Better than the donut shop! These Sourdough Discard Apple Fritters are made with soft, airy sourdough discard brioche and packed with juicy fresh apples. If you’re intimidated by frying – don’t be! I’ll share how you can cook these apple fritters to airy, golden perfection.
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How I Tested This Recipe
This recipe took five rounds of testing to get just right. I set out to make an apple fritter that’s pillowy, packed with juicy apples, and never soggy—just like the donut shop version I love. I initially tried a baking powder version, but it didn’t quite capture the flavor and texture I wanted. So I decided to pivot to making a yeasted version.
Then, after a survey on Instagram, many of you said you wanted a quick sourdough discard version. So, I used commercial yeast, and it was the perfect fit! I also picked up techniques from real donut shops. Now, I’m excited to share this recipe with you so you can make fresh, homemade apple fritters in your own kitchen!
Why I Love this Recipe
- Light and airy apple fritters that are better than the donut shop!
- Dough can be mixed by hand, no special equipment needed.
- Great way to use up excess sourdough starter - 113 grams (½ cup).
- Combines the convenience of commercial yeast with the flavor of sourdough.
- Packed with juicy apples and comforting cinnamon.
Ingredients and Substitutes
All-purpose flour: The low protein content of all-purpose flour makes tender apple fritters. Do not substitute bread flour or whole wheat flour or your fritters will be tough and chewy. Not sure about which flour to use? Learn more about the best flours to use for baking.
Active-dry yeast: Instant yeast will also work fine for this recipe. Since instant yeast doesn’t need to be activated, you can opt to skip the first step.
Sourdough discard: You can use both sourdough discard or active starter for this recipe. If you don’t have any sourdough starter, simply add 56 grams bread flour and 56 grams water to your dough.
Eggs: This recipe was developed using large eggs (about 50 grams out of the shell.
Apple cider vinegar: Enhances the flavor of the apples. It also balances the sweetness of the glaze, feel free to skip it.
Almond extract: Captures the warm, nostalgic donut shop aroma and taste that takes the flavor of these apple fritters up a notch. Feel free to skip if you don’t have any on hand.
Apple sauce: Imparts additional apple flavor to these fritters. I used unsweetened apple sauce to develop this recipe, if you don’t have any, just skip it, your fritters will still be delicious.
Choosing the Right Apple
I prefer baking apples for this recipe since they hold up to being cooked. Other types of apples will break down as they fry and make your fritters soggy and mushy. Granny Smith and Honey Crisp will hold together and impart a delicious bite to your Sourdough Apple Fritters.
Looking for more apple ideas? Try my recipes for Sourdough Apple Cake, Sourdough Apple Muffins and Sourdough Apple Turnovers.
Using with Sourdough Discard
Sourdough discard is any portion of your sourdough starter not used to make sourdough bread. Since it’s used more for flavor and not for its leavening abilities, you can use your sourdough discard straight from the refrigerator. You don’t need to activate or feed your sourdough starter before using it in this recipe.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Apple Fritters
STEP 1: Make the dough
Activate the yeast. Whisk the wet ingredients in. Fold the dry ingredients in. Knead the butter into the dough. Cover the bowl to let the dough rest for 15 minutes, the dough will be very sticky at this point and the short rest period will make it much easier to handle.
STEP 2: Knead the dough
Make the apple filling while the dough rests, set aside and let it cool completely. Knead the dough until smooth.
STEP 3: Bulk fermentation
Transfer the dough to a clean lightly oiled bowl. Let the dough proof, untouched until bubbly and doubled in volume.
STEP 4: Fill the dough
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle (about 14 by 12 inches, it doesn’t have to be exact). Spread apple sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle apple filling and cinnamon sugar on top. Coat the top of the apples with all-purpose flour. Roll the dough into a log.
Don’t Be Afraid of Bench Flour
In all of the bakery videos I watched for apple fritters one thing remained the same - pro bakers used copious amounts of bench flour when shaping them.
Flour absorbs additional moisture from the apples and prevents the fritters from getting soggy while they fry. Coating the shaped fritters also has the added benefit of helping binding the dough so the fritters don’t fall apart as they are dropped in oil.
STEP 4: Shape the fritters
Cut the dough into pieces roughly the same size as the apple chunks. Divide the log into 12 portions. Coat each portion lightly in flour. Arrange the fritters on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise untouched.
STEP 5: Fry and glaze
Fry the fritters for 2 minutes on each side, allowing the oil to return to temperature between batches. Prepare the glaze and dip one side of each fritter.
Baker’s Tips
- Weigh your ingredients. Measuring with a scale is much more accurate than using tablespoons and cups.
- Use baking apples instead of eating apples. Baking apples like Granny Smith and Honey Crisp will keep their shape and prevent your fritters from tasting mushy. .
- Use a candy thermometer to monitor the oil temperature. Maintaining the temperature of the oil is the KEY to the success of these fritters. Make sure your temperature stays between 325 to 350 F. This temperature range is essential for successful fritters—too low and they'll turn out soggy and oily, too high and they’ll be overly dark with a burnt taste. Always let the oil return to temperature before frying the next batch.
- Avoid over-proofing the fritters, which can cause them to absorb excess oil and become soggy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use an active sourdough starter without adding commercial yeast. However, you'll need to extend the rise times in the recipe, as the fermentation process will take longer. For example, instead of a 30-minute rise time, your dough will probably take about 4 hours. This is because wild yeast in the sourdough starter ferments slower than commercial yeast.
Yes, just add an additional 56 grams of flour and 56 grams of water to your batter.
Your fritter dough was most likely under proofed. Make sure your dough doubles during the first rise before you shape your fritters.
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Sourdough Discard Apple Fritter Recipe
Equipment
- candy thermometer
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Ingredients
Dough
- 170 grams milk
- 7 grams active-dry yeast
- 50 grams sugar
- 2 eggs
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 6 grams salt
- 450 grams all-purpose flour
- 42 grams unsalted butter
Filling
- 500 grams Granny Smith apples about 2 to 3, peeled, cored and diced into ½-inch pieces
- 14 grams apple cider vinegar
- 113 grams apple sauce
- 5 grams cinnamon
- 50 grams sugar
- 60 grams all-purpose flour
Glaze
- 240 grams powdered sugar
- 113 grams milk
- 7 grams apple cider vinegar
- 6 grams vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: Whisk the milk, yeast and sugar together in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the yeast activate for 15 minutes until the mixture is foamy.170 grams milk, 7 grams active-dry yeast, 50 grams sugar
- Make the dough: Whisk the egg and sourdough discard into the yeast mixture. Stir until no traces of egg or discard remain.2 eggs, 113 grams sourdough discard, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Fold the dry ingredients in using a stiff spatula or wooden spoon. Switch to your hand to knead the dough until all the flour is hydrated.6 grams salt, 450 grams all-purpose flour
- Knead the butter into the dough. The dough will feel very greasy at first until the butter is gradually absorbed, continue kneading until the dough no longer looks or feels oily.42 grams unsalted butter
- Cover the bowl to let the dough rest for 15 minutes, the dough will be very sticky at this point and the short rest period will make it much easier to handle.
- Cook the apple filling: While the dough rests, heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook the apples until they are soft and look slightly translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. This releases juices from the apples and ensures your fritters do not get soggy.500 grams Granny Smith apples
- Turn off the heat, transfer apples to heat-proof bowl and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Set aside and let the filling cool completely.14 grams apple cider vinegar
- Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Start by pressing it down and away from you with the heels of your hands, then fold it back over itself. Rotate the dough slightly and repeat the pressing and folding motion, continuing until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and holds its shape when gently stretched.
- Bulk proof: Round the dough into a tight ball and transfer it to a clean lightly oiled bowl. Let the dough proof, untouched until bubbly and doubled in volume, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Prep: Cut sixteen (16) 4-by-3-inch rectangles of parchment paper. Set aside until ready to use.
- Fill the dough: Flatten the dough out into a large rectangle using a rolling pin or your hands (about 14 by 12 inches, it doesn’t have to be exact).
- Spread apple sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Layer the cooked apples evenly on top of the dough. Coat the top of the apples with all-purpose flour.113 grams apple sauce, 5 grams cinnamon, 50 grams sugar, 60 grams all-purpose flour
- Shape the fritters: Roll the dough into a log and, using a large chef’s knife, cut it into pieces roughly the same size as the apple chunks.
- Divide the log into 16 even portions. Coat each portion lightly in flour to help it hold its shape in the oil.
- Place each portion on a piece of parchment paper, then arrange them on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let the dough rise untouched while the oil heats up (about 15 to 20 minutes).
- Heat the oil: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over low heat. Gradually warming the oil helps maintain a stable temperature for frying. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of your oil, it should be between 325 to 350 F.
- Fry the fritters: Carefully drop two to three fritters into the oil on their parchment paper. Use tongs to remove and discard the parchment. Fry the fritters for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the fritters to a wire rack to cool. Allow the oil to return to temperature between batches.
- Glaze the fritters: Stir ingredients together until a smooth glaze forms, use a spatula to prevent air bubbles from forming.240 grams powdered sugar, 113 grams milk, 7 grams apple cider vinegar, 6 grams vanilla, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Once the fritters are cooled, dip one side of the fritters into the glaze. Transfer to a wire rack.
- Enjoy: These fritters are best enjoyed the day they are made. Store any leftover fritters in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- Proofing time will depend greatly on the temperature of your kitchen, if your kitchen is warmer your dough may double in a shorter period of time, if its colder, it may take longer.
- Be patient and give your dough enough time to rise or your apple fritters will end up chewy and dense.
- The oil may take some time to heat up, in testing heating up the oil has taken between 20 to 30 minutes for me. Depending on your stove - you may want to start heating your oil up before shaping your fritters.
- Maintain oil temperature between 325 to 350 F. If your temperature is too cold, your fritters will be too oily, above this range and your fritters will be too dark and taste burnt.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Did you make this recipe? Do you have questions? Let me know below!