Lortsy (Finnish Fried Pastry with Apple Jam)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pastries doughnuts Medium

Lortsy (Finnish Fried Pastry with Apple Jam)

A thin, tender half-moon pastry filled with thick, sweet apple jam and fried until golden, like a jam doughnut but flatter. This is our home-kitchen yeast dough adaptation. Makes 10 pastries in about 2 hr 10 min.

Prep 50 min

Cook 20 min

Cooling 1 hr

Total 2 hr 10 min

Yield 10 pastries

Ingredients

Adjust yield

pastries

3 ¼ cups (400 g)all-purpose flour
¾ cup (200 ml)warm milk
¼ oz (7 g)instant yeast
1 ½ tbsp (20 g)granulated sugar, for the dough
¾ tsp (4 g)salt
¼ cup (60 g)melted butter
1 (50 g)egg
1 lb (500 g)apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
½ cup (100 g)granulated sugar, for the filling
1 tbsp (15 ml)lemon juice
¼ cup (60 ml)water
4 ¼ cups (1000 ml)neutral oil, for deep frying
¼ cup (30 g)powdered sugar

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Instructions

Cook the apples, sugar, lemon juice and water over medium heat, stirring, 20 minutes until thick and jam-like. Cool completely.
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add milk, butter and egg and knead 8 minutes to a smooth dough. Rest in a covered bowl 1 hour until puffy.
Roll the dough about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and cut 10 circles about 5 inches (13 cm) wide.
Put 2 tablespoons of cooled jam on one half of each circle. Fold over, press the edge flat and crimp with a fork to seal fully.
Rest the pastries 15 minutes. Heat the oil to 350 F (175 C) in a deep pot.
Fry 2 or 3 at a time, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden. Drain on paper towels.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Tips

Cool the jam completely, or it will leak.
Seal edges well; dust the fork with flour.
Keep oil at 350 F; too cool and the pastries absorb oil.
Use a thermometer and keep hot oil away from children; never leave it unattended.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make lortsy (finnish fried pastry with apple jam)?

Plan on 50 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour to chill. The recipe makes 10 pastries.

How should I store lortsy (finnish fried pastry with apple jam)?

Best the day they are made; keep at room temperature in a loosely covered container up to 1 day.

Can I make lortsy (finnish fried pastry with apple jam) ahead?

Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.

Lortsy is a half-moon pastry from Savonlinna in eastern Finland, sold at the market square with sweet or savory fillings. Serve it with coffee.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

366 Calories / serving

14.6g Fat

53.9g Carbs

5.8g Protein

21.2g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~3660 cal · 146g fat · 539g carbs · 58g protein · 212g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.