Homemade Beignets with Pate a Choux

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In French, beignet means fried dough. It is synonymous with the English word fritter and in France it specifically refers to deep fried choux pastry (unless wikipedia is a total liar, which is entirely possible).

So since pate a choux is a French pastry dough, then we’re going to stick with calling these beignets even though in New Orleans the dough for making beignets is typically more of a traditional yeast doughnut dough. I promise, they are still really tasty and actually much easier to make!

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup water (8 fl oz, 240 ml)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1/2 cup, 4 oz, 113 grams)
  • large pinch kosher salt
  • 2 TBSP granulated sugar (0.8 oz, 24 grams)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (4.5 oz, 127 grams)
  • 4 large eggs
  • oil for frying (canola, vegetable)
  • powdered sugar for topping

Preparation

Step 1

Place water, butter, sugar, and salt in a sauce pot over medium high heat. Stir until butter is melted and everything comes to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium. Add flour into the mixture all at once while stirring quickly. Continue to stir and cook off the moisture in the dough until it pulls away from the sides and starts to form into a ball. This should take about a minute.
Place dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add eggs in one at a time. Do not add another egg until the one before has been completely absorbed into the batter. The batter will look smooth and glossy when ready. (Alternatively, you can mix in the eggs by hand. This just takes a bit longer. Mix each egg until completely absorbed before adding the next).
Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to overnight.
Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium-high heat to 350F.
Use a small scoop or a spoon to drop about 1 TBSP of batter per beignet into the oil. They will puff up considerably. Fry in batches.
Turn beignets after several minutes and continue to cook until each side is golden, the beignet is puffed, and it is started to create a seam (the dough will start to burst creating a seam when it is ready). This will take about 7-9 minutes of frying. Be patient so that the inside is not uncooked. Drain on paper towels.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

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