Air-Fried Apple Fritters with Salted Caramel Sauce

Instructions

• Stir together warm water, yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add yeast mixture, milk, oil, and egg; stir until a soft dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Pat dough into an 8-inch square.
• Toss together apple and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over 1/2 of the dough. Fold the side with no apples over the apples and knead until apples are dispersed, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper; set aside. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 pieces. Pat each portion of dough with floured hands into a 3- to 4-inch oval; fritters do not have to be uniformly shaped. Transfer fritters to the prepared parchment paper, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
• Place 2 to 3 fritters in a single layer in the preheated air fryer basket and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked fritters to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the preheated oven. Repeat with remaining fritters.
• Whisk together caramel sauce and 1 tablespoon hot water, adding more water if necessary, to make a smooth drizzling consistency. Drizzle hot fritters with caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt, allowing baking sheet to catch caramel drips and excess salt.