Apple Pie Fried Dough

Enjoy the best of both worlds…apple pie and fried dough in one with this Apple Pie Fried dough. Brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and covered with apple pie filling, fried dough doesn’t get any better! 

Guys! I have a bit of a teaser for you—I just made the most brilliant discovery. It is so earth-shattering that I have to share it with everyone!! You’re going to want to know about it because it might change your world too! Keep reading, and I’ll clue you in. Promise. It’s worth the wait, but I need to cover some things first.

One of the best parts of any amusement park, town fair, food festival, or beach boardwalk is the fried dough booth. The delightful sugar-coated bread is one of my favorite sweet treats. And what’s not to love?…the crispy golden brown exterior, the light and tender interior, the generous dusting of powdered sugar…it’s a magical combination made in dessert bread heaven. 

With a string of fairs, food festivals, and food truck festivals around my area this time of year, I see lots of fried dough eating opportunities. It has also inspired me, once again, to get in the kitchen to make my own. I have dabbled in fried dough before on this blog. If you haven’t seen Steak and Cheese Fried Dough or Banana Stuffed Fried Dough, you’ve got to check them out!

You can tell by the names, they are loaded and super tasty…definitely not the usual stuff you find elsewhere! Never had a savory one? The steak and cheese version is stuffed with shaved steak and melty American cheese. It’s like having a fried steak and cheese sandwich. So, it’s no surprise that it’s the most requested type of fried dough at my house.

Today, however, I’ve gone back to the sweet variety. With apple season in full swing, what would be more appropriate than apple pie fried dough? Nothing, right? The buttery cinnamon sugar-dusted fried dough, topped with sweet cinnamon-infused apple pie filling, is a mouthful of bliss. Pure bliss! 

If you are hesitant about making yeast bread, please give it a try. This is worth it! By no means am I a master baker, but I don’t find yeast bread difficult at all. What makes it easy is the stand mixer. It does almost all of the work for me. That’s awesome because the one thing I don’t enjoy is kneading by hand. Besides, I am not interested in developing muscular forearms (haa haa).

One of the most important elements of making yeast dough is to make sure you have fresh, viable yeast. Inactive yeast will result in a dough that will not rise. The blooming process checks for its viability…yeast is added to warm water—if it forms a layer of foam, it’s good to go. If it doesn’t, I’m afraid you will need to buy new ones.

So here is how the whole thing comes together. The yeast first blooms in warm water in the stand mixer bowl that is fitted with a dough hook. Butter is added next, followed by the flour, salt, and sugar mixture. For the next 10 minutes, the stand mixer does most of the work, beating the dough. Once done, I knead the dough on a greased work surface for one minute for good measure. It then goes into a greased bowl to proof and double in size for about 1 hour. When the time is up, it gets deflated and shaped into rounds. 

To cook, the dough is fried for about one minute per side. Then it is topped with all the good stuff—melted butter, cinnamon sugar, and apple pie filling! Yum!!! 

Alright! Alright! I can hear you all saying, Stop your rambling and tell us your earth-shattering news, Thao. We are dying to hear about it (← insert sarcasm)! 

Thank you so much for your patience! I have a question for you: what tastes ten times better when reheated? Have you ever tried refried fried dough? It’s truly amazing!

Wow! It’s the best thing ever! I never thought it was possible to improve on fried dough, but it absolutely is! Here’s how I discovered it: I had some refrigerated day-old fried dough that had already been sprinkled with cinnamon sugar (without any apple filling). Fried dough is a type of food that is best enjoyed immediately. Leftovers are never as good when toasted; they end up soft and chewy. I hate to waste the extras, so one day, with a pan of oil already on the stovetop, I decided to fry the dough a second time (it only took about 30 seconds).

The result was nothing short of miraculous! The fried dough was crispier than fresh fried. It was buttery and had a light and flaky crunch—the kind of crunch that produces the same type of satisfaction that only a potato chip or a cheese curl can give you. On the inside, it remained soft and fluffy. I am pretty certain the coating of butter and cinnamon sugar had everything to do with the out-of-this-world transformation. All of that goodness melded with the dough the longer it sat, making an awesome fried dough exponentially better refried!

So, you heard it here first, guys! Make Banana Fried Dough. Don’t toast day-old ones. Do refry. They are the best thing, EVAH!! It has changed my fried dough-eating world! My gang is addicted to them. I will go out on a limb and guarantee that this dough, refried, is going to be the best you have ever had! I am sure of it! One hundred percent!!

That’s it for now, friends. Time for me to move on to the next thing on my to-do list: how to convince my play-it-safe-and-doesn’t-like-to-take-chances husband that opening up my own custom fried dough food truck is a great idea! Wish me luck because I’m going to need it! 

Have a wonderful week!

P.S. The recipe might seem lengthy, but I’m trying to be thorough with the instructions to guarantee your success with this recipe. I’ve also included instructions for cinnamon sugar and apple pie filling, but if you decide to use store-bought, then you can ignore those sections! 🙂

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Apple Pie Fried Dough

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Frying, Mixing Cuisine:American Courses:Dessert Recipe Keys: C Carbohydrate

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 40 minutesCook time: 30 minutesRest time:1 hour Total time:2 hours 10 minutesServings:8 Servings

Description

Enjoy the best of both worlds…apple pie and fried dough in one with this Apple Pie Fried dough. Brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and covered with apple pie filling, fried dough doesn’t get any better! 

Ingredients

For the Dough: 

• 1 1//8 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 cup minus 2 tbsp. water (between 105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
• 2 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
• vegetable oil for frying

For the Cinnamon Sugar:

• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted for brushing on fried dough

Apple Pie Filling:

• 4 apples, peeled 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Add water and yeast to a stand mixer bowl equipped with a dough hook. Allow to stand for at least 5 minutes. Yeast would “bloom” or form a foamy layer on the surface. 
2. In a small bowl, add 2 scant cups of flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Whisk to blend. 
3. Add melted butter to the yeast/water mixture. Add the flour mixture. Mix on low to blend and gradually increase to medium (number 6 on Kitchen Aide). Stop the mixer, if needed, to scrape flour away from the side of the bowl. When all of the flour has been incorporated, the dough should start to wrap around the dough hook. The dough is too wet if it puddles and sticks to the side of the bowl (see Image A).
4. 
   Image A: Dough is too wet.
5. To correct a wet dough, add more flour, one rounded tablespoon at a time, allowing it to mix on medium for 20 seconds after each addition. (The humidity affects how much flour you might need). Pause the mixer to scrape the dough away from the sides, if needed. Stop adding flour when all the dough pulls away from the bowl on its own and wraps around the dough hook. It should look smooth (see Image B). When you tap it with your finger, your finger should be clump-free. Continue to mix on medium for 8-10 minutes after your last addition of flour. 
6. 
   Image B: Dough at the perfect consistency.
7. While the dough is mixing, prep for the next step. Lightly grease the inside of a bowl that is at least twice the size of the dough. Lightly grease a flat work surface.
8. After the dough is mixed, scrape onto the greased work surface. With slightly greased hands, knead the dough by pressing your palms into the dough using a downward and pushing forward motion. Fold the dough in half, rotate 180 degrees, and knead. Repeat steps for 1 minute.  
9. Form dough into a ball. Place into the greased bowl (see Image C). Cover with a plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm draft-free area for 1 hour or until it has risen and doubled in size.  
10. 
    Image C: Dough ready to proof for 1 hour.
11. Before shaping dough for frying, preheat 1 inch of oil in a skillet or saucepan to about 360 degrees F (medium on my stovetop). 
12. After the dough has risen, gently deflate it using your first. Scrape onto a greased work surface. Roughly shape into a log for easy portioning. Pinch of a small piece. Using slightly greased hands or a small rolling pin, shape into a 5″ to 6″ round that is about 1/8-inch thick. Gently lift off the round and place it in hot oil. Fry until the bottom is golden brown (about 1 minute). Turn over and brown the second side for about 1 minute. Adjust the heat level as needed if the dough seems to take too long or cooks too quickly. Remove the fried dough from the oil. Place on a paper towel-lined surface to drain. Repeat shaping rounds and frying of the remaining dough.
13. To serve, brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Top with a layer of apple pie filling.

To make the cinnamon sugar:

14. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

To make the apple pie filling:

15. Peel and core apples. Cut into 1/8-inch slices. Chop slices roughly 1/4-inch pieces. Add apple, water, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt to a small saucepan on medium heat. Stir to blend. Cover. Cook until juices bubble and simmer (about 4 minutes). Stir. Continue to simmer, partially covered, until the apple is tender but retains its shape. Stir occasionally. This should take about 5 – 8 minutes, depending on the type of apple used. Remove from heat.
16. Makes about 8-10 fried doughs.

Notes

• When shaping the dough, I like to keep the outer 1/3-inch border of the rounds slightly thicker than the center, like a pizza crust, to help contain the apple filling. This is optional.
• Fried dough is best eaten immediately. Keep leftover fried dough refrigerated. They get soggy at room temp.
•  To reheat day-old fried dough, fry for a few seconds in hot oil. Toasting is not recommended.
• Keep leftover fried dough refrigerated, especially if you plan to refry.
• The dough can be made ahead. I made them three days ahead, and they fried up perfectly. After the dough doubles in size and has been deflated, shape it into a log. Place in a lightly greased plastic wrap (don’t wrap too tightly as the dough will expand slightly) and refrigerate until ready to use. Allow to come to room temperature 1 hour prior to frying.
•  Apples may differ in degrees of sweetness. Adjust the amount of sugar to suit your taste.
• If all the liquid evaporates and the apple sticks to the pan while cooking, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, being careful not to add too much. The finished sauce should be thick and syrupy so that it does not make the fried dough soggy. It should thicken slightly when cooled.

Keywords:Apple Pie, Fried Dough, Frying, Yeast Dough

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