This post is in collaboration with bakegood.ca. Large crispy, fluffy and decadent peach fritters! This is what you are missing from your dessert roster this summer. These peach fritters are make from a delicious buttery dough, almost brioche like, flavoured with cinnamon and cardamon, and speckled with fresh juicy Ontario peaches. They are formed with care and love and fried until they achieve golden brown perfection. Of course after frying these beautiful creations, they are drizzled in a simple vanilla glaze and served warm. When I say these are phenomenal, it is an understatement. The dough is not as sweet as you might think so the sweet and slightly sour peaches and the vanilla glaze really ties everything together.
Yeasted Peach Fritters
They are slightly technically challenging since making these involves incorporating a decent amount of butter into the dough, trusting whole heartedly that the cubed dough and peach pieces will fuse together after they have been diced, and of course deep frying, which can be intimating. But follow these steps closely and you will be good to go! These fritters are fun way to use this season’s fresh fruit in a way that is in my opinion, more fun than a slice of pie.
Ingredients
Fritters
- 2 cups flour + 2 tablespoon extra as necessary
- 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup milk lukewarm, plus 1 tablespoon, as needed
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
- 2-3 peaches diced
- oil for frying
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon milk + 1/2 tablespoon as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Heat up for milk in the microwave for about 15 seconds until it is slightly warm but not hot.
- Add 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar from total amount of sugar to your milk then add your yeast to that mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- In the mean time, in a large bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon,cardamon, salt, and the rest of your sugar.
- In a small bowl, beat your eggs.
- Add your beaten eggs and yeast mixture to your dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until it is mostly incorporated.
- At this point you can place this shaggy mixture in a stand mixer with a dough hook, beat on medium and slow add your butter, a tablespoon at a time until it is incorporate. Beat in your stand mixer until dough is uniform and smooth, about 10 to 15 minutes. It may take sometime for your dough to come together, especially after butter is added so be patient. If your dough isn’t coming together after 10 minutes, add a tablespoon of flour and keep kneading.
- Alternately you can knead your dough by hand. This is harder and messier but I tested out this method thoroughly. On a floured surface, add your shaggy dough (before oyu have incorporated your butter). Slowly incorporate butter into the dough a tablespoon at a time. It will get messy and sticky so keep about 2 tablespoons of flour next to you during this process to help you as you need. Incorporate flour as needed as your knead with your hand and be patient. Kneading with your hands can take 10 to 20 minutes for dough to come together depending on temperature in your kitchen, temperature of butter, and other factors.
- Once dough is smooth, form into ball and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, then a dish towel and leave in warm place to rise for about one and a half hours or until double in size
- When dough is almost ready, dice two to three peaches. You can keep the skin on or peel them, choice is yours.
- When your dough has risen, punch it down, and place on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll to an oval that is about 1/2 inch thick.
- Place your diced peaches on hand of the dough and fold it over. You want half of the dough to be mostly covered with some spacing (so about 1/2-3/4 cup of diced peaches. The more peaches you add the harder it may be to hold the fritters together so start with less especially if this is your first time making these.
- Use knife or bench cutter to slice diagonally in one way, then the other so you are left with cubed dough and diced peaches.
- The step seems difficult but do it with confidence and trust the process. Squish together your diced dough and peaches and form a log, divide the log into 4 pieces. If you are really concerned about the clumps of peaches, you can sprinkle a bit of flour when forming your log.
- Try and shape each of the 4 pieces into a circular or square shape. It may seem as though the pieces are not sticking together but don’t worry, do your best and arrange your four pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes. When your dough rises, it helps the fritters hold their shape, expanding and trapping pieces of peaches into the dough.
- In a large pot, heat frying oil to 325 degrees F. Be careful not to let the oil get too hot because the outside of the fritters will cook and brown before the centre is ready and no longer doughy.
- Using a spatula, hands, or individually cut out pieces of parchment with your dough on it, gently transfer the cut pieces of dough into the hot oil. I prefer the parchment method where I lower my dough into the oil using the parchment paper it is on, and slowly peal the parchment off.
- Fry fritters one at a time because they are pretty large for about 2 minutes per side. Remember to watch how quickly it is browning. Your dough should not brown instantly, this mean your oil is too hot. It should be able to remain in the oil for at least 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes before it needs flipping. After flipping fry the other side until it I also golden brown. It should be in the oil from 4-5 and a half minutes total. Your first doughnut is usually a good test.
- To make glaze, mix all your ingredients into a bowl, icing sugar, vanilla and milk.
- Mix until the glaze is the consistency you want, and add a little bit more milk to adjust texture or add more icing sugar if too runny.
- Let your fritters cool slightly on a paper towel lined rack. Remove the paper towel under the rack and drizzle glaze on the fritters. Serve immediately. Fritters are best eaten the day they are made.
