My oldest son and my daughter act almost like it's Christmas when they get an apple fritter from the bakery. Jackson hasn't ever acted like it bothered him that he couldn't have one (I usually have something else special for him), but he's asked a couple of times if they would make him sick. One of the last couple of times we got them, my oldest, Jacob, asked me if Jackson could have one. I told him that he couldn't because at the very least the baker probably uses regular powdered sugar (with corn starch) for the glaze. So, he matter of factly said, "Oh, well then, you'll just have to make them." Then over the past few weeks, whenever I was cooking or testing a recipe, he would ask me if I had made a recipe for apple fritters yet.
I started feeling the pressure, and got up the nerve to at least check into it. All the recipes I found were for the quick bread type. I know the ones from the bakery are made from a yeast dough.
I got brave and decided to take a basic yeast doughnut recipe and tweak it to create my version of apple fritters. I had no idea how it would turn out, but the dough looked good, felt good and rose well. When I started frying, the house smelled like I was frying apple pies, and I had all noses in the kitchen while I cooked. Everyone was so excited, but no one as excited as Jackson. I guess it bothered him more than I realized that he couldn't have the same yummy treat as everyone else.
The final product turned out really good. They taste like apple doughnuts. My daughter can't get enough, and Jackson got to sit and enjoy his first apple fritter ever. He loved it!
Fritters:
3/4 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 quarter ounce packet)
1/4 cup warm water
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chopped apple (tart, crisp apples, not the kind you put in a pie, I used Galas because I had them on hand)
oil for deep frying
In a small bowl, combine yeast and warm water with a pinch of sugar. Set aside until foamy.
In a small sauce pan, scald the milk and melt the butter.
In a medium mixing bowl stir together the scalded milk, butter, sugars and salt. Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, stir cinnamon and 2 cups of the flour.
Combine milk mixture with flour mixture. Add beaten eggs and yeast. Mix just until smooth.
Add chopped apples.
Mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time using more or less to get a nice firm dough.
Knead for about 5 minutes.
Coat dough in melted butter and place in a covered bowl to rise until doubled, usually about 45 minutes.
Punch the dough down and knead again for a couple of minutes. Return to the bowl to rise again for about 30 minutes.
While you're waiting for it to rise, add oil to stock pot (I used my dutch oven) or fryer, about an inch or two deep. When your dough is almost done rising, heat the oil to about 375 degrees F.
Grab about a tablespoon or two size dough ball. Roll and flatten in your hands, flat as a pancake. They will rise considerably. So, start small to get the right size. (You don't want burnt crust and doughy centers.) Fry fritters a few at a time. Cook on each side until golden brown then remove to a towel to drain.
Glaze:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2-3 cups powdered sugar (I use Whole Foods' or Trader Joe's brand, organic and corn free)
2 tsp vanilla
5-6 tbsp hot water
In a medium mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add vanilla. Sift sugar and add slowly to butter. Keep adding until you have a stiff ball of sugar. Run your faucet until water is as hot as you can get it. Add hot water to the butter mixture 1 Tbsp at a time until you get a nice glaze consistency. You want it to be relatively thin. Dip fritters in glaze on both sides and lay on a rack or sheet pan to dry.
Makes about 2 dozen.
1 1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tsp baking powder (homemade)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk (soy, rice, almond or cow - less than a cup for rice or almond)
3 tsp Ener-G egg replacer powder with 4 tbsp warm water (or 2 eggs)
1/4 melted butter or canola oil
1 tbsp vanilla (yes, I meant tbsp)
Combine all dry ingredients. Combine all wet ingredients. Mix dry and wet together just until moist. Grease griddle well and heat to about 325 degrees F. We use agave nectar for syrup, and I will sometimes add a little to the batter to sweeten it up a little.
We would not have survived our gluten free, casein free trial without these yummy things. Jackson would just gush when he got one for breakfast or even better, included in his lunch as a special treat. I've had great results with adding lots of different kinds of fruit, bananas being his favorite.
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder (homemade)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk (rice, soy or cow)
1 egg (or 1 1/2 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp warm water)
5 tbsp butter, melted (or 3 tbsp ghee, spectrum organic shortening or a tasteless oil like canola)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease mini muffin tin with GF oil or spray. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and cinnamon (dry ingredients). In a separate bowl, mix vanilla, milk, egg and melted butter. Combine dry and wet ingredients until mixed. Batter will be thicker and stickier than regular muffin batter. FILL mini muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes rotating pan 180 degrees half way through cook time. Makes two dozen mini muffins.
I found that with gluten free baking, the rise worked better in smaller pans. That's why I use the mini muffin pans, and there won't be as much rise as with gluten baking, so filling the cups gives them that nice rounded muffin look on top. Also, rotating the pan really does help get an even brown on every muffin.
Chicken nuggets are a staple in most kids' diets. If you've got a food allergic kid, though, it can be tough to find any that are both safe and tasty. I gave up on that whole idea and figured out how to just do it myself. I've found that the key to good nuggets is buttermilk.
You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs or tenders. Cut them into about 1 inch chunks (I use scissors for that, makes it much more precise). Then place them in buttermilk to soak for at least 30 minutes (in the fridge). If you're cooking a pound of chicken and using a pretty good size bowl, you shouldn't need more than a cup or so of buttermilk. You can use soy milk to go dairy free, or even mix up a vinegar/salt brine to soak them in. You'll get the same effect just a little different flavor. While they're soaking, mix up your flour and seasoning.
For a pound of chicken, put about a cup of flour into a ziploc bag or bowl. Use self-rising flour (always natural and unbleached) for the 'extra crispy' crust, and all-purpose for the 'original' crust. You can go gluten-free and use rice flour, too (add a tsp of baking powder to the mix for more of an 'extra crispy' like crust). Add about a teaspoon of seasoning (recipe below), close the bag and shake well, or if you're using a bowl, whisk well to evenly distribute seasoning.
Start heating your oil to about 375 degrees F (I use canola, wish there was a better option that didn't cost a fortune, but....). You don't have to have a fryer to do this, and since I hate to reuse the oil when I fry meat, I usually fry these in my iron skillet anyway. You want to put enough oil to fill the pan about a half an inch or so deep. You can test the temp with a fry thermometer or wet your fingers and sprinkle some water in the pan. When it bubbles and sizzles you're ready.
Once your nuggets have soaked a little while, take them out of the buttermilk and put them dripping wet into the bag or bowl with the flour mixture. Shake them up or toss them well to get an even coating.
Once your oil is hot, drop the nuggets in one at a time, if you're frying in a skillet. You don't want to over crowd them. They'll make the temp drop in your oil a little, and if you put too many in at once, they'll stick together and drop the temp of your oil so much that they'll be greasy.
Let them cook for about 2-5 minutes on each side. Until you get used to frying, you'll need a meat thermometer to make sure they're done (about 165 degrees F). It is especially hard to tell when you go gluten free because the rice flour doesn't brown like wheat flour. Try this a few times, though, and you won't need the thermometer anymore.
Let them cool completely, but don't let them sit too long (they'll get soggy). Place them in a freezer bag and place in your freezer. When you're ready for a quick nugget meal, pull what you need out of the freezer and cook them in your oven. 400 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Seasoning
We like it spicy, and the more 'red' you put in the flour (especially if you're going gluten free), the more yummy your final product will look. You can add a little extra paprika and leave out the cayenne if you're worried about it being too spicy.
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all the spices in a ziploc bag or tupperware container. Mix well. Store for up to 3 months or so.
There's been some buzz about using agave nectar in the place of sugar to stay sugar free but natural (avoiding artificial sweeteners). Comparing the bottle of nectar and the package of sugar from my pantry. Agave nectar has more calories and carbs than sugar, but it has a lower glycemic index (which means it won't spike your blood sugar). And, since it's sweeter than sugar, you don't have to use as much.
When it comes to my super active kids, I'm less worried about calories and more worried about hyper-craziness. So, it works for us. I use the dark or blue kind for pancake and waffle syrup. I cook with the light kind, and I've found there isn't any difference in flavor between foods baked with sugar and foods baked with agave. When you bake with it, you should use about half to three quarters what the recipe calls for in sugar, and you might need to adjust the amount of another liquid in the recipe to get the right consistency. Other than that, I think it's great, and thought I would share one of our favorite agave recipes.
Strawberry Banana Muffins with Agave Nectar
1 1/2 cup flour, unbleached all-purpose
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil or melted butter
3/4 cup agave nectar, plus about a tsp to drizzle over the strawberries
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 banana, mashed
1 cup strawberries, cut VERY small or processed in a food processor
zest of one lemon
Chop or process the strawberries. Drizzle about a teaspoon of agave nectar over top and stir. Set aside for thirty minutes to an hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together dry ingredients. Mix together wet ingredients (banana, strawberries, eggs, nectar, vanilla, oil and zest). Grease and flour muffin tin or line with paper. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Mix just until moistened and fruit is evenly distributed. Fill muffin tins about two thirds full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
