Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (2024)

FAQs

Are beignets the same as fried dough? ›

A beignet is a sweet fried dough with origins in the fine pastry capital of the world: France. It's also common to find these in areas with heavy French influence, like New Orleans, where they are ubiquitous.

Do not overmix the dough. You will have tough beignets if you overmix the dough. 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.

New Orleans-style beignets: New Orleans-style beignets are made from an enriched yeast dough — similar to a doughnut — that contains milk, butter, and eggs for color and texture. New Orleans-style beignets also wear a much thicker coat of powdered sugar than their French counterpart.

The difference between classic French beignets and the New Orleans-style fritters seen can be found in the preparation of the dough. The former is made from pâte à choux, while those from the Big Easy are made from leavened dough that's cut into squares and fried until crispy on the outside and airy within.

Beignets are great but there's only so much you can do with fried dough and powdered sugar. A beignet (or ben-yaat-ee, or ben-yeti) isn't a funnel cake by any stretch, but the end result is at least similar.

You might be wondering, why are beignets served in threes? This tradition varies from place to place, but many believe it's simply because three is the perfect number for a satisfying treat!

Tips for MAKING Your Fluffy Beignets:

Really coat that countertop and rolling pin with flour- you do NOT want these babies to stick and they really, REALLY want to. Be sure that you oil is NIICCE and hot. We had our oil even 20 degrees hotter than the box called for and this really seemed to help the dough puff.

Why are my beignets raw in the middle? Oil that's too hot will quickly brown the beignets before the centers have a chance to cook. Make sure to check your oil temperature, and reduce the heat if your beignets are browning too quickly.

And why wouldn't it be, given that it's made up of melted Hershey's chocolate placed inside a deep-fried pastry that's generously coated in powdered sugar? Cafe du Monde purists might quibble with some of the finer points of the preparation, but there's a decent chance that the mere existence of these at a local ...

Can you let beignet dough rise overnight? ›

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat, then cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, or refrigerate overnight. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface until about ¼-inch thick.

timeless ❤️ Pro tip: frying with Crisco All-Vegetable. Shortening ensures your doughnuts will have a crispy. outside, and a fluffy inside!

The dough is enriched and sticky but if it seems too wet you can add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Because the dough is very rich it takes a little time to rise but don't be discouraged it's worth the wait. If you're not using the dough right away you can store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Heat oil in a deep pot to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry beignets in batches until browned and puffed. (If beignets sink and do not pop up, oil is not hot enough.)

Fried dough is also known as fry dough, fry bread (bannock), fried bread, doughboys, elephant ears, beaver tails, scones, pizza fritte, frying saucers (in the case of smaller pieces).

Variations of fried dough can be found across cuisines internationally; however, the origin of the term beignet is specifically French.

Donuts (also spelled doughnuts) are deep-fried pastries made from dough. Donut-like fried pastries appear in many forms the world over, both savory and sweet. However, in the United States, donuts are most often sweet treats commonly enjoyed at breakfast.

A beignet tastes very similar to a powdered sugar doughnut because both are deep-fried and then rolled in a coating.