Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (2024)

FAQs

Are beignets the same as fried dough? ›

A beignet is a sweet fried dough with origins in the fine pastry capital of the world: France. It's also common to find these in areas with heavy French influence, like New Orleans, where they are ubiquitous.

A beignet is a yeast-risen dough that is rolled out, cut into square shapes, and deep-fried until golden brown. A hollow pocket forms in the center of the beignet when frying. Right when the beignets come out of the frying oil, they are rolled in copious amounts of powdered sugar.

Do not add too many pieces to the oil or else the oil temperature will drop and your beignets will be fry up flat. They will not puff up. The only other reason the dough does not puff up would be if you rolled the beignet dough too flat. Try rolling the dough a little thicker.

It is delicious comfort food. This fried bread is crispy on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside. It's the perfect combination of sweet and savory.

The texture of a good beignet is also juicier and the individual doughs balls are less splintered than the funnels of a funnel cake. A beignet looks more similar to a powdered donut than a funnel cake.

Why are my beignets raw in the middle? Oil that's too hot will quickly brown the beignets before the centers have a chance to cook. Make sure to check your oil temperature, and reduce the heat if your beignets are browning too quickly.

New Orleans beignets are different from the classic French beignet in that they are made with yeast to help the dough rise. French beignets, meanwhile, are a choux pastry, a pastry that relies on moisture content instead of yeast to facilitate rising. Today, beignets are considered the official donut of Louisiana.

Finally, the beignets made from dough that rested two hours and then was rolled, cut, and fried had more of a hollow center — light and airy and perfect for filling with Nutella etc, if you'd be so inclined.

If it's not too sticky to knead, knead it on a floured surface or with the dough hook; if it's still pretty sticky, add another 1/2 cup flour. Knead until it's smooth and elastic, yet still tacky. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Beignets are different than doughnuts in a few ways. First, the dough is made with a single rise. This creates a chewy texture rather than a fluffy one. Because of this, the doughnuts taste best hot from the fryer.

What is the secret to beignets? ›

Tips for MAKING Your Fluffy Beignets:

Be sure that you oil is NIICCE and hot. We had our oil even 20 degrees hotter than the box called for and this really seemed to help the dough puff. Try to keep that oil temperature as even as possible!

If it isn't, the beignets absorb too much oil and the powdered sugar melts when served and the beignet is greasy, sticky, and a hot, sweet mess of soggy dough. Cafe du Monde fries their beignets in cottonseed oil, even though most recipes call for vegetable oil.

A proper beignet is NOT hollow. It is a soft pillow of fried dough, bathed in powdered sugar.

Fried dough is also known as fry dough, fry bread (bannock), fried bread, doughboys, elephant ears, beaver tails, scones, pizza fritte, frying saucers, and buñuelos (in the case of smaller pieces).

Other cultures have their own names for this crispy/tender treat, including frogs, beaver tails, elephant ears, and pizza fritta (made with yeast). Want to make your own fried dough at home?

Variations of fried dough can be found across cuisines internationally; however, the origin of the term beignet is specifically French.

Donuts (also spelled doughnuts) are deep-fried pastries made from dough. Donut-like fried pastries appear in many forms the world over, both savory and sweet. However, in the United States, donuts are most often sweet treats commonly enjoyed at breakfast.