Oliebolle: Dutch doughnuts beloved by many South Africans

It’s all about the old-school winter recipes this season, and who doesn’t love doughnuts, right? If you’re a dessert person, you’ve made doughnuts before but oliebolle are a bit different. Translated to “oil balls”, these Dutch treats are just round doughnuts with the addition of some fruit that often reminds us of Christmas. They’re beautiful golden brown and crunchy on the outside while being soft on the inside. The oil part of the name refers to the deep frying rather than what’s in them, so you can get even more excited.

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OLIEBOLLE SUGGESTIONS

This traditional oliebolle recipe includes currants, raisins and an apple giving it an almost Christmassy feel. In Holland, this treat is usually prepared over the Christmas season but because our winter is during the middle of the year, why not have a tasty treat early? When frying oliebolle make sure that the oil is just the right temperature. If the oil is not hot enough, the outside will be tough and the insides greasy. These tasty bites are supposed to be soft and not greasy.

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This winter, make some traditional snacks to go with your cup of tea or coffee. These oliebolle are the Dutch doughnuts you deserve.

Last updated on 29 June 2023

OLIEBOLLE RECIPE

Recipe by Irene Muller

Course: Snacks Cuisine: Dutch Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Rising Time: 60 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2¼ tsp dry yeast

• 1 cup lukewarm milk

• 2¼ cups flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 egg

• ¾ cup dried currants

• ¾ cup raisins

• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

• vegetable oil for deep-frying

• 1 cup icing sugar for dusting

METHOD

• Stir in the dry yeast into the warm milk.
• Allow standing for a few minutes to dissolve.
• Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
• Stir the yeast mixture and egg into the flour and mix into a smooth batter.
• Stir in the currants, raisins and apple.
• Cover the bowl, and leave the batter in a warm place to rise until double in size. This will take about 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or heavy deep pan to 180-190°C.
• Use two metal spoons to shape scoops of dough into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil.
  Fry the balls until golden brown, about 8 minutes. The doughnuts should be soft and not greasy. If the oil is not hot enough, the outside will be tough and the insides greasy.
• Drain the finished doughnuts on paper towels and dust with icing sugar.
• Serve them piled on a dish with more icing sugar dusted over them. Eat them hot if possible.