Baked Beignets
Tasty beignets, baked instead of deep fried.
Happy Fat Tuesday!! Being from Louisiana, I usually stay true to our cooking methods but for these beignets, I decided to cut the frying and bake instead.
Fat Tuesday, which the French call Mardi Gras, is the traditional name for the day before Ash Wednesday and the last day for the season called “Carnival”. Carnival is characterized by merrymaking, feasting and dancing. So basically, you live it up then, the next day...Lent. Lent is a time for fasting and penance in preparation for Easter, which lasts for 40 days. If you’ve ever been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, you know they know how to party.
Beignets are a part of our culture, brought to Louisiana by the Acadians. The original beignets were more like a fried fritter and some were filled with fruit. There is nothing like sitting at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans sipping coffee and eating their amazing beignets.
After combining the ingredients, you will have a sticky ball of dough. Oil a separate bowl, place the dough inside, cover and wrap in a towel for 2 hours. I lay a towel out flat, set the bowl in the middle, then wrap the towel up around it. Sometimes, depending on the temperature of your house, a glass bowl can be cold on the bottom.
For the final stage before baking, heat your oven to 200 degrees F. Once the beignets are cut into 2 inch squares, turn off the oven and put the beignets on baking sheets inside. Crack the oven to allow the heat to escape. This is called proofing and it’s an important final step.
After proofing, you will have fluffy little beignets ready to bake.
Brush a little milk on top of each beignet right before baking. If you don’t get a nice brown top at the end of the baking cycle, turn on broil and toast the top for a few seconds.
Brush each beignet with melted butter and roll in powdered sugar. Place them on a plate and sift a little more powdered sugar on top. You’re done! Enjoy!!
Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment on Instagram and tag with @morganskitchn and #morganskitchn.