A Dutch fried-dough treat eaten on New Year's Eve and at funfairs, and often claimed as an ancestor of the doughnut. Its forerunner, the flat oliekoecken, was a poor man's winter food; a recipe appears in the 1667 cookbook De verstandige kock, though the modern puffy oliebol took its present form only by the late 19th century, when the name shifted from oliekoecken to oliebollen.
A crackly fried shell gives way to a warm, fluffy, faintly sweet interior dotted with bursts of plump raisin. The shower of powdered sugar melts into the hot, oil-glossed surface.
Yeast inflates the loose batter with gas, and dropping spoonfuls into hot oil sets a crisp crust instantly while the trapped bubbles steam the inside into a light, open crumb.
Variations
krentenbollen-style with extra currants, appelbeignets (apple rings), naturel (plain), with calvados or rum in the batter
On the Palate
Where Oliebollen Dutch sits in the Dutch flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Warm milk and dissolve the yeast with a little sugar to activate it.
Watch outThe milk should feel just warm, not hot — wait for the yeast to go foamy on top; no foam means it's dead and won't rise.
- 25 min
Mix flour and salt, then beat in the yeast milk and an egg to a thick batter.
- 33 min
Fold in raisins, currants, and a little chopped apple or zest.
- 460 min
Cover and let the batter rise until doubled and bubbly, about an hour.
Watch outLet it rise until doubled and covered in bubbles — under-proofed batter fries up dense instead of light and airy.
- 55 min
Heat oil in a deep pot to about 180°C.
Watch outGet the oil to a steady moderate heat — a batter drop should sizzle and rise at once; too cool and they soak up grease, too hot and the outside burns before the middle cooks.
- 65 min
Scoop balls of batter with two spoons and drop them into the hot oil.
- 78 min
Fry, turning, for several minutes until deep golden and cooked through.
Watch outFry deep golden and turn them as they bob so they colour evenly and cook all the way through the middle.
- 84 min
Drain on paper and dust generously with powdered sugar before serving warm.
