The Beignets

Sam’s class is making a class cookbook to be part of an auction in a few weeks, and each kid was asked to make and bring in their favorite recipe. The recipe will be in the book along with a photo of each child with his or her dish.

I asked little Samuel what he wanted to make and he immediately said “beignets!”

So we made beignets! {That’s pronounced “been-yays” according to Charlotte.}
 

I made these for Sam’s birthday and posted about them, but I did not include the recipe* so I want to share it with you now. ‘Cause I am cool like that. {All apologies to my gluten-free friends & to the citizens of New Orleans who would certainly scoff at my homemade knock-offs.}

Ingredients:

1 pound frozen bread dough
2 cups vegetable oil
1-2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Flour for dusting

 Spray or grease a large bowl with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Place frozen dough in the bowl, cover with a towel and let sit in a warm, dry place. Let sit until dough is thawed and doubled in size (preferably overnight).

 When dough is ready, punch it down and turn it out onto a clean surface dusted with flour. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour and roll out with a rolling pin until the dough is about to about 1/4-inch thick and then cut into 1-inch squares (we use a pizza cutter). Place the squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and let sit for a few minutes.

 In the meantime, heat the oil in a dutch oven or a deep pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, deep-fry the squares in batches, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into a large plastic storage bag or paper bag filled with confectioners’ sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

 {Kids can help with the punching, rolling, cutting, and shaking the sugar bag.}

Enjoy them while they’re hot!

*I have to give credit where credit is due on this one. I got the idea for making beignets this way from my mother-in-law, Debbie. She makes elephant ears for the kids from frozen bread dough, and after watching the ladies at the Port Orleans beignet bar make them pretty much the same way she makes elephant ears, I was inspired to come home and give it a try. If you want to make elephant ears instead, divide the dough up into smaller balls {as many as you have people} and then roll out the individual dough balls into roundish disks and fry in the oil, flipping occasionally until nice and brown. And then just shake the sugar on the pastry. Cinnamon & sugar are pretty yummy toppings, too.

If you live in an area that has a Wegman’s, I highly recommend their frozen bread dough. You can get two one-pound dough balls in a package for relatively cheap, and it is just the best tasting bread. The best, Jerry!

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