Bugnes lyonnaises
Lyon's crisp fried Carnival pastries (bugnes)
When Carnival comes round in February, bakeries across Lyon pile their windows with bugnes, thin twisted ribbons of dough fried until they blister and then buried in icing sugar. Lyon's are the crisp, shattering kind (in Saint-Étienne they are puffier), and children eat them by the paper bagful through Mardi Gras. Some families add a spoonful of rum to the dough; this version uses orange flower water and lemon, so it is alcohol-free. Chef's tip: roll the dough so thin you can almost see the worktop through it; thick bugnes turn bready instead of crackly.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 oz caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ oz unsalted buttervery soft
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp lemon zestfinely grated
- 1 tbsp orange flower water
To fry and finish
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor deep-frying
- 1 ⅜ oz icing sugarfor dusting
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 oz caster sugar and 1 pinch salt in a bowl. Add 2 eggs, 1 ¾ oz unsalted butter, 2 tbsp milk, 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tbsp orange flower water and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth, soft dough that no longer sticks.
8 minStep 2: Wrap and rest at room temperature for 1 hour; the dough relaxes and rolls thinner.
60 minStep 3: Roll the dough on a floured surface as thin as you can, about 2 mm. Cut into rectangles of about 10 × 4 cm with a fluted pastry wheel and cut a 3 cm slit down the middle of each. Pull one end through the slit to make a twist.
15 minStep 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a scrap of dough rises and sizzles at once.
Step 5: Fry 3–4 bugnes at a time for about 1 minute per side, until puffed, blistered and pale gold. Common mistake: crowding the pan, which drops the oil temperature and leaves them greasy.
20 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and dust generously with 1 ⅜ oz icing sugar while warm. They stay crisp for 2 days in a tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bugnes lyonnaises take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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