Square Donuts or Beignets
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ tsp dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cups milk or water
- pinch salt
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter or margarine, at room temperature
- oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, eggs and warm water. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add the salt and incorporate it into the dough. Cut the margarine into small pieces and add to the bowl. Knead the dough by hand. (You may need to add a bit of flour, but use as little as possible. A sticky dough yields a fluffier doughnut.) Knead for a minimum of 5 minutes. Cover the dough and let rise for 1½ - 2 hours in a warm draft-free spot.
- Sprinkle flour over the rolling surface. Place the dough onto the flour, and then sprinkle additional flour over the dough. Roll the dough out in the shape of a half-inch-thick rectangle. (At this point you may add as much flour as you need to ensure that the dough won't stick to the rolling surface.)
- Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut squares about 1½ x 1½ inches. Separate the squares; sprinkle with additional flour if necessary. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes before frying. Slip into hot oil, frying beignets in batches.
- Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or toss in sugar.
Notes
Yield: Mini makes around 70 doughnuts.
