Beignets

Beignets are a fun addition to any Fat Tuesday/ Mardi Gras celebration. Beignets are the official fried dough of New Orleans. These squares of fried dough are often referred to as a fritter or doughnut.

Beignets can be made with a choux pastry- like the type of dough used for cream puffs. They can also be made from a yeast raised dough. I made mine with a yeast dough.

Once fried, beignets are drained on paper towels and then tossed in a bag with powdered sugar. They are served hot, or at least warm. The fresher the better.

They really aren’t that difficult to make. The dough is soft and pliable. Very easy to handle. When you roll the dough into a rectangle to cut into squares, do your best to get the corners squared off. But don’t get too concerned. I always end up with the four corners a little misshapen. They still taste good. I use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares.

Beignets

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup evaporated milk

7 cups bread flour

1/4 cup shortening, softened butter or oil

Oil, for deep-frying

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Brush a large bowl with a little oil. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees. Add the confectioners’ sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch or 2- inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners’ sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly. Makes about 4 dozen, when cut in 2-inch squares, 8 dozen when cut in 1-inch squares.

Note: This recipe makes a lot. I cut the recipe in half when I don’t need so many. You can cut them a little smaller, if you prefer. They puff up a lot when fried.