seven minutes, turning once if they do not roll over by themselves, until deep golden brown and cooked through. Keep the oil near 180C; crowded oil cools, and cool oil makes heavy oliebollen.

6. 6

   Sugar and serve

   Lift the oliebollen out with a slotted spoon and drain them well. Let them stand for a few minutes, then cover them generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm if the house is gathered, or at room temperature if people are coming and going, which is the proper New Year's condition.

Chef Tips

• •Use a thermometer if you own one. Oliebollen are simple, but frying temperature is not a matter of optimism: 180C gives you a crisp outside and a tender centre.
• •Soak the raisins and currants, then dry them well. This small step gives plump fruit without water hitting the oil.
• •Do not make the batter too stiff. A proper oliebollen batter is spooned, not kneaded, and it should rise into a soft, bubbly mass.
• •Apple is optional in some families and compulsory in others. I like a small tart apple because it cuts the richness and keeps the inside tender.
• •Eat them the day they are fried. Leftovers can be warmed briefly in a moderate oven, but the first batch, sugared while the kitchen still smells of oil and yeast, is the one people remember.

Advance Preparation

• •The raisins and currants can be soaked, drained, and dried several hours ahead.
• •The batter is best fried after its first full rise. For a calmer New Year's Eve, mix it earlier in the day and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator, then bring it back toward room temperature before frying.
• •Fried oliebollen keep one day in an airtight container. Rewarm in a 160C oven for eight to ten minutes, then dust again with powdered sugar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 80g)