Beignets (Gabonese Fried Dough)

Beignets are Gabonese pastries that were influenced by French cuisine (Gabon was a French colony for around 80 years). When you look at this delight, you think of little, crispy pillows, and the icing sugar makes you think of flaky white snow. This recipe, as a classic and traditional French recipe, will not yield the French Quarter-style beignets that are so popular in New Orleans. It is instead produced with choux pastry dough, which is also used to make cream puffs and éclairs. The moisture in the dough permits it to rise without the need of yeast because it is made with simply butter, water, flour, and eggs. This is what makes it the simplest type of beignets, and you can make them quickly.

These French beignets bubble up beautifully when deep-fried and are absolutely tasty. Because the batter has a significant proportion of eggs, the flavor is similar to that of French toast. It's a nice twist, a fun recipe to try, and they go great with fresh fruit or preserves. You can fry the beignets in a deep fryer or a pan deep enough to hold the oil. A deep fryer should allow you to control the temperature, but if you're using a pan, you'll need to use a thermometer.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, or canola oil, for deep-frying, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 4 large eggs, 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Instructions

• Combine yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup (125ml) tepid water in the bowl of a stand mixer, stirring to dissolve yeast. Stand for 10 minutes or until yeast mixture bubbles.
• Add egg, condensed milk and a pinch of salt, and stir to combine. Add coconut oil, vanilla and half the flour, then, using the hook attachment, knead on low speed until combined. Add remaining flour and knead for 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
• Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours to prove. (The dough won’t double in size, but will increase slightly.)
• Lightly dust 2 baking trays with flour. Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll out into a 1cm-thick slab. Cut dough into 5cm squares, re-rolling as necessary. Place on prepared trays and cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside for 30 minutes to rise slightly.
• Fill a large saucepan or wok one-third full with sunflower oil and heat to 170°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 50 seconds when hot enough).
• Working in batches of 4-5, lightly pinch the edges of each square to create air pockets, then gently drop into oil and deep-fry, turning halfway, for about 5 minutes or until crisp, golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
• Dust beignets generously with icing sugar and serve warm.