Sometimes, not all the time and not very frequently, the formula for baking bread doesn’t start with “Preheat oven to ___.” And when it doesn’t, hold on tight.
Some of the most glorious breads never are never touched by swirling heated air. Their delicate chewy crumb and crisp outer shell is caused by something different and equally as magical. Fat. As long as there is enough, the dough isn’t too dense or voluminous and the temperature is correct, fat will turn your bread into a heavenly morsel.
Take for instance the humble beignet. Enriched and risen sweet dough cut into small squares, fried quickly in vegetable oil and dusted with an indulgent but far from piggish amount of icing sugar (suck it Café DuMonde). Served not cold with coffee.
1 packet active dry yeast, divided
½ C room temp to warmish milk
Sugar
¾ C warm water
1 egg
10g salt
2-3 T melted butter
2 C AP flour
1 ½ C bread flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
Vegetable oil
Icing sugar
Weigh the yeast, reserve 25% of it and bloom the rest with the water and a heaping T of sugar. While waiting, whisk together the 3 T sugar, milk, egg and butter. Please make sure the butter and milk are warm at most. Scrambled egg beignets are gross. Whisk the egg mixture in with the yeast bloom. Meanwhile combine the flours with the cookie spices and the remaining dry yeast and add to the liquid. Mix thoroughly then work the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth. Alternatively, you can use the stand mixer with the dough hook, but add the flour mix gradually and at a low speed unless you are a self-flagellator. Put the dough in a lightly greased or buttered bowl that can accommodate three to four times the volume of the dough ball. Cover with cling film and prove for 1.5-2 hours. Don’t use a towel because the risen dough will stick. Empty the dough out onto the bench and divide in half for convenience sake. Roll out each half to a little larger than 30cm x 20cm (12x8 in) then cut each into 5cm squares, discarding the remnants, or saving them and frying them too because what type of savage throws away perfectly good dough? Or like me you can give the remnants to your kids to play with but not eat so they don’t come nosing around the giant vat of scalding oil you have on the stove. Seriously, they used it as a medieval anti-siege weapon. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or big cast iron to 350. Fry in batches as much as your vessel will tolerate without crowding. Flip the dough at 45 seconds to a minute. I use a pair of take out chopsticks. Fry the same amount on the other side. Remove carefully with a big slotted spoon to a baking sheet with paper towels and allow to cool while you put the next batch in the oil. Dust our douse with icing sugar. Enjoy warm.
Bonne chance.
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