French Market Beignets

Bergy's Note:

Friends that were recently in New Orleans gave me this recipe credited to "Cajun Tours". They said these beignets were delicious. I have not made them but if my friends said they are good then they are!I have no idea how many this recipe makes but it is quite a few

• Total Time: 24 hrs 3 mins
• Prep Time: 24 hrs
• Cook Time: 3 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 dozen o ...

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 (¼ ounce) packet yeast
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 7 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup Crisco shortening , softened
• confectioners' sugar
• oil (for deep frying)

Directions:

1. Put 1 1/2 cups warm water in a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over the water then stir well to dissolve the yeast When the yeast is dissolved and frothing add sugar, salt& milk.
2. Beat the two eggs and add to the bowl.
3. Add crisco.
4. Stir well and slowly add the 7 cups of flour.
5. Stir until the flour is well mixed in and the dough is in a big ball, cover with plastic and place in the fridge overnight Next day rollsmall pieces of dough on a floured board.
6. Roll as thin as you can and cut into 2" squares.
7. Fry in 360F oil for about 3 minutes until light brown.
8. Shake the beignets in a bag in confectioner's sugar C'est Bon.

Reviews

[Clarity148]

This recipe is just the one used in New Orleans. Here are a little more detailed instructions / tips: Put the warm water into a large bowl, then sprinkle in the yeast and a couple teaspoons of the sugar and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Let proof for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the sugar, salt, eggs, and evaporated milk. Gradually stir in 4 cups of the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and thoroughly blended. Beat in the shortening, then add the remaining flour, about 1/3 cup at a time, beating it in with a spoon until it becomes too stiff to stir, then working in the rest with your hands. The dough should be relatively soft, like drop biscuit dough. It should not be stiff like pie dough. Do not over mix the dough. You will have tough beignets if you over mix the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight in a greased bowl. Scoop the mix from the bowl onto a well-floured surface. You will need additional flour to roll the dough flat; or else, the dough will stick to your rolling pin and your hands. Flour keeps the dough from sticking to everything. Be sure to use plenty of flour. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch, cut into 2-inch squares using a pizza cutter. From around the edges, you will have scraps of dough left over. Do not try to remix these scraps and cut them into squares. If you do this, you will get tough beignets. Just fry these pieces just the way they are. Your cooking oil should be at 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Traditionally, cottonseed oil is used to fry the beignets; however, you may use any vegetable oil you wish. Remember that the temperature of the oil will drop when you add the beignet dough to the oil. Do not add too many pieces to the oil (3 or 4 at a time) or else the oil temperature will drop and your beignets will be fry up flat. They will not puff up. The only other reason the dough does not puff up would be if you rolled the beignet dough too flat. Try rolling the dough a little thicker. It takes about 2-3 minutes to cook. Turn them over in the oil with tongs once or twice to get them evenly brown. Drain each batch, place on a platter lined with several layers of paper towels, and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until they're all done. Serve 3 beignets per person, sprinkling heavily with powdered sugar, and serve hot with cafe au lait.

[Ms. B]

I made half a recipe - I thought that I was having trouble with my yeast, I threw out once batch but the second batch did the same thing so I went ahead with the recipe. My yeast didn't look like it had or was going to proof (get bubbly). I refrigerated the dough for about 5-6 hours, and the beignet tasted just alright. The next day I made another batch and they were delicious, nice and airy. My dough was better the longer it was refrigerated. I fried them in peanut oil. I tried one small batch with a cream cheese icing and they were addictive. Even with half a recipe I have enough dough for 3 more small batches. I think I will roll, cut and freeze the remaining dough for later. I didn't have any evaporated milk so I made my own, I think that might have had something to do with the extra richness of my beignets. Another thing, my dough didn't rise, but the beignets got puffy when I fried them.

[Chef #396380]

The verdict is in and while I prefer the choux version, neighbors and family hands down give 2 thumbs up to this recipe (it is the one used at Disney World) I now know why I don't make beignets more often..the powdered sugar mess~but well worth it! Ended up using only 6cups of flour and a rising time of 7 or so hours. This is a lovely dough, and using just enough sugar to feed the yeast would be well suited to Navajo fry tacos. TY so much for sharing, awesome, and well worth the mess;-)