Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 300 mlwarm water
- 8 ginstant yeast
- 60 gsugar
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspgrated nutmeg
- 2 tbspoil
Optional
- 1egg, for a richer dough
- a ripe banana, mashed
- grated zest of 1 lime
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To finish
- sugar, for rolling, optional
To serve
- hot, from a paper cone, with sweet tea
Directions
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and nutmeg, then add the warm water gradually.
- Beat it hard with a wooden spoon or your hand for several minutes until it is smooth and elastic. It should be far too soft to handle, somewhere between a batter and a very slack dough.
- Grate it fresh if you can, since the pre-ground kind loses its aroma quickly. Now heat the oil to about 170°C in a deep pan.
- Keep the temperature moderate rather than fierce, since these need time for the centre to cook through. Hot oil browns the outside within a minute and leaves raw dough inside, which is the commonest fault.
- Fry for four to five minutes until deep golden brown all over. Do not crowd the pan, which drops the oil temperature and gives greasy pale results.
- Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain them on a rack. Roll them in sugar while still hot if you want them sweeter, though many are sold plain.
- Serve them immediately, hot, in a twist of paper. They must be eaten within the hour, since they go heavy and greasy as they cool.
Technique
- They are quite different from the square New Orleans beignet.
- Puff puff and mikate are the same thing under other regional names.
- The batter is deliberately too slack to handle with dry hands.
Substitutions
- Any plain flour, and the recipe is forgiving.
- Mashed banana worked into the batter.
Variations
- With banana in the batter.
- Rolled in sugar after frying.
- Made larger, as a fuller breakfast.
History
Fried dough balls sold at markets, a French colonial name attached to a West and Central African street staple.
Frequently asked questions
What is Beignets?
Beignets is a street food from Chad: hot fried dough balls sold from market braziers. Fried dough balls sold at markets, a French colonial name attached to a West and Central African street staple.
How long does Beignets take to make?
Beignets takes 20 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 30. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Beignets?
Yes, within limits. Any plain flour, and the recipe is forgiving. Mashed banana worked into the batter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Beignets?
Keep the temperature moderate rather than fierce, since these need time for the centre to cook through. Hot oil browns the outside within a minute and leaves raw dough inside, which is the commonest fault.
