Beignets

5 from 2 votes

These light and fluffy New Orleans style beignets are easy to make and hard to resist! Enjoy them for breakfast, a snack, or as a dessert!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Waiting Time8

Total Time9

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings:

Calories: 72kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Beignet donuts

110 g Whole milk lukewarm
50 g Granulated sugar
12.5 g Fresh yeast Can be substituted with 1.5 teaspoons (5g) instant yeast
1 Egg yolk room temperature
1 Egg room temperature
250 g Bread flour High protein content flour. Can be substituted with All purpose flour
¼ teaspoon Salt
60 g Unsalted butter room temperature, soft

For frying

1.5 liter Vegetable or Canola oil for frying

For the sugar coat

60 g Powdered sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Start with mixing sugar with lukewarm milk then sprinkle yeast on top. Make sure the kitchen is nice and warm, and in 10 minutes the yeast should foam.
Place the yeast mixture into your stand mixer with the kneading hook on, then mix it together with the egg and egg yolk.
Mix in dry ingredients; flour, and salt, and start kneading until the dough comes together.
Slowly start to add in room temperature (soft) butter chunks piece by piece. Knead the dough for another 10 minutes on medium high speed until the dough becomes elastic and shiny and not sticky any longer.
Move the dough into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Let it rise ideally in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
After the dough has risen, knock the air out, and gently knead the dough for a few seconds.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into ¼ inch (0.6mm) thick, and with the help of a pizza wheel cut out about 6 cm / 2.5-inches squares. Use a small amount of extra flour while shaping the dough, if needed.
Place the dough pieces onto square sheets of baking paper. Depending on how thick you roll and how large the squares are, the dough will make 20-25 small beignets.
Proof the dough for the second time now at room temperature. Proofing might take 1-2h depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Chose a warm spot but avoid direct heat and sunlight.
Once the donuts are nicely puffed up, heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. The ideal oil temperature for baking donuts is 180C/356F or between 175-185C / 347-365F. Use a thermometer.
Depending on the size of your pan, place 6-8 beignets in the oil at a time, leaving enough space around them. Fry the beignets on each side for about 1.5 minutes or until nice and brown.
Place the fried beignets on a wire rack lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. While they are still hot, toss them in powdered sugar. Serve them fresh.
Store the beignets in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES

Use always unsalted butter in baking. In this recipe, the butter needs to be at room temperature so soft enough to be able to knead into the dough.
Fresh or Dried yeast can be used. Please check my baking guide for more details on how to bake with yeast.
Use the milk, butter, and egg at room temperature in order for the ingredients to properly emulsify
Since rum donut is effectively a sweet bread, use high protein content bread flour

TECHNIQUE NOTES

For activating the yeast (whether it is dried or fresh), make sure that the milk is lukewarm and your kitchen is also nice and warm
You will knead the dough for about 10 minutes in a stand mixer. The dough is ready when it is shiny, elastic, and no longer sticks to your fingers. Do not add more flour to the dough. If it sticks too much, continue kneading
The first proofing ideally should happen in the fridge overnight for the best flavor and texture. It will also mean that you work with cold dough when shaping the donuts, which is less sticky and easier to shape.
Second proofing is necessary for the perfect rise = fluffy texture
The oil temperature is critical, so use a thermometer. Too hot? It will burn the donuts and they might stay raw in the middle. Too cold? The donuts will soak in too much oil and again, might stay raw in the middle.
You can make larger beignets by cutting the dough into 10 cm / 4-inch squares.
Feel free to experiment with flavoring the dough; vanilla extract, cardamom, orange zest, rosewater, etc. can be all great ideas.

Nutrition