New Orleans beignets
Square yeast doughnuts buried in icing sugar
Beignets are the pillowy fried dough squares served three to a plate, under a drift of icing sugar, at the open-air coffee stands of the French Quarter in New Orleans, day and night. The dough is a soft, slightly sweet yeast dough enriched with evaporated milk, and the squares puff up hollow in hot oil. Drink them with chicory café au lait. Chef's tip: roll the dough only 5 mm thick; thicker squares stay doughy in the middle.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 egg
- 1 oz buttermelted
- ½ tsp salt
- 14 oz plain flour
- 6 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
- 2 ⅞ oz icing sugarfor dusting
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix the ½ cup lukewarm water, ¼ oz instant dried yeast and 1 ¾ oz sugar and leave 5 minutes until foamy. Whisk in the ½ cup evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1 oz butter and ½ tsp salt.
7 minStep 2: Stir in the 14 oz plain flour to a soft, sticky dough and knead 3 minutes on a floured worktop until smooth. Cover and rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.
65 minStep 3: Roll the dough out on a floured worktop to 5 mm and cut into 6 cm squares with a sharp knife. Rest 10 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Heat the 6 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F; fill it no more than a third full. Fry 4 squares at a time for about 1 minute a side, until puffed and golden. A common mistake is crowding the pan, which cools the oil and makes them greasy.
15 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and, while hot, sift a thick blanket of 2 ⅞ oz icing sugar over them. Eat at once.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does new Orleans beignets take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of evaporated milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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