Sprinkle the yeast in the water in a small bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Let it stand for a moment, then stir to dissolve the yeast. Set aside in a warm place. In the meantime melt the butter and cool. Place the raisins in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Allow them to boil for a minute and then turn off the heat. Let them stand for 5 minutes and drain. Pat them dry with paper towels and mix them with 1 tablespoon of flour. Place the rest of the flour in a large bowl, stir in the salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast. Stir from the middle and slowly add the melted butter and the milk. The dough should be very thick and hard to stir. Then add raisins, apples, and almonds and combine thoroughly. Allow this batter to rise for about 1 hour. When doubled in bulk, stir down the dough. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and push it off the spoon with the aid of another spoon and let it (carefully) drop into the hot oil. They should be at least 2-inches in diameter. Fry the olie-koecken for about 5 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. The original recipe does not tell us to sprinkle or roll them in the sugar. They are very good plain, but if you prefer you can dust them with confectioners' sugar.