Beignet Recipe From Café Du Monde Food

BEIGNETS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. Mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
• Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Fry in 360 degree F (180 degrees C) hot oil. If beignets do not pop up, oil is not hot enough. Drain onto paper towels.
• Shake confectioners' sugar on hot beignets. Serve warm.

NEW ORLEANS-STYLE BEIGNETS

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• Line a large rimmed baking sheet with three layers of paper towels, set aside.
• 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.
• 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.
• Dust with powdered sugar and serve at once!

NEW ORLEANS STYLE BEIGNET RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the Yeast, Water, and Sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand).
• Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the Salt, Egg, and Evaporated Milk.
• Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening.
• When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated.
• At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; it's a touch thing.
• Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough.
• Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise (I made mine last night and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator).
• After the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2-inch thick.
• With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2-inch wide strips.
• Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction.
• Place the Beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise about 40 minutes in a warm place (I place them in a barely warm oven).
• When the Beignets have risen, heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees.
• Place 2-3 Beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them.
• When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil).
• Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain.
• Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar (because the dough doesn't contain much sugar, you will want a lot!).
• Best served with Cafe au Lait. Enjoy!

BEIGNET RECIPE FROM CAFé DU MONDE

Steps:

• 1. MAY USE A DOUGH MIXER, OR A BREAD MACHINE. If using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, sugar, salt, egg, butter, evaporated milk, flour, and yeast in the bowl. Beat until smooth. If using a bread machine, add liquid ingredients, then dry ingredients with yeast last (on top of everything else). Select dough setting and press Start, allow to run only until dough cycle has finished (do not bake).
• 2. Turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and form into an oval. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled (3 to 4 hours) or overnight.
• 3. To prepare dough, remove from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into approximately 3-inch squares, triangles, or circles.
• 4. In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 365° F. Fry the beignets (2 or 3 at a time) for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are puffed and golden brown on both sides, turning them in the oil with tongs once or twice to get them evenly brown; beignets will rise to the surface of the oil as soon as they begin to puff.
• 5. NOTE: If the beignets don't rise to the top immediately when dropped into the oil, the oil is not hot enough.
• 6. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels, then sprinkle heavily with powdered sugar. Serve hot.
• 7. The dough can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator - it actually improves with age; just punch down when it rises. (Dough can also be frozen; shape beignets before freezing.)

FOODCHANNEL EDITOR

Steps:

• 1 FOR THE BLUEBERRY SAUCE: Puree all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Strain through fine sieve into heavy medium saucepan. Season sauce to taste with more sugar, if necessary. Simmer sauce over medium-low heat until syrupy, about 20 minutes. 2 DO-AHEAD TIP:Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. 3 FOR THE BEIGNETS:Combine milk and yeast in large bowl; let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Whisk in sugar, eggs and melted butter. Add 3 cups flour and stir to form moist sticky dough. 4 Knead dough on floured work surface, incorporating flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes. Form into ball. Lightly oil same large bowl; place dough in bowl. Cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. 5 Heat shortening in deep fryer to 325ºF. 6 Transfer dough to floured work surface. Punch dough down; cover with kitchen towel and let stand for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle dough with flour. Using rolling pin, roll out dough into 12-inch square. Using pizza cutter, trim edges slightly to form perfect square. Cut dough crosswise into 4 equal strips. Cut each strip into 6 pieces, forming 24 rectangles total. 7 Working in batches, fry dough rectangles in hot oil until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Using slotted metal spoon, transfer beignets to paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. 8 Arrange 3 beignets on each of 8 plates. Ladle blueberry sauce over and around beignets. Generously sprinkle powdered sugar over beignets. Alternatively, place beignets on platter. Generously sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve blueberry sauce alongside.

BEIGNETS

Steps:

• Put the milk, yeast and 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low to combine. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the butter, salt, egg and remaining granulated sugar to the bowl and mix on low speed to combine. Add the flour in 1/2-cup increments, mixing on low speed just until the dough becomes sticky and pliable, about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put somewhere warm to rise, such as inside an unlit oven, until the dough is roughly doubled in size, about 2 hours. (You can also refrigerate the covered dough overnight.)
• Lightly flour a large work surface. Punch down the dough with your fist to remove air, then place the dough on the work surface. Roll the dough into a 12-by-14-inch rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick. Make 6 cuts 2 inches apart along the 12-inch side and 7 cuts 2 inches apart along the 14-inch side using a sharp knife or pizza cutter for a total of forty-two 2-inch squares. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes. (If you refrigerated the dough, let the dough rest at least 1 hour.)
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large Dutch oven or electric fryer. Put the confectioners' sugar in a large paper grocery bag or on a large baking sheet. Fry 6 to 8 beignets at a time, flipping them every 30 seconds or so, until both sides are golden brown, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per batch. If using the paper bag, transfer the beignets to the bag and shake to coat well with the sugar. If using a baking sheet, transfer the beignets to the sheet and, using tongs, toss to coat well with the sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve immediately.

SMALL BATCH BEIGNETS (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Measure all your ingredients out and have everything ready to go.
• Heat the shortening and water together until the shortening is melted and the whole mixture is very warm but not scalding hot. Pour into bread machine.
• Turn machine on and quickly add the other ingredients in the order listed and allow the bread machine to knead the dough for the full dough cycle.
• Remove dough from pan to a flour-dusted surface and roll thin. Cut into squares and fry in hot oil just long enough for them to golden brown.
• Drain and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.
• Tip: Beignets puff up two inches thick or more, so you need at least a couple of inches of oil in your pan.

BUTTERMILK BEIGNETS

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until small bubbles form at the surface. Remove from the heat, add the buttermilk, and then pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed, using a dough hook, until the dry ingredients are moistened, 3 to 4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough forms a loose ball and is still quite wet and tacky, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set the dough aside in a draft-free spot for 1 hour.
• Pour enough peanut oil into a large pot to fill it to a depth of 3 inches and bring to a temperature of 375°F over medium heat (this will take about 20 minutes). Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.
• Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out on it. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, gently press to flatten, fold it in half, and gently tuck the ends under to create a rough-shaped round. Dust again and roll the dough out into a ½-inch- to ¹/³ -inch-thick circle. Let the dough rest for 1 minute before using a chef's knife, a bench knife, or a pizza wheel to cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares (you should get about 48).
• Gently stretch a beignet lengthwise and carefully drop it into the oil. Add a few beignets (don't overcrowd them, otherwise the oil will cool down and the beignets will soak up oil and be greasy) and fry until puffed and golden brown, turning them often with a slotted spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate to drain while you cook the rest. Serve while still warm, buried under a mound of confectioners' sugar, with hot coffee on the side.
• Make ahead:
• The beignet dough can be made up to 8 hours in advance of frying. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. After cutting the dough, place the beignets on the paper and place another greased sheet of parchment paper, sprayed-side down, on top. Wrap the entire baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The beignets can be fried straight from the refrigerator.