New Orleans Beignets

Ingredients

• 7g instant yeast
• 180ml warm water, about 40C
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 120ml evaporated milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 500g strong white bread flour
• 60g unsalted butter, softened
• 1.5 litres neutral oil, for frying
• 150g icing sugar, for dusting

Before you cook

• Stir the yeast into the warm water with a pinch of the caster sugar and leave it 5 minutes until foamy
• Beat the egg and measure out the evaporated milk
• Soften the butter to room temperature
• Fill a small sieve with the icing sugar and set it aside for later

Steps

1. Whisk the remaining caster sugar, the beaten egg, the evaporated milk and the salt into the foamy yeast mixture.
2. Stir in half the flour until smooth, then work in the softened butter.
3. Add the rest of the flour and mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough that pulls away from the bowl.
4. Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and springs back when pressed.
5. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it, and leave it to rise for 2 hours until doubled in size.
6. Roll the risen dough out to a rectangle about 8mm thick.
7. Cut the dough into 6cm squares with a sharp knife or pizza wheel and let them sit uncovered for 10 minutes.
8. Heat the oil in a deep heavy pot to 175C, checking with a thermometer.
9. Slide three or four squares into the oil at a time and press them under with a spider for a second so they puff.
10. Fry each batch for about 1 minute per side until they are golden and hollow, then lift them onto a rack over kitchen paper.
11. Let the oil come back up to 175C before frying the next batch.
12. Bury the hot beignets under a thick blanket of sifted icing sugar and eat them immediately.