Back to School Beignets

School starts this week for the kids.  Every year they get to pick what they'd like to eat for their special 'Back to School Breakfast.'  This year they would like beignets.  I've already tried a beignet recipe, but we weren't completely happy with it because the beignets didn't come out as light and puffy as Cafe Du Monde's beignets.  I'm giving beignets another try and using this recipe from Nola Cuisine.  I anticipate the morning of the first day of school will be very busy and a bit stressful.  So, I hope to do as much as I can the night before.  I hope these Back to School Beignets will help get the kids off to a great start! 

Ingredients

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast

3/4 Cup Water (110 degrees F)

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Beaten Egg

1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk

3 1/2 – 3 3/4 Cups A.P. Flour

1/8 Cup Shortening

Vegetable Oil for Frying

Powdered Sugar in a shaker or sifter

Directions

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″ thick. With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2″ 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!).  Enjoy! Makes about 2 dozen.

 First, make frothy yeast.  I didn't have a packet of yeast, because I buy my yeast in bulk.  I found this conversion table to help me measure the yeast.  I used 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast.

Next, I added the egg, salt and evaporated milk.  Then, I mixed in 2 cups of flour.  When the mixture was smooth I added the shortening and mixed again.  Finally, I added another 2 cups of flour to make a smooth dough.

I kneaded the dough into a ball and placed it in an oiled bowl.  I covered it lightly with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to rise overnight.  I realized I'll have to wake up about an hour earlier than I thought.  I still need to roll out the dough, cut it into squares and let it rise 40 minutes before I can start to fry.  Tonight I was thinking, why did I want to do this?  But, when I was getting my little 6 yr. old ready for bed, she wanted to thank me early for making beignets for breakfast.  I will be tired tomorrow, but it will be worth it.  I better go pack the lunches and get to bed.  We'll see how this turns out tomorrow...

...6am the next morning

Here's the dough ball after it rose all night in the refrigerator.

I rolled it out and used a pizza cutter to cut 2 inch squares.  I put those squares on two floured baking sheets and put them in the oven to rise.  My oven has a proofing setting that keeps it at 100 degrees inside.  I let them rise for forty minutes.

Once the oil was up to temperature (350-360 degrees), I started frying 3 beignets at a time.  They do fry up quickly!  When they were done I put them on a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet and generously sprinkled powdered sugar on top.

The Results...

Were these beignets better than the others I made?  Yes, they were!  Were these beignets as good as Cafe Du Monde?  I'm afraid that's still, no.  I still haven't discovered Cafe Du Monde's secret to making theirs so light and puffy.  These beignets were lighter than the others I made.  Some even had little holes inside when we bit into them, but they were still more like regular donuts to us.  I think we're getting closer, though.  These were still delicious.  Who would complain about warm, fresh, sugary donuts for breakfast?  The kids were happy to eat these with some cold milk.  My fifth grader ate 4 of these!  My husband even went to work a little later than usual to have breakfast with us.  These Back to School Beignets added to the excitement of the first day of school!