Beignet, literally meaning “bump”, is simply a fritter.

In New Orleans, beignets are commonly served for breakfast, with loads, and I mean loads of powdered (or icing) sugar dumped on top.

I wanted to try my hand at making beignets because they can be made in advance, kept in the fridge and fried just before breakfast time.

Of course I am not going to dump loads of icing sugar on my beignets.

I rarely buy donuts because I like them freshly made. So the only way for me to enjoy donuts in any form is to make them myself. 

And really, they are not very hard to make at all.

Here’s how.

In a mixing bowl, add water, yeast and sugar.

Whisk to combine.

Set this aside for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, beat together eggs, salt and evaporated milk.

Pour this into the yeast mixture and stir well to mix. 

Add half the bread flour and mix with a paddle attachment until just combined.

Add the butter.

Then add the remaining flour slowly until all the flour is incorporated.

Switch to the hook attachment and beat on medium speed. The dough will be very sticky. 

Add flour one tablespoon a time, until the dough just pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Spray a bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough into the bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 2 hours. 

There are two points to note here.

1. You do not need to use a stand mixer to make beignets. You can knead by hand until you get a smooth dough. It may take a while though.

2. You can rest the dough in the fridge if you intend to make the beignets the following day. I have kept my dough in the fridge for 2 days and it still works fine. 

Roll the dough on a clean floured surface until it is about 1 cm thick.

If you are making traditional beignets, cut them into little squares (about 6×6 cm). I wanted little flowers so I used my cutter to cut the dough. 

Note: You can also make the beignets to this stage, place them on a lined baking tray, cover with cling film and leave them in the fridge to be fried the next day. Be sure that the beignets are at room temperature before frying. 

Fry the beignets in batches in hot oil (about 130°C) until golden brown.

Place the beignets on paper towels to drain then coat them immediately with cinnamon sugar. 

Eat them as soon as you can. 

You will never look at donuts the same way again. 

Sugared Beignets

2014-11-23 14:49:39

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Ingredients

1. 1 1/8 teaspoons (3.54g) instant yeast
2. 1/4 cup (50g) caster sugar
3. 1 1/4 cups (300ml) warm water
4. 1 egg
5. 1 1/8 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 cup (120ml) evaporated milk
7. 3 1/2 cups (444.5g) bread flour
8. 1/8 cup (28.35g) butter

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, add water, yeast and sugar. Whisk to combine. Set this aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a bowl, beat together the egg, salt and evaporated milk.
3. Pour this into the yeast mixture and stir well to mix.
4. Add half the bread flour and mix with a paddle attachment until just combined.
5. Add the butter. Mix.
6. Then add the remaining flour slowly until all the flour is incorporated.
7. Switch to the hook attachment and beat on medium speed. The dough will be very sticky.
8. Add more bread flour one tablespoon a time, until the dough just pulls away from the side of the bowl.
9. Spray a bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough into the bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 2 hours.
10. Roll the dough on a clean floured surface until it is about 1 cm thick.
11. If you are making traditional beignets, cut them into little squares (about 6x6 cm). I wanted little flowers so I used my cutter to cut the dough.
12. Note: You can also make the beignets to this stage, place them on a lined baking tray, cover with cling film and leave them in the fridge to be fried the next day. Be sure that the beignets are at room temperature before frying.
13. Fry the beignets in batches in hot oil (about 130°C) until golden brown.
14. Place the beignets on paper towels to drain then coat them immediately with cinnamon sugar.
15. Serve hot (preferably) or cold.

Notes

1. You do not need to use a stand mixer to make beignets. You can knead by hand until you get a smooth dough. It may take a while though.
2. You can rest the dough in the fridge if you intend to make the beignets the following day. I have kept my dough in the fridge for 2 days and it still works fine.

Adapted from halfbakedharvest

Adapted from halfbakedharvest

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