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Oliebollen

March 17, 2017 (Last Updated: November 16, 2017)

Oliebollen are Dutch doughnuts traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands and Belgium. One legend states that Berchta (the German goddess and guardian of the beasts) sent out demons to find food among the Germanic tribes in the Netherlands during the 12 Days of Christmas. Those who ate the oliebollen were safe from Berchta’s evil spirits.

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Oliebollen

Serves: 20

Cooking Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

375ml (1½ cups) milk
15ml (1 tbsp) instant dry yeast
375g cake flour
pinch salt
15ml (1 tbsp) sugar
5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
50g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
vegetable oil, to deep-fry
icing sugar, to dust

Instructions

Heat the milk until just lukewarm and sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside, 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to froth.

Sieve the cake flour into a bowl and add the pinch salt, sugar and ground cinnamon.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg, along with the frothy milk and yeast mixture. Stir until a smooth, doughy batter forms.

Mix in the diced apple and pecan nuts, cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to prove (rise) in a warm place until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.

In a deep fat fryer or a deep pot, heat the oil to 180°C (use a sugar thermometer if using a pot) and deep-fry tablespoonfuls of batter until the oliebollen are golden brown and cooked through.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Dust the oliebollen generously with icing sugar while still warm and serve immediately.