Description
These French Golden Beignets are soft and fluffy inside, lightly crisp on the outside, with just enough orange zest to make them extra special. They’re best while they’re still warm, with a generous dusting of icing sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp dry yeast
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- Warm water, as needed to make 1 cup liquid with the egg and oil
- Oil, for frying
- Icing sugar, for dusting
For cinnamon sugar, if using:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tbsp dry yeast, 2 tbsp milk powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp orange zest to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Crack 1 large egg into a measuring jug and add 2 tbsp neutral oil.
- Add enough warm water to bring the total liquid to 1 cup. Make sure the water is warm, not hot, so you don’t knock out the yeast.
- Pour the egg, oil and warm water mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Mix for about 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides if needed. You’re looking for a soft, sticky dough. Don’t add lots of extra flour here. The dough should be sticky, but it shouldn’t be runny.
- Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough into it.
- Cover and leave it in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. The exact time will depend on how warm your kitchen is.
- Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough.
- Roll it to about 5 mm thick. Cut into your desired shapes, keeping the pieces fairly similar in size so they cook evenly.
- Place the cut dough on a lightly floured surface, cover loosely and let it rise again until puffy, about 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t wait for every piece to exactly double this time. You’re mainly looking for a noticeably lighter, puffier dough.
- Heat enough frying oil to give the beignets room to float. Aim for 350⁰F (175⁰C).
- If you don’t have a thermometer, test with a small scrap of dough. It should gently bubble and rise to the surface rather than turning dark straight away.
- Fry the beignets in small batches for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, depending on their size. Keep an eye on the oil temperature between batches. If the oil is too hot, the outside will brown before the centre cooks.
- Transfer the cooked beignets to a paper towel-lined tray to drain. Let them cool for a few minutes, then dust generously with icing sugar.
- For cinnamon sugar, mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and toss the warm beignets in the mixture.
Notes
Prepared, tried and tested by: Preshana
