Beignet

A Beignet is a rich dough, fried, coated with sugar then filled with a choice of filing (vanilla custard in this recipe). It can be served with a variety of sauces, this recipe recommends serving it with homemade chocolate sauce and a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

The French colonists of the 18th century brought the recipe and custom of making beignets to New Orleans. Some historians believe that the Ursuline Nuns of France, who came to Louisiana in 1727, brought this simple pastry to New Orleans. ...Beignets are considered the forerunners of the raised doughnut.

Ingredients

For the Beignets

(15 mini weighing 30gm each )

Bakers flour 260gm

Instant yeast 5gm

Full fat milk 106gm

Caster sugar 37gm

Whole egg 56gm

Vanilla extract 5gm

Salt 2gm

Butter unsalted 35gm

(Diced room temperature)

Oil (For frying)

For the coating

Caster sugar 200gm

Cinnamon powder 5gm

Vanilla Custard(Filling)

Full fat milk 225gm

Vanilla pod 1 (Or extract 5gm)

Egg yolks 66gm

Caster sugar 55gm

Custard powder or Plain flour 40gm*

Butter unsalted 15gm

(Diced at room temperature)

*Replace 10% of flour with cocoa powder for chocolate filling

Chocolate sauce

Chopped dark chocolate couverture 125gm

Cocoa powder 25gm

Full fat milk 65gm

Caster sugar 15gm

Salt 2gm

Method:

For the dough:

1. Combine all the ingredients except the flour and the butter.

2. If using a table top mixer, use a hook attachment and start mixing on a low speed for 3-4 minutes. Alternatively you can use your hands to mix the dough by making a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pouring the eggs and milk in the centre, working your way outwards, start to combine the ingredients until they form a homogenous dough.

3. Once you see the dough forming, add in the salt and continue to mix.This dough is a bit sticky so don't worry if it gets messy, just make sure that the dough is well mixed and scrape the sides and continue for about 2-3 minutes.

4. Add in the room temperate butter and continue mixing until a smooth dough is formed. It is important that the butter is not chilled else it will not incorporate evenly.

5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and rest for an hour at room temperature. In the meanwhile you can make the filling and the sauce.

For the sauce:

1. Heat the milk, sugar and salt in a sauce pan, once its hot add in the cocoa powder and whisk to remove any lumps. Take it back on the flame and give it a boil.

2. Strain this mixture over a bowl containing chopped dark chocolate, let is sit for a few seconds. Use an immersion blender to mix it evenly. This can be prepared well in advance, and refrigerated. Re-heat in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave.

For the filling:

1. Heat the milk with the scraped vanilla bean/extract in a medium sized sauce pan.

(Use a slightly larger saucepan as the custard will be cooked in it)

2. Combine the yolks, sugar, flour/custard powder in a separate bowl.Use a whisk and mix thoroughly.

3. Once the milk is boiled, gradually add it to the yolk mixture in three intervals mixing continuously with a whisk. Once combined, strain the mixture back into the sauce pan.(this will help eliminate any lumps).

4. Cook this on a medium flame, stirring continuously covering all corners of the sauce pan. You need to cook it for about 8-10 minutes minimum, undercooking can leave a raw taste of the starch.

5. Once it is thick, transfer it into a mixing bowl and keep mixing. Gradually add in the diced butter and mix well. (You can do it in a table top mixer with a paddle attachment). You need to cool this before storing. Once its cool, transfer it into a bowl, cover a cling wrap on its surface touching the surface and store in a refrigerator. This will prevent a skin forming on its surface.

Note: You can prepare the sauce and the filling the previous day, works best.

Dough (Continued)

6. Place the dough onto a floured table top, give it a couple of knock backs.(Use your palm/fist, gently press the dough a few times using a floured hand).

7. Now shape the dough to about 30gm each, cover the remaining dough while working as it might become dry.

8. Using both you hands/ table top shape them to form a firm ball, pinch the bottom of the dough to seal the dough. This will prevent them for opening up while frying.

9. Take a baking tray lined with grease proof paper, spray/bursh evenly with neutral oil, place the dough with adequate space between them as they will expand while proving. Continue and complete the rest of the dough leaving enough gap between them. Use two trays if needed.

10. Let it rest at room temperature to proof.

TIP: You can place them in an oven (turned off) with a bowl/pot of hot water beneath to create the humidity, this will speed the process and also prevent drying out).

11.Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to about 170 degrees , once the dough has almost doubled. Start frying the dough one by one. You need to handle the dough with utmost care as over handling can damage the proofing which has taken place. Do not over fill the frying pan, leave some space as they expand while cooking. Do not keep turning, allow them to cook for about 6-7 minutes.

Turn them to the other side and cook similarly.

12. Once you see that they have a nice golden colour, drain them and place them on a tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb the oil. Complete the rest of the beignets similarly.

13. When they are still hot, simultaneously start tossing them in the cinnamon sugar coating evenly. Place them aside, allow to cool.

14. Once cool, using a chopstick make a hole and create a cavity inside the Beignet for the filling.

15. Smoothen the custard in a mixing bowl, transfer it to a piping bag, fill the beignets. More the merrier.

16. To serve, add a few table spoons of the heated chocolate sauce on a plate, arrange the filled beignets and finish off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy 😋