Vegan Beignets

The dough initially

The dough the next day. It had expanded to the entire dish.

Cut the dough with square cookie cutters

My beignet bakers!! 

We went to New Orleans spring break of 2017 and of course tried beignets from Café Du Monde! Turns out that they do not have any eggs or dairy. My daughter with allergies loved them! We tried to re-create this at home.

I made half of the recipe, and cut the dough into squares. Girls loved helping with shaping the dough. Note that you do need to have the dough sit in the fridge at least 8 hours. I made it on a Wed night, and fried some Thurs night, and also Sat morning for brunch and they were still good! I also made half of the recipe.

Vegan beignets (~recipe from Apryl on effyeahitsvegan)

https://www.effyeahitsvegan.com/recipes/vegan-du-monde-beignets

Ingredients:

·        1 cup warm water (1/2 cup warm water)

·        1/4 cup sugar (1/8 cup sugar)

·        1 Tbs active dry yeast (1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast)

·        1 egg replacement (1 egg replacement-1 tablespoon flax meal and 2.5 tablespoons water)

·        2 Tbs vegan butter (1 tablespoon vegan butter)

·        1/2 cup soy creamer (1/4 cup soy creamer)

·        4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (2 and ¼ cup flour)

·        1/2 tsp salt (1/4 tsp salt)

·        Oil for frying

Enough powdered sugar to choke out an army

Directions:

1.      In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Allow to sit until the yeast gets bubbly and happy, about 5 minutes. Add in the butter and the egg replacement and beat until combined. Add in the soy creamer and half the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add in the salt and the rest of the flour and finish with the dough hook. If you don't have a dough hook, knead the dough by hand. 

2.      Spray cooking spray or a light bit of oil into a bowl or dish with a lid. add in the dough and turn to coat. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for 8 hours, or overnight. 

3.      Heat your cooking oil to 360 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to approximately 1/4 to 1/3 inch thickness. 1/2 inch thick is too thick. 

4.      Cut the dough into 3" x 3" squares or diamonds. Place into the hot oil carefully, making sure not to crowd the oil. The beignet should float to the surface almost immediately. Cook on each side for about 20-30 seconds, or until a rich golden brown. 

5.      Once golden brown on both sides, remove from oil and allow to rest for about 1 minute. With a sieve, sprinkle the powdered sugar generously onto the top of the beignets. Enjoy, traditionally with a cafe au (almond) lait.