The Best Beignets Recipe
Believe me when I say that you will never look at a store bought donut the same way ever again after trying a bit of one of my homemade beignets. I love watching these pillowy little treats bobbing away in the hot fryer oil, promising deliciousness to come. These little treats are fluffy and airy, super tender and delicious to the very last bite. My mom used to whip these up for me as a kid so I always think of her when I’m standing over these frying away, turning golden brown and filling the kitchen with the most delicious smell. I’m excited to share this recipe with you all, so let’s get into it!
Water – We want lukewarm water to help activate our yeast. Make sure the water is between 98℉ and 105℉ (36.5°C to 40.5°C). Yeast – Today we’re using active dry yeast. Make sure to check the expiration date on your yeast. Sugar – This sugar will both sweeten our recipe but it will also be food for our yeast to activate. Egg – We need only 1 large egg as a binder. Milk – Use any kind of milk you have on hand. Flour – All purpose works just fine for these little donuts. Salt – Every dessert recipe needs salt, just a bit to balance out all the sweetness. Butter – Unsalted and softened to room temperature. Oil – We want vegetable oil today, something like canola will work to fry our little beignets in. Powdered sugar – To sprinkle on top of our finished donuts, optional but highly recommended.
Making homemade beignets is really easy! In fact, even easier than donuts! Just follow these easy directions and they will come out perfect! To begin, you need to bloom the yeast. To do this, whisk the warm water, yeast, and sugar together in a medium bowl. Then allow the mixture to sit for 5 to 10 minutes undisturbed until the yeast has dissolved and begins to foam. However, if your yeast doesn’t bubble or froth up this means it’s dead and won’t work. After the yeast has been activated, add the egg and milk to the bowl. Then whisk everything together until it’s well combined. For the best results use an egg and milk that is at room temperature. Now let’s start making the dough! First, stir the flour and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Next, add the yeast mixture and butter to the bowl and mix everything together on low speed for about 5 minutes using the dough hook. The dough is done when it starts to come clean from the sides of the bowl. Next, transfer the dough into a greased bowl. Then cover the bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Now, set the dough in a warm dark place for about 1 to 2 hours so that it can rise and double in size. Once the dough has doubled in size, place it onto a clean lightly floured work surface. Then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a long rectangle that’s about ¾-inch in thickness. Now, cut the dough into long strips using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Then cut the strips into squares. To fry the donuts, heat about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350°F (177°C) in a deep frying pan or Dutch oven. For safety reasons and the best results, you can monitor the temperature using a digital cooking thermometer or candy thermometer. However, if the oil gets too hot you need to lower the heat or turn it off immediately. It’s much easier and safer to heat the oil back up. While the oil is heating, line a large baking sheet with paper towels to place beignets to drain once they have been fried. When the oil is ready, you can start making some donuts! You’ll need to fry them in batches. So just add 5 to 6 squares of dough to the hot oil and fry them for about 2 to 3 minutes turning them once. When done, they will be golden brown on both sides. Then transfer them to the paper towel-lined baking sheet as they finish frying so that the excess oil can drain. After all the beignets have been fried, sprinkle them with some powdered sugar and serve them immediately to enjoy. You can also add a sprinkle of cinnamon or vanilla sugar if you like to make them different flavors!
What Are Beignets?
Beignet is a french word and it’s synonymous with the English “fritter” made from deep fried choux pastry. These fried fritters are sometimes also filled with fruit. But today, what we know as a beignet is mostly a square piece of dough, deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. This is probably what people think of when hearing the word beignet. Beignets are also quite popular in New Orleans Creole cuisine, brought there by the French colonists back in the 18th century.
Can I Bake My Beignets?
You sure can! If you’re not into frying or don’t have the tools necessary these will pop right up in the oven nicely.
What Can I Serve Beignets With?
These pillowy little treats pair perfectly with so much! Whether you’d rather snack on these all on their own or making a sweet spread, I’ve got you covered.
Mulled Wine Nutella Frappucino A nice cup of coffee may I suggest cafe au lait? Banana Fritters Guinness Brownies Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Leftovers
Sadly these little doughy morsels lose their appeal when not eaten fresh. Frying them up day of is part of the appeal! So while I don’t recommend storing these cooked, lucky for us the uncooked dough can be stored for future use!
Fridge
You can refrigerate uncooked dough for up to 2 days if stored in an airtight container. Just be sure to take it out of the fridge and allow to come back up to temperature before frying, You never want to add cold dough to a fryer.
Freezer
Form the beignets and line them up raw on a baking sheet, place this in the freezer and once frozen through move the beignets to an airtight container or freezer bag. Keep this in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow it to defrost fully on the counter before frying up!
Other Delicious Donut Recipes To Try
Malasadas Cinnamon Sugar Donut Twists Cherry Filled Donuts Apple Cider Donuts Paczki (Polish Donuts) Blueberry Fritters
