A traditional Dutch New Year celebration usually equals champagne and oliebollen. Oliebollen is a kind of deep-fried pastry quite similar to donuts. Oliebol literally means “oil ball”.
The tradition of eating oliebollen dates back centuries ago, when they were said to be consumed during the Yule season. The Yule season takes place between December 26 and January 6. It is very possible that donuts, actually, are what oliebollen developed into after the early Dutch settlers brought the tradition to the New World.
The tradition of consuming deep fried fast carbs one time a year seems more reasonable than on a daily basis. Although, you can benefit from fast carbs after an intense workout. See the article on carbs here.
The traditional oliebollen recipe is very simple. Apart from the traditional ways to prepare them, there are some interesting variations to look at.
The Traditional Oliebollen Recipe
For two servings you will need:
- One tablespoon sugar or less. Sugar is mainly required to activate the yeast. ¼ tablespoon is enough for the activation, the rest of it is for the taste
- ½ cup warm milk
- 1 teaspoon dried yeast
- 1 cup flour
- 1 small chicken egg or 4 quail eggs
- Warm water or milk as needed for the dough
- 4-5 cups oil for deep frying
- ¼-½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- Currants and/or raisins to taste. You can soak them overnight in rum. If you use jumbo raisins, cut them in half before soaking.
- ¼ granny smith apple (optional)
- Cinnamon to taste (also optional, if you are adding apple)
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Mix yeast with sugar in a mixing bowl. Add ½ cup warm milk and mix well. Leave for 20 minutes. You should see bubbles on the surface if the yeast is alive. If there are no bubbles, it means the yeast is not working; redo with another fresher batch of yeast. Add a slightly beaten egg, flour and salt. Add more warm milk to reach a regular dough consistency. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for one hour in a warm place. Then add finely chopped apple, currants and/or raisins and mix again.
Fill a saucepan with oil halfway. Heat the oil to 180C or 350F, use a thermometer to verify the temperature. The oil temperature for deep frying is a very important factor. Oliebollen must become well cooked in the middle and not over fried on the surface.
Sprinkle some flour onto the cooking board or pastry board. Form 2 in (5-6cm) dough balls. You can do this using two dessert spoons or simply do it with your hands. Roll each ball briefly on the board so it gets covered with some flour on the surface. Carefully place them into the hot oil, you may need to fry in two-three batches, depending on the size of the saucepan. Oliebollen must be floating freely, with plenty of the oil surrounding them. You can use a deep-frying basket as well. Keep the oil temperature steady at about 180C/350F. After 9-10 minutes oliebollen are ready. You may give it an extra minute or two depending on their color, which must be dark gold. Take them out of the saucepan using a slotted spoon or deep frying basket. You may place them on a paper towel first to drain the excess of oil.
Dust them with powdered sugar (and cinnamon if you made them with apple) before serving.
Serve hot.
Cherry-Stuffed Vanilla Cheese Variation
This variation is great served both hot and cold.
For two servings you will need:
- 1 tablespoon sugar or more to taste
- ½ cup warm milk
- 1 teaspoon dried yeast
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup cottage cheese with 8-9% fat
- 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt or sour cream (the latter preferred)
- 1 chicken egg or 4-5 quail eggs
- Warm water or milk as needed for the dough
- 4-5 cups oil for deep frying
- ¼-½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- Vanilla extract to taste
- Currants and/or raisins to taste. You can soak them overnight in rum. If you use jumbo raisins, cut them in half before soaking.
- Several cherries, one large cherry per one oliebol
- 1 teaspoon of semolina
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Mix yeast with sugar in a mixing bowl. Add ½ cup warm milk and mix well. Leave for 20 minutes. You should see bubbles on the surface if the yeast is alive. If there are no bubbles, it means the yeast is not working; redo with another fresher batch of yeast. Add a lightly beaten egg, flour and salt. Add more warm milk to reach a regular dough consistency. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for one hour in a warm place.
Separately mix in another bowl cottage cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), vanilla, currants and/or raisins. Then mix into the dough, you should have approximately 50/50 of dough and cottage cheese mix. Just like for the recipe above, sprinkle some flour on the pastry board.
Fill a saucepan with oil halfway. Heat the oil to 180C or 350F, use a thermometer to verify the temperature.
Remove pits from the cherries; mix cherries with semolina so it absorbs the excess of the liquid during cooking. Form 2 in (5-6cm) dough balls. You can do this using two dessert spoons or simply do it with your hands. Stuff one cherry inside each dough ball and seal them by pinching the dough over them. Roll each ball briefly on the board so it gets covered with some flour on the surface.
Carefully place them into the hot oil, you may need to fry in two-three batches, depending on the size of the saucepan. Oliebollen must be floating freely, with plenty of the oil surrounding them.
You can use a deep-frying basket as well. Keep the oil temperature steady at about 180C/350F.
After 9-10 minutes oliebollen are ready. You may give it an extra minute or two depending on their color, which must be dark gold. Take them out of the saucepan using a slotted spoon or deep frying basket. You may place them on a paper towel first to drain the excess of oil.
Dust them with powdered sugar before serving.
Serve hot or cold. Oliebollen go well with ice cream.
Spicy Cheese Variation
Champagne combines very well with spicy cheeses high in fat. However, we are not going to put hard cheese into oliebollen. Cottage cheese with 8-9% fat will do perfectly fine. Plus, we are going to add some fat into it with mayo, olive oil and Greek yogurt.
For two servings you will need:
- ½ tablespoon sugar or less; sugar is mainly required to activate the yeast. ¼ tablespoon is enough for the activation, the rest of it is for the taste
- ½ cup warm milk
- 1 teaspoon dried yeast
- 1 cup flour
- 1 small chicken egg or 4 quail eggs
- Warm water or milk as needed for the dough
- 1 cup cottage cheese, 8-9% fat
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- Black or white pepper to taste
- Hot spices, optional to taste (like Japanese Seven Spice)
- Some dill
- Some green onions
- 4-5 cups oil for deep frying
- ¼ -½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
Activate the yeast in warm milk with sugar just like in the first recipe. Add flour, salt and a lightly beaten egg. Add more warm milk to reach a regular dough consistency. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for one hour in a warm place.
Separately mix in another bowl cottage cheese, minced garlic, Greek yogurt (sour cream), mayo, olive oil, black or white pepper and hot spices (like Japanese Seven Spice), salt, finely chopped dill and finely chopped green onions.
Then mix into the dough, you should have approximately 50/50 of dough and cottage cheese mix.
Fill a saucepan with oil halfway. Heat the oil to 180C or 350F, use a thermometer to verify the temperature.
Just like for the recipe above, sprinkle some flour on the pastry board. Form 2 in (5-6cm) dough balls. You can do this using two dessert spoons or simply do it with your hands. Roll each ball briefly on the board so it gets covered with some flour on the surface. Carefully place them into the hot oil, you may need to fry in two-three batches, depending on the size of the saucepan.
Oliebollen must be floating freely, with plenty of the oil surrounding them. You can use a deep-frying basket as well. Keep the oil temperature steady at about 180C/350F.
After 9-10 minutes oliebollen are ready. You may give it an extra minute or two depending on their color, which must be dark gold. Take them out of the saucepan using a slotted spoon or deep frying basket. You may place them on a paper towel first to drain the excess of oil.
Serve hot.
Spicy Oliebollen
This is a hot and spicy oliebollen recipe. For this recipe you can use a 50/50 mix of wheat flour and quinoa flour. Quinoa flour will make oliebollen slightly bitter, but definitely they will be more healthy!
For two servings you will need:
- ½ tablespoon sugar or less; sugar is mainly required to activate the yeast. ¼ tablespoon is enough for the activation, the rest of it is for the taste
- ½ cup warm milk
- 1 teaspoon dried yeast
- 1 cup flour
- 1 small chicken egg or 4 quail eggs
- Warm water or milk as needed for the dough
- 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Black or white pepper to taste
- Hot spices to taste (like Japanese Seven Spice)
- 1 chili pepper
- 4-5 cups oil for deep frying
- ¼ -½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
Activate the yeast in warm milk with sugar just like in the first recipe. Add flour, salt, Greek yogurt (sour cream), olive oil and a lightly beaten egg. Add more warm milk to reach a regular dough consistency. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for one hour in a warm place. Then add finely chopped or blended chili pepper, black or white pepper and hot spices to taste. Mix all well.
Fill a saucepan with oil halfway. Heat the oil to 180C or 350F, use a thermometer to verify the temperature. Sprinkle some flour, black pepper and hot spices (like Japanese Seven Spice) onto the cooking board (or pastry board). Form 2 in (5-6cm) dough balls. Roll each ball briefly on the board so it gets covered with some flour and spices on the surface. Carefully place them into the hot oil, you may need to fry in two-three batches, depending on the size of the saucepan. Oliebollen must be floating freely, with plenty of the oil surrounding them. You can use a deep-frying basket as well. Keep the oil temperature steady at about 180C/350F. After 9-10 minutes oliebollen are ready. You may give it an extra minute or two depending on their color, which must be dark gold. Take them out of the saucepan using a slotted spoon or deep frying basket. You may place them on a paper towel first to drain the excess of oil.
Serve hot or cold.
