I used to make these easy buttermilk beignets in college. This, among many other blatantly obvious clues, should have laid bare the utter truth that Marketing was absolutely, positively NOT what I was meant to do with my career. When you are but a wee 19-year-old and you choose to spend your Saturday nights standing over a big pot which you procured from the local Goodwill that morning, patiently waiting to see if your dough will, in fact, rise up “into pillowy puffs of fried perfection,” as the recipe clipping on the countertop says it will … you are probably better suited to professions of a more culinary persuasion.
You guys go and do your tailgating and cheer on your football players. I will be right here with my pots and pans and pillowy puffs, thank you very much.
I am not really one for frying, though, truth be told. I don’t love it. It’s the mess I think – the after-the-frying that I don’t much care for. Who really does, though? So, in order for me to do it, the final product must be worth it in every way. These are.
These easy buttermilk beignets are classic – this is a simple, un-messed with preparation that could venture out in so many different flavor directions if you feel so inclined as to take them. You can fill and stuff them with things like Nutella and sweetened cream cheese and molten chocolate goo and cannoli cream. I have done all of the above with spectacularly delectable results. But sometimes you have to respect the beauty of a classic, and leave it be with little to no mussing and fussing. That’s what we’re doing today. Since we don’t need any special gadgetry or pans or cutters to make them, I’ve gone ahead and deemed the humble yet classic beignet as the official doughnut of choice here in My Kitchen Little. Apparently I like both my biscuits and my doughnuts in rectangular form …
These easy buttermilk beignets fry up like little balloons – they will puff up in the middles, becoming impossibly light and airy (you will be so pleased) and the outsides will develop a rather addicting crunchy crispness that really is only accomplished by frying. Hence, my occasional foray. That deliciousness is worth it sometimes. A shower of stark white confectioner’s sugar is all that is needed to finish these off, the act of which is, in and of itself, totally satisfying and worth the price of admission.
Never one to play the Little Red Hen, I made these homemade beignets for friends of mine in college sometimes, one of whom in particular I remember always being so, so excited about them. He was a rocket scientist, spending his days studying and working with and invested in some of the most truly mind-blowing things in existence, I’d say. So, it always thoroughly amused me when he’d sidle up to my Formica countertop, rinky dink paper plate at the ready, and he’d stare at that snowstorm of sugar cascading down upon the pillows of fried dough as if it was the greatest thing he’d seen all week.
Perhaps it was. Greatness is all relative, I’d concluded, confident that Einstein himself would concur.
:: Classic Homemade Beignets :: Here is a ready-made pin for you! Simply save it to your “Breakfast Recipes” or “Sweets” boards and you’ll be all set when you want to give them a try.
Easy Buttermilk Beignets
Using only 9 core ingredients (not counting cooking oil, salt and water) these are a beautifully classic beignet, like the kind you’d find if you sidled up to a table at the Café Du Monde in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Showered with powdered sugar to the point of almost ridiculousness, these are a real treat, and since they don’t require any special equipment for shaping, they reign supreme as the doughnut of choice here in My Kitchen Little.
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1 packet instant yeast, about 2.5 tsp
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 large egg beaten
1 TBSP honey
2 TBSP butter melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
Confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, yeast, buttermilk, beaten egg, honey, melted butter, and the vanilla. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- Knead until the dough comes together in a ball; this takes about 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough seems overly sticky, add a little more flour, about a tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball that you can handle without it sticking to your fingers.
- Cover the bowl and let sit in a warm place 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a nicely floured work surface. Roll it out into a large rectangle, about an 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 × 3-inch squares. Cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let these rise for about 20 minutes.
- Place a deep, heavy-bottomed pot over med-high heat and add oil to a depth of about 1.5 inches. Preheat the oil to 350 degrees F. Fry about 4 beignets at a time, being sure to not over-crowd your pot, and keeping an eye on the oil temperature. Use a slotted spoon to flip the beignets over every 30 seconds. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until the doughnuts are deep golden brown on both sides.
- Using your slotted spoon, place the beignets on paper towels or brown paper bags (my favorite) to drain off excess oil. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
- Generously shower each beignet with confectioner’s sugar.
