Priganice or Prikle - Croatian donut holes (Week 52)

As promised, I am blogging the priganice from my sister's house on Thursday......but a bit about the recipe and the dreaded family cookbook (photo below.....but don't run out to Barnes and Noble or research it on Amazon.....it is now close to being the holy grail of cookbooks.) My regulars have read about the cookbook and the saga of updates and such. Well .....if you know my family, there are at least 3 to 4 recipes for everything. In a prior post sometime back, I discussed priganice (also known as Prikle or Fritulje, etc.) I typically use the recipe in the book that came from my maternal grandmother (who allowed her non-ethnically infused grandchildren to call them things like "do jiggers" (which they also called the hrustule....that recipe coming later). Oh GASP! My Baka's (Baba's) recipe was perfectly wonderful but Stephanie made my Teta Bunny's (aunt Francis) version. Oh Bože moj......yum yum!

Teta Bunny's Priganice

1 envelope dry yeast
1 cup warm milk (105-115 degrees)
3 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp granulated sugar
3 small apples, peeled and diced small (LOL....best if they are the really ripe ones from the box sent from our friend Pierre in Canada!)
1/2 raisins (yeah....Kerman or Madera Thompson seedless, please)
Oil to fry
Granulated sugar

In small bowl dissolve the year in 1/4 cup of milk. In a large bowl, mix the flour and the salt. With a wooden spoon, beat one egg in to the flour mixture, one at a time. Mix in the yeast mixture and the remaining milk. Mix just until smooth. Stir in the sugar, apples and the raisins at the end. Dough will be sticky (check it as you make it and remove excess flour....do not let it get stiff). Cover and let rise till bubble and about double in size. Meanwhile prepare the oil in the deep fryer. You need about 4 inches in depth. Heat to 375. Dip teaspoons in to oil then grab a spoonful of dough and make a ball (of sorts). Use the second spoon to remove the ball in to the oil. Fry a few at a time. Turn them so that they are evenly deep golden brown. Remove wi a slotted spoon on to paper towels then roll while hot b granulated sugar. Eat while warm.

Do not let them sit around (like over night). Little buggers will be like a golf ball (or so says my Dad). My Dad is the master consumer of priganice. His Dad, my Deda Grandpa Jack, used to make them.....not Grammy. He supposedly made them in to perfectly round balls (no easy task)! Day's family was from the island of Hvar (see post earlier on the Bakalar Festival). As I sit here writing this I am prompted to wish you all "Na dobro vam došao Banji Dan!" ....happy Yule log day! You know how we Croatians are: we celebrate everything.....even a log.