Beignets...and the recipe ;)

Well, as I mentioned on my Facebook page, French beignets are something I grew up eating only on special mornings. ....you got it...I'm an Italian born in Louisiana, and eats French beignets. The funnier thing is that my Italian grandma makes the same thing, but swears they're Italian...sort of like Zeppole, but she has her own name for them.

Anyway...
                                                          {Bin-yays}

Yes, these are not the healthiest things to eat, but if you are needing a yummy snack, dessert, finger food, breakfast/brunch menu item, these would work wonderfully!

Cafe du Monde makes a great mix you can buy, and that is what we always used...but Paula Deen has a great recipe out there that tastes great and is easy. I know, you might be thinking "oh great, Paula Deen"....I say give the lady a break. Make wise choices about the foods you eat: how much and how often.....and don't judge ;)

Beignets are like French doughnuts....and this recipe feeds a small army, so half it if you want!

 ______________________________

Total Time: 2 hr 30 min

Prep: 15 min

Inactive: 2 hr 0 min

Cook: 15 min

Yield: about 3 dozen 
Level: Easy

French Quarter Beignets Recipe

courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 7 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • Nonstick spray
  • Oil, for deep-frying
  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.






Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

©Television Food Network G.P.
All Rights Reserved.

To see the printable version of the recipe, here is the link, but sometimes recipe links disappear, so that is why I have copied it above.

- If you don't cover your ball of dough in a warm area, it will form a dry "skin" on it...If you use saran wrap, don't wrap it tight, because the dough needs space to rise
- These things cook fast!...after your oil has heated, test it out and get a feel for how hot it is, and how fast they cook. The first few may be darker than you like, so adjust your cook time or heat. I lowered my heat a little.
-I used a pasta spoon/slatted spoon to turn my beignets over...each side took only about 15-20 seconds, so be on your toes
-Paula says this recipe makes 3 dozen, but mine made about 4-5....maybe hers were HUGE!
-When you take them out of the oil, they should be the golden color, and you can let them drip dry on paper towels OR put a few at a time in some coffee filters to sit...super absorbent and you wont have to use 20 towels
- If you don't want to completely cover them with powdered sugar, just use a sift to shake some on the tops instead

Mangia! ;)