Beignets
Categories: All, Baking Tips, Breakfast Treats, Holiday, Recipes
Tags: , Allergy Friendly, Beignets, Dairy Free, Dairy Free Evaporated Milk Recipe, Donuts, Doughnuts, GFCF, Homemade Evaporated Milk Recipe, Mardi Gras, New Orleans Recipes
Tis the season for all things New Orleans! I mean the Mardi Gras season, that is! If you needed any excuse to make festive colored cakes (King Cake) throw plastic beads, or make fried dough (Beignets), this is it!
This quintessential New Orleans treat, the Beignet:(pronounced: ben-yay), is a crispy-on-the-outside, feather-light, heavenly doughnut, flash fried and smothered in confectioner’s sugar … and totally full of gluten. They are unique to New Orleans, so I haven’t been lucky enough to have one since my parents’ trip to Bourbon Street in the ’80s, when they brought back boxes of famous Café du Monde Beignet Mix. For years, the thought of ever enjoying such a soft, airy, gluten-free puffed doughnut seemed like an unachievable dream to me.
Now, sharing my gluten-free version with a host of friends and family (and one Louisiana native), I am happy to pronounce my gluten-free recipe a resounding success! Whether you have had and now miss Beignets since going gluten-free, or are just curious to try these little puffs of New Orleans deliciousness, give this recipe a try, whether it’s Mardi Gras or not!
I took these treasures onto DC’s Fox News recently and they were (not surprisingly), a huge hit!
(P.S. Even though New Orleans didn’t win the big game this year, if you have friended Drew Brees on FB (or otherwise), be sure to send him this recipe too – the 2010 Saints’ Superbowl MVP is gluten-free!)
New Orleans Beignets
- 1 cup warm water (110° F)
- 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 package rapid rise yeast
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk (dairy or see directions below for non-dairy)
- 3 3/4 cup Jules Gluten Free™ All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbs. shortening (e.g. Earth Balance® Shortening Sticks)
- vegetable oil for frying
- confectioner’s sugar to dust Beignets
Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast; stir and set aside to activate the yeast. Allow mixture to sit until it becomes frothy, at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat together the egg and milk. Add 1 cup of the Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour and the salt. Beat until integrated. Cut the shortening into small chunks and mix in with the 1 cup flour, egg and milk. Slowly beat in remaining flour and the proofed yeast mixture until completely mixed. The dough should not be stiff or sticky at this point.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface or pastry mat dusted with Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour. Roll gently into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Using a large, sharp knife, cut strips of dough 2 inches wide, on a diagonal (not straight up and down, leaving a diagonal edge to the strips). Cut across these strips in the same way, creating diamond-shaped Beignets. Leave any scraps of dough to test the temperature of the oil – do not knead together and cut again. Place cut Beignets onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Allow to rise in a warming drawer or an oven brought to 200° F, then turned off. The Beignets will roughly double in size after rising for 50 – 90 minutes (I’ve left them covered overnight to rise as well, and they turned out great!)
After the Beignets have risen, pour vegetable oil (high heat, preferably) into a large saucepan to a depth of 2-3 inches. Heat the oil on medium-high to 310° – 360° F. Test the temperature of the oil by using any risen scraps of dough remaining. Gently submerge a piece of dough in oil – if it rises to the top of the oil immediately and begins to bubble, the oil is hot enough; if it does not rise to the top of the oil, it is not hot enough. If the dough turns dark brown within 30 seconds of being submerged, the oil is too hot.
Once the oil is to temperature, gently submerge 2 – 3 Beignets in hot oil and cook until lightly browned and puffed on each side – approximately 1- 2 minutes only. Remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon to drain on paper towels, and sprinkle confectioner’s sugar liberally over top of each Beignet. Serve warm.
Yield: approximately 15 Beignets.
Directions for Non-Dairy Evaporated Milk:
Measure 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice and pour into a small saucepan. Over low-medium heat, stir milk occasionally to prevent a skin from forming or the milk from sticking to the pan. Heat until the milk is reduced by half to measure 1/2 cup of liquid (allow approximately 30 minutes for this process). Once reduced, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding to dough per recipe.
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04. Mar, 2011
[...] more about other tasty Mardi Gras culinary traditions, you simply must sample my King Cake and my Beignets, which pay a real tribute to those famous treats that made Cafe du Monde [...]
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22. Jan, 2012
[...] to make it up to you, I have located a recipe for donuts and a recipe for BIEGNETS that are completely [...]
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brad said: on February 20, 2011
Great recipe – made my own non-dairy evaporated milk using unsweetened coconut milk. crowd couldn’t tell this was a gf/df dish. very good.
Jules said: on February 21, 2011
Fantastic! So glad you got to try it Brad!
Harriet Schipper said: on March 8, 2011
Whenever in New Orleans, everyone has to go and get Beignets. I always wondered what they tasted like, now I will be able to find out:)
Harriet
Denise Wilhelm said: on March 11, 2011
Have you tried these using flax seed/water or EnerG egg replacer instead of eggs? They sound amazing, and I’d love to make some, but I’m allergic to eggs.
Jules said: on March 11, 2011
Hi Denise – I haven’t tried it yet, but there is only 1 egg in the recipe, so it’s the perfect kind of recipe for subbing with flaxseed meal and water. If you get a chance to try it before I do, let us know how it works!
Ruby G said: on April 11, 2011
Are they good cold? I was thinking about making this for a school project but I would not be able to serve them warm.
Jules said: on April 11, 2011
Ruby, depending on how fresh they are, they may be ok cold, but they’re much better hot and fresh.
jen said: on October 15, 2011
Cant stand the taste of evaporated milk, so can I use regular milk and if so, do I reduce it down as in the non-dairy version?? Many thanks
jen
Jules said: on October 18, 2011
Hi Jen, sory I missed this when you posted it Saturday! Yes, you can make your own dairy evaporated milk the same way as my non-dairy evaporated milk recipe. Enjoy!
Damien Silveira said: on November 16, 2011
If I make them in the morning and then let them rise before I go to the office at 9:00am, do you think they will be ok to have sitting around until I am ready to fry them at 1:00pm?
Jules said: on November 16, 2011
Damien, if you let them rise covered in a warm, humid place, that should be fine. My only concern would be if they dried out, so make sure it’s nice and humid where they are left to rise, and that they are covered. Let me know how it goes!
Damien Silveira said: on November 19, 2011
The Beignets were a hit. I ended up leaving them covered with damp towels in the oven until about 30 minutes before the Potluck started, fried them at the office and they were all gone before the line was done….. One person even said I don’t need to put what I am bring on future potluck signup lists because he already knows what he wants me to bring.
Thanks you!
Damien Silveira said: on November 19, 2011
Thank you not thanks you.
Jules said: on November 20, 2011
Damien, you are doubly welcome!
sarah Thorsteinson said: on January 23, 2012
Dying to make these for Mardi Gras. Thanks for sharing your recipe! Any adjustments needed for super high altitude? 10,000 ft+ ?
Jules said: on January 23, 2012
Sarah, I haven’t tried this recipe at high altitude, but I’ve never had trouble with any of my breads at 7800 ft. Let me know how it goes!
Susan Swearingen said: on February 16, 2012
I love your flour, recipes, and book. I am so glad my daughter-in-law brought me your book when I was first diagnosed. I don’t know what I would do without your help.
Keep those recipes coming, and I’ll keep buying your flour.
Thank you, Susan Swearingen
Jules said: on February 17, 2012
Ah Susan, thank you! It’s funny how everything seems to happen for a reason! You clearly have a thoughtful (and insightful!) daughter-in-law! So happy she introduced us and that I have been of help to you!!! Thank her for me!
Alta said: on February 17, 2012
Wow, these look good. Would you mind if I included them on a Mardi Gras roundup I have on my blog today?
Jules said: on February 17, 2012
Hi Alta – share away!
Ali Niehaus said: on May 11, 2012
I don’t know if this would work in this particular recipe but when I make pumpkin pies, I use soft silken tofu for the dairy portion. I put it in the Cuisinart to mix and smooth, then add to pumpkin portion. Truly, it makes a great pie. That’s the only thing I do differently from the old recipe on the pumpkin can.