Beignets (New Orleans)

These New Orleans doughnuts popular at Cafe du Monde are soft, pillowy, and light, made with love in your kitchen. Forget regular doughnuts because these are easy and satisfying.

Makes 35-40 beignets

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, Southern

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 30

Total Time 2 30

Servings

Calories 300kcal

Author Imma

Equipment

1 Large bowl or stand mixer
1 Sharp knife or pizza cutter
1 Frying Pan

Ingredients

¾ cup (180ml) lukewarm water
1 .25-ounce packet (7g) active dry yeast
½ cup (12ml) evaporated milk
⅓ cup (66g) sugar
1 pinch salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
3¾-4 cups (470-500g) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (42g) butter, melted
corn oil for frying (or any neutral-flavored oil)
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let the mixture do its job for about 5 minutes or until it's dissolved and looks a little frothy.
Lightly whisk evaporated milk, sugar, salt, egg, and vanilla extract. Add it to the yeast mixture.
Mix in about 2 cups flour and continue mixing with a hand or dough mixer. If using a stand mixer, mix for 1-2 minutes.
Finally, add melted butter and mix until the dough is sticky but smooth. Add additional flour as needed to make a soft dough.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes. Place the beignet dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat it. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Punch the dough down and remove it from the bowl. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until ¼-⅓ inch thick.
Cut the dough into 1½-2-inch squares using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before frying.
Working in batches so as not to crowd the oil, fry the dough squares until puffy and golden brown.
Remove them from the oil, making a pit stop on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.
Dust with powdered sugar immediately. Serve hot with café au lait, and enjoy!!!

Notes

Oil should be at 375℉/190℃ when frying. Any cooler and the beignets will take longer to cook, absorbing too much oil. Any hotter and the outside can burn before the inside is cooked through.
When mixing the yeast and water, keep in mind that the water should be somewhere between 110℉-115℉ (43-46℃). Any hotter and the water will kill the yeast cells; any cooler and the yeast may not activate.
You can make the dough the day before and fry them in the morning. Just let it rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature before frying.
Regular milk is fine if you wish to substitute the evaporated milk.
Corn oil or any neutral-flavored high-smoke-point oil is excellent for frying.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition