Beignets

Ingredients

• 7 g active dry yeast, one standard sachet
• 80 ml warm water, approximately 40°C to activate yeast
• 375 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 160 ml evaporated milk, specific to the Café du Monde recipe; contributes faint caramelised richness
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 30 g unsalted butter, softened
• For frying
• 1.5 L vegetable oil, sufficient depth for submersion; temperature held at 175°C
• To finish
• 150 g powdered (confectioners') sugar, applied immediately and excessively while beignets are hot

Method

1. 1
   Combine the warm water and yeast in a small bowl. Leave undisturbed for 10 minutes. The mixture is ready when a distinct foam has formed on the surface — no foam means the yeast is dead; discard and begin again.
2. 2
   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the evaporated milk, beaten egg, softened butter, and the activated yeast mixture. Bring the dough together, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and slightly tacky — approximately 8 minutes. The dough is ready when it springs back slowly when pressed with a finger.
3. 3
   Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and leave to proof at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours. The dough must be noticeably puffy, visibly swollen, and light to the touch before it is rolled. Rushed dough produces dense, bread-like beignets. Do not proceed until the dough has clearly risen.
4. 4
   On a lightly floured surface, roll the proofed dough to no more than 5 mm thickness. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: the dough must be thin — thin enough that the surface appears almost translucent in places. A thick beignet will be doughy and heavy at its centre; only a thin beignet puffs in the oil to produce the hollow, airy interior and large visible bubbles that define the dish. Cut into squares of approximately 6 cm.
5. 5
   Pour the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy pan to a depth sufficient for submersion. Heat to 175°C, confirmed with a thermometer, and maintained throughout frying. Too high and the exterior browns before the interior cooks; too low and the beignet absorbs oil and becomes greasy. Fry in batches — do not crowd the pan. Each beignet fries for 30 to 45 seconds per side, turned once. The finished colour is a uniform, deep gold on both sides — not pale, not light brown.
6. 6
   Remove the beignets from the oil and drain for no more than a few seconds. Transfer immediately to a plate and bury under powdered sugar while still hot — the sugar adheres to the warm surface and begins to melt slightly against the dough. The quantity is not a dusting: it should be absurd. The first bite should send a visible cloud of sugar into the air. Serve at once. A room-temperature beignet is a categorically inferior product.