Beignets
(New Orleans Doughnuts)

Beignets (New Orleans Doughnuts)

Beignets (pronounced bay-nyay) are close cousins to French boules de Berlin and were brought to New Orleans by the Acadians, French settlers exiled from Canada who relocated to Louisiana in the late 1700s. Beignets are traditionally served for breakfast with bitter chicory coffee but are delicious at any time of day. There’s a bunch of coffee stands in New Orleans called Café Du Monde that serve virtually nothing but coffee and these deep-fried sugar-dusted fritters; they even ship beignet mix and cans of their coffee and chicory blend across the USA! This recipe makes a lot, you could halve it if you like and weigh the beaten egg to measure half; but you can reheat cooked beignets in the oven for a few minutes and refrigerate the uncooked dough overnight or freeze it to use later. It’s a very soft dough and I find it’s easier to work with after it’s been refrigerated. As you need to keep the beignet moving in the hot oil, it’s best to only fry 4–6 at a time.

Makes about 80 pieces

Ingredients
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 3.5g dried yeast (¾ teaspoon)
  • ¼ cup castor sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 40g butter, melted
  • Pinch salt flakes, crushed
  • 3½ cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • Icing sugar, for dusting
Method
  1. Combine water, yeast and ½ teaspoon of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, cover and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes, until it starts to froth.
  2. Add milk, egg, butter, salt and remaining sugar and mix to combine.
  3. Add flour and mix for 2–3 minutes, until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.
  4. Cover and set aside in a warm place for an hour or 2, until doubled in size.
  5. Divide dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic and set aside.
  6. On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the other half into a 1cm thick square or rectangle.
  7. Cut it into 3cm squares, transfer them to a flour dusted plate and refrigerate.
  8. Repeat with remaining dough (or refrigerate or freeze it to use later).
  9. Heat oil for deep-frying; remove squares from fridge about 5 minutes before you’re ready to cook.
  10. Fry squares a few at a time, turning almost constantly, for about 1½ –2 minutes, until crisp and dark golden.
  11. Drain on a rack over a paper towel-lined plate.
  12. Sieve some icing sugar into a large bowl, add beignets, sieve more icing sugar on top and toss to coat well.
  13. Transfer to a serving plate and top with more icing sugar (they need a very generous dusting).
  14. Serve warm.

Like this recipe?
You’ll love A Month In The Deep South Recipes+Videos Online Cooking Class!

Make Alabama White Sauce

Share page on:

Join Me Soon

What Our Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Read More
We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken – once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better ordering this than going out to restaurants as the recipes and food quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Read More
The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Read More
I loved the Fresh & Easy Chicken – simple instructions, only a few ingredients and the time factor absolutely spot on. Then came the highlight, the taste, no compromise on the enjoyment of that meal! For the time poor Fresh & Easy hits the mark indeed.
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Read More
Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic ingredients and quality produce ... I’ve so enjoyed picking fresh leaves from the herb pots and loved listening to the chef's playlist while cooking. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Read More
I am absolutely loving these boxes! There are ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Read More
Loving Be Inspired! Felt like a kid opening up a Christmas present when the box arrived. Fresh herb pots are a nice touch!
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Read More
Thanks so much for the Fresh & Easy Meal, it was excellent. We regularly get another meal kit delivery – your offering is vastly superior and a similar price, so big ticks.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Read More
I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from the Recipes+Videos Packs. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
Previous
Next
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)