French Quarter Beignet

I've never been to New Orleans, in fact, I've never tried a Beignet in my life until I made them from scratch over the weekend. I decided to make Beignets from scratch over the weekend because Dr. Sweetpea and I are doing a road trip to New Orleans in the spring. These were super easy to make and they turned out wonderful. Dr. Sweetpea took one bite and said these remind him of the ones he ate at New Orleans several years ago.

French Quarter Beignets

(Source: Paula Deen)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup evaporated milk

7 cups bread flour (Next time I'm going to use all purpose flour)

1/4 cup shortening

Nonstick spray

Oil, for deep-frying

3 cups confectioners' sugar

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F. Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.