New Orleans-Style Beignets

Now you can have New Orleans-Style Beignets without leaving home!

We’re heading to New Orleans for vacation today! And I’m SO ready for it. But before we head to the airport, I’m popping in so I can share these New Orleans-Style Beignets with you. And while I can’t say they’re exactly as good as the ones they serve at Café du Monde, I can say they’re pretty darn close.

Each bite is crispy, chewy, and covered in confectioners’ sugar!

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Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:

• First things first: you need a deep fry/candy thermometer for this recipe. Because if your oil temperature is off, your beignets will be too. This is the candy thermometer I use, and I love it. It’s less than 10 bucks and I’ve probably used it over a hundred times!
• To proof the yeast, your water should be between 110 and 115 degrees (F). If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast cells, and if it’s too cold, the yeast will remain dormant and the dough won’t rise.
• Because beignets are best eaten hot, I highly suggest serving these as soon as possible! Once they’ve sat, they become soggy and unappealing.
• This recipe requires bread flour. Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has a tiny amount of barley flour and vitamin C added. The barley flour helps the yeast activate, and the vitamin C increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises.
• You should also know this recipe makes a TON of beignets, so I suggest having friends over to help you eat them all 😉
• Finally, don’t skip the confectioner’s sugar! Without it, the beignets are quite plain. To make “dressing” the beignets an easy affair, place them in a paper paper – a few at a time – with a generous amount of sugar and shake for a few seconds.

Serve warm, with coffee, and enjoy!

If you try this recipe for New Orleans-Style Beignets, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥

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New Orleans-Style Beignets

Prep 30 mins

Cook 15 mins

Inactive 2 hours

Total 2 hours, 45 mins

Author Ashley Manila

Yield 3 dozen

Now you can have New Orleans-Style Beignets without leaving home!

 

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

1. In a medium-size bowl, add the warm water, sugar, and yeast and whisk well to combine. Sit aside for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has bubbled up and become foamy.
2. In the bowl of 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 (careful here - this mixture can splash up if added to quickly!); 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.
3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with three layers of paper towels, set aside.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Dust with powdered sugar and serve at once! 

Courses Dessert or breakfast

Cuisine Southern