Bugnes are Lyon’s traditional Carnival fritters—light, twisted ribbons of enriched dough scented with lemon zest and rum, deep-fried and dusted with icing sugar, prepared in enormous quantities during the weeks before Mardi Gras. The Lyonnais bugne tradition distinguishes between two styles: bugnes moelleuses (soft bugnes), which are thick, pillowy, yeasted fritters similar to doughnuts, and bugnes croustillantes (crisp bugnes), which are paper-thin, shattering ribbons rolled as thin as Provençal oreillettes. Lyon favours the crisp version, which demands the same extreme thinness as its southern cousin. The dough combines 500g flour, 4 eggs, 100g softened butter, 80g sugar, 2 tablespoons of rum, the grated zest of two lemons, and a pinch of salt—no yeast or baking powder for the crisp version. The mixed dough is rested for 2 hours (essential for gluten relaxation), then rolled to near-transparency (1mm or less). The sheets are cut into rectangles approximately 15x6cm, a central slit is cut lengthwise, and one end is pulled through the slit to create the characteristic twisted shape. They are fried in clean oil at 170°C for 30-40 seconds per side until golden and puffed with enormous blisters, drained on paper, and dusted generously with icing sugar while still hot. The bugnes should be eaten within hours of frying, when their crispness is absolute. In Lyonnais tradition, the season for bugnes runs from late January through Mardi Gras, and every boulangerie and pâtisserie in the city displays towering pyramids of these golden ribbons during Carnival season.
Rest the dough for minimum 2 hours to relax gluten for extreme thinness. Roll to near-transparency (1mm or less) for crisp bugnes. Cut the central slit and pull through for the traditional twisted shape. Fry at exactly 170°C for even browning and maximum crispness. Dust with icing sugar while still hot for adhesion.
Add a tablespoon of kirsch alongside the rum for a more complex boozy note. The Lyonnais grandmother’s trick: add a tablespoon of beurre noisette (brown butter) to the dough—the nutty flavour adds a dimension that regular butter misses. For perfectly even frying, use a deep-fry thermometer and fry no more than 3 bugnes at a time to maintain oil temperature. Préaux in Lyon’s Les Halles de Paul Bocuse makes what many consider the city’s finest bugnes—tissue-thin, blistered, and coated in a snowdrift of icing sugar.
Rolling too thick, producing a bready fritter instead of a crisp, shattering ribbon. Not resting the dough, resulting in elastic dough that springs back during rolling. Frying at too high a temperature, which browns before crisping. Not creating the central-slit twist, which is both decorative and functional (it ensures even frying). Making them too far in advance—bugnes lose their crispness within 6-8 hours.
La Cuisine Lyonnaise — Félix Benoit