Apple Fritters

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl.

Add the salt.

Add the cinnamon.

Add the sugar.

Add the yeast.

Crack in the egg.

Add the milk and stir it all together to form a dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes.

Now stretch out the dough into a pancake and add the butter. If the butter is still firm, toss it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds to soften it up. Wrap the butter in the dough and start kneading again. The butter might get a little messy, but keep kneading until it is fully incorporated into the dough.

Cover the dough and set it in a warm corner of the kitchen for about an hour, or until roughly doubled in volume.

Peel the apples. Slice them in half and remove the core. A standard tablespoon works great for scooping out the core and seeds nicely.

Slice the apple halves into wedges, then group them together to slice into cubes.

Submerge the apple chunks in a bowl of ice water.

Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice into the ice bath. Mix it up. The acidity from the lemon just helps keep the apples from getting too dark. It adds a little brightness to the flavor as well.

When you're ready to make the filling, strain the apples.

Melt some butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until you start to see some golden brown flecks forming along the bottom of the pan.

Add the apple chunks.

Add the cinnamon.

Add the sugar. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, as the sugar melts and dissolves into the liquid rendered from the apples. Cook until this liquid thickens to a thin caramel.

Add the cider vinegar and reduce once more to a caramelly consistency. Then remove from heat.

Once the dough is done proofing, roll it out into a rectangle, a little less than 1/2" thick.

Spread about 3/4 of the apple filling on top of the rectangle of dough.

Roll the dough up tightly into a log.

Turn the dough log to point towards you, then press gently on the top of it to flatten.

Spoon the remaining filling over the top of the flattened log.

Roll tightly once more, forming a big a snail shell of dough.

Now roll the dough out again to a thick rectangle, this time a little over 1/2" thick.

Divide the rectangle into 6 pieces. Don't worry about precision here, apple fritters are supposed to look a little rustic.

Set the fritters in a warm, clean spot and cover with a kitchen towel. Let them proof for another 30 minutes or so, which should be just about the right amount of time to get your fryer up to temperature.

Prepare a deep fryer with 4"-6" of oil at around 360°F. Gently transfer one fritter at a time into the hot oil. don't start another fritter until the oil is back above 360°F. Gently flip the fritters once they're golden brown on the bottom. cook for about 4-5 minutes total.

Transfer to paper towels or a baking rack to cool and dry.

Place the milk in a small microwave-safe mixing bowl.

Add the vanilla.

Stir in the powdered sugar.

Microwave in 30 seconds bursts, stirring after each burst until the sugar is dissolved into the milk to form a simple glaze.

Drizzle some of the glaze over the fritters. As the glaze cools, it will set into a glossy coating.