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. Â
Ingredients
Scale
1/2 cup warm water
1 packet instant yeast, about 2.5 tsp
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 large egg beaten
1Â TBSP honey
2Â TBSP butter melted
2Â 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.