You bake the tastiest donuts yourself. It’s a lot less work than most people think and can be a fun and enjoyable part of celebrating New Years Eve. How do you bake the best oliebollen yourself? What ingredients do you need to bake oliebollen? How do you make a good oliebollen batter? What do you have to pay attention to when baking and which oliebol variations are possible?
Ingredients for +/- 35 oliebollen
- 1 kilo all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour is also possible)
- 300 grams of small cubes of Goudrenet apples
- 450 grams of soaked raisins
- 50 grams of yeast
- 0.5 liters of milk (lukewarm / warm)
- 1 bottle of beer
- 1 egg
- Half a teaspoon of cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Preparation yourself baking oliebollen
- Let the raisins soak in warm water for at least an hour and then let them dry (possibly in a salad spinner)
- Peel the Goudrenet apples and cut them into small pieces
Make oliebollen batter
- Smooth the yeast with a little (not 0.5 liter!) Of lukewarm milk
- Place the prepared yeast in a mixing bowl or bucket
- Add the contents of the bottle of beer
- Add the flour
- Add the egg
- Add the salt and cinnamon
- Add the rest of the warm milk
- Mix well until smooth with a sturdy whisk or wooden spoon
- Add the raisins and the apple
- Mix well
- Put a damp cloth over the mixing bowl or bucket
- Place the mixing bowl or bucket in a dry / warm place to let the batter rise for +/- 45 minutes (Do not stir the oliebollen batter after it has risen. Air will disappear, making the oliebollen heavier)
Frying the oliebollen
Fry the oliebollen in oil (the name says it all) or else in liquid frying fat at 170/180 degrees. (Oliebollen baked in frying fat will turn white when cool.)
You can make perfect oliebollen with an ice cream scoop. If all goes well, the bulbs will turn automatically at some point (if the batter is too heavy, you have to help them). They are ready after +/- 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the oliebollen with a slotted spoon and let them drain on kitchen paper.
Eat the oliebollen warm or cold with a little icing sugar.
Heating up oliebollen
You can heat up cold oliebollen by placing them in a preheated oven (175 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes or by heating them in a frying pan.
Stuffing
The more filling, the juicier the oliebol.
Variations in the filling for the oliebollen
- The raisins in rum or another strong drink
- Add pineapple, banana, ginger, candied peel, currants, cranberries or orange zest
How do you prevent the house from smelling like oliebollen?
The smell of baking oliebollen yourself can linger in the house for days (sometimes weeks). Many people therefore bake the oliebollen outside or in the shed or garage.
What also helps is to put a pan of boiling water with a cup of vinegar on while baking the oliebollen and let it steam. It prevents very present ‘oliebollen’ air in the house for days.
The frying fat
Do not throw the frying fat into the sink or toilet after frying the oliebollen. Sewage systems and treatment plants can become blocked by the deposited grease. It is better to collect the cooled fat in the old packaging or an empty milk carton. Some supermarkets and / or snack bars have a collection point where the fat can be handed in. Biodiesel can then easily be made from this frying fat.