The Best Sourdough Oliebollen (Dutch Donuts)

These are the best Sourdough Olibollen you’ll ever eat. They’re soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy, flakey and golden brown on the outside. They’re traditionally fermented but you would never know they’re sourdough. These deep fried dutch donuts are lip smacking good!

Make these for a fun Saturday morning treat or a New Years Eve delicacy. Whatever occasion you make them for I promise they’ll be a smash hit!

Every year our local community has a fundraiser called the “Dutch Fest”.

Whether dutch or not, people from all over come to celebrate the beauty of the dutch heritage and enjoy authentic dutch treats like poffertjes and Olibollen.

People come dressed in traditional dutch outfits all the way down to their “Klompen” aka wooden shoes 😉

But one of the biggest reasons people come out is to get their yearly fix and fill up on the scrumptious deep fried Olibollen.

My family alone eats several at the dutch fest and then we take a bag home to enjoy later.

I have taken this iconic dutch donut treat and turned it into the most decadent sourdough version. And I am beyond excited to share with you this incredible treat!

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First, What is Olibollen?

Olibollen is a dutch donut but I would say they more resemble that of a dumpling or small fritter.

They’re traditionally enjoyed and eaten around New Years in Holland.

Olibollen is a deep fried ball of dough that is typically filled with raisins and dusted in soft powdered sugar.

They’re crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. With a hint of extra sweetness from those tasty raisin bites.

I take mine to the next level and deep fry them in pastured lard which gives the outside this golden flakey crunch biting through into its pillowy soft interior.

{I’m not ashamed to admit that my mouth is literally salivating just explaining this golden ball of goodness.}

Every year we enjoy this delicacy both at our local Dutch Fest and at home for special occasions.

I’m so excited to share a sourdough, traditionally fermented version of this classic dutch donut.

They’re really simple to make so let’s get to the ingredients.

Still Need A Sourdough Starter?

Before we get started you will need a sourdough starter. If you do not have one yet, here is a Day by Day Guide to help you make your own Sourdough Starter. Or if you have any questions about your sourdough starter I have a great guide that helps answer any questions that may leave you confused called “I have a Sourdough Starter, Now What?” If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of sourdough, check out my “Why Sourdough?“

Ingredients:

• Active Sourdough Starter
• Sugar (cane, coconut or maple sugar all work)
• All Purpose Flour
• Whole Milk
• Melted Butter
• Egg
• Raisins
• Cinnamon
• Baking Soda
• Unrefined Salt
• Powdered Sugar
• Lard, Coconut Oil or some kind of oil to fry your olibollen in (I don’t recommend vegetable or canola, here’s Why?)

How to Make The best Sourdough Oliebollen (Dutch Donuts)

• You will first create a “sponge” which is the fermentation process. So mix together the starter, sugar, flour, milk, and butter in a large bowl. Make sure everything is well incorporated then cover with a tight sealing lid for 6-12 hours.

• To a medium size sauce pan, heat your oil to 350 degrees F, keeping a steady heat. This may be the hardest part is maintaining a consistent heat because as you drop the dough in, it changes the temperature. Just keep the heat low, slow and steady so you don’t burn them.

• After the ferment, add egg, raisins, cinnamon, baking soda and salt to the large bowl with the dough. Mix well, it will be very sticky, that’s good.

• Drop 1 heaping teaspoon into the hot oil. Adding only 3-4 at a time because the dough puffs up and you’ll want to work in small batches so as not to burn your dough.

• Fry the dough for 4-5 minutes, flipping the ball of dough as it cooks to fry evenly on all sides.
• Once golden brown, remove with a slotted strainer spoon and place onto paper towel lined plate to catch excess drips.

• Immediately dust or shake in powdered sugar. The amount is preference to you, so go heavy or light to your choosing.
• Continue this process until all the dough is gone. Yields about 2 dozen.
• Serve warm and Enjoy 🙂

Do I have to add the raisins?

Of course not. Personally, I love them!

However I have a picky kid or two that doesn’t prefer them so sometimes I leave them out.

Now if you’re looking for an alternative to the raisins and want to add chocolate chips instead I am going to highly advise you not to.

Why? Because the hot oil will quickly melt the chocolate chips creating a bubbly burning pot of oil that gets quickly ruined.

That was very unfortunate for me to find out the hard way. But that trial and error was meant to be because now you don’t have to make that mistake.

So if you don’t like the raisins, simply omit and don’t try a chocolate alternative 😉

They’re still delicious with or without the raisins, I promise!

How to store and reheat the best sourdough Olibollen (Dutch Donuts)

If you happen to have any leftovers, first of all, I’m shocked! 😉

To store extras, keep in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.

To reheat, add to a 350 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes until heated through.

You can reapply more powdered sugar if necessary. Enjoy 🙂

Let’s make the best Sourdough Oliebollen (Dutch Donuts)

Links:

Slotted Strainer Spoon