Happy Mardi Gras! In honor of arguably one of the best celebrations in the world, we’re bringing a little bit of New Orleans to your kitchens. A beignet is a type of fritter or donut, made from yeast dough that is served hot and covered in powdered sugar. While this recipe does require more than just your standard kitchen equipment, it’s basically heaven in a deep fried bite, that pairs wonderfully with your morning coffee, and is 100% worth possibly having to amazon prime a candy thermometer to monitor your oil temp.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups warm water, between 110 and 115 degrees (F)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 7 cups bread flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups peanut oil, for deep frying
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a medium-size bowl, add the warm water, sugar, and yeast and whisk well to combine. Set aside for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes foamy.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs until smooth.
- Beat in the vanilla and evaporated milk.
- Beat in 3 and 1/2 cups of the flour until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly pour in the yeast mixture, beat until smooth.
- Add in the butter and beat until incorporated.
- Finally, beat in the remaining 3 and 1/2 cups of flour and salt. Beat until dough is smooth and cohesive; about 2 minutes.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with three layers of paper towels, set aside.
- In a large enameled cast-iron pan, heat 4-inches of oil to 360 degrees (F).
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Cut the dough into 2 and 1/2-inch squares.
- In batches, fry the dough until they puff up and are golden brown in color, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beignets to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
This recipe has more steps and ingredients than the normal Tasting Tuesday recipe, but the result is a wonderful, warm cloud of fried dough and sugar, and there’s truly nothing better.
Enjoy this recipe using ingredients found in the Golden Eagle Pantry!