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Olienbollen deep fried dough balls

OLIEBOLLEN (Deep fried dough balls)

Experience the flavors of Holland with Oliebollen! These deep-fried dough balls are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, with a touch of sweetness – a delightful and satisfying snack.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 8 hours
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes
Course Snack
Servings 10 servings
Calories 80 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp raisins
  • A little dark rum or water, to soak raisins in
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • ½ cup of milk, warmed
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 egg, lightly whisked
  • 1 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
  • 8 cups vegetable oil, for frying
  • Icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar), to dust

Instructions
 

  • Soak the raisins in some rum or warm water (enough to cover) for several hours before making the oliebollen (preferably the night before). When ready to make the oliebollen, drain the raisins and put aside.
  • Scatter the yeast in the warm milk and leave it for 10-15 minutes to ‘sponge’ – if the yeast is still active, it will froth up. If it doesn’t, you’ll probably need to buy new yeast.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Stir in the milk/yeast mix. Add the salt, whisked egg and melted butter and stir the batter until combined well. Finally, stir in the drained raisins.
  • Cover with a tea-towel and let it rise until it doubles in volume (this may take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour). As you can see from the photo below, the batter is quite wet. It puffs up and bubbles when it rises and, when you stir it, it’ll look quite stringy. Stir the mixture to deflate it, then cover and allow to rise again (the second time should be shorter).
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  • In the meantime, heat the oil in the fryer up to 180C (356F). Place a plate with several paper towels to soak up the excess fat of the fried balls.
  • Stir the batter (it will deflate again). Now use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop to scoop out a portion of the batter (you’ll find it’s easier if you wet the spoon in water before each scoop). Drop it into the hot oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until a deep golden brown. Lift out each ball with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels (you will need to refresh the towels for each batch).
  • Transfer the oliebollen to a serving plate and sprinkle with icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) to serve. They can be served warm or cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 21mgPotassium: 69mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Keyword deep fried dough balls, Olienbollen
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