Quick Beignets

Quick Beignets

Serves: 4

Hands On Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 0 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Vegetable oil, for frying

Powdered sugar, for serving

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and butter until smooth. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not overwork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When ready to fry, heat the oven to 275 degrees. Place a paper towel-lined platter or baking sheet in the oven. Heat 2 inches of the oil to 350 degrees in a large Dutch oven, or other heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat. Alternatively, heat the oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer following the manufacturer’s directions.

When the oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of the batter into the oil in small batches, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. Cook until the exterior is golden brown and the interior is soft and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the prepared platter in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Dust the hot beignets generously with powdered sugar. Serve hot.

About the recipe

Instead of making traditional beignets from a yeast dough and spending hours allowing it to proof, try these quick fritters for a similar effect in a fraction of the time. Once the batter is assembled, let it rest for 30 minutes before frying to relax the gluten in the dough and make the beignets more tender. Depending on your number of guests, this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.