I really love great, fried dough…of any kind. Seriously. I’m not sure why fried dough in so many variations (around the world, even) is just so freaking good, but it just is. While I’m way more of a savory food person, one of my favorite types of fried dough are beignets…topped with a mountain of powdered sugar.
I like how they’re usually more bite sized than doughnuts (with the exception of doughnut holes of course), and how simple they generally are. I added a chai spice to both the beignets and the powdered sugar because I LOVE chai spice and can never get enough, ya know? :) These guys are light, fluffy and pillow-like, with just the right amount of sweet, seasonal kick from the chai spice. I love them so much and hope you guys try them our this season! Enjoy! xx, Jenny
Chai Spiced Buttermilk Beignets
INGREDIENTS
chai-spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
beignets
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup lukewarm water (95-115˚F)
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together all chai-spice ingredients until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast and sugar into water and allow mixture to sit and get frothy, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in buttermilk, 1 teaspoon prepared chai-spice, baking soda, salt, and egg.
- Add flour, ½ cup at a time, until fully incorporated and a rough dough comes together. Turn mixture out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead for 4 to 6 minutes or until a smooth dough forms.
- Place dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow dough to sit in a warm area until double in size, about 1 hour.
- Fill a tall-and wide pot with 2-inches oil and preheat to 350˚F.
- Once dough has doubled in size, punch down in center to deflate, turn out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and cut dough into two equal pieces. Cover one piece of dough and roll out the other until ⅛ inch thick.
- Slice rolled dough into a crosshatch pattern, creating 1-inch diamonds. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
- Carefully and gently drop a few pieces of dough into the hot oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
- Drain onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels and repeat until all dough has been fried.
- In a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar and remaining chai-spice and scoop some of the mixture into a fine mesh sieve.
- Top beignets with a generous amount chai-spiced powdered sugar and serve immediately.
NOTES
- *Makes 50 Beignets
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
tag @SpoonForkBacon and #SpoonForkBacon on Instagram
I don’t ever leave food reviews but this deserves 10 stars. Just tried these tonight with the entire family. All of us were in awe! SO so good. We may never go back to regular beignets again!
So happy to read this!! Glad you enjoyed them!
Can this be made in an air fryer?
Hi! I haven’t tested this in an air fryer, so I’m not sure about that
Looks fantastic! Can the dough be frozen for future use?
Perfect ! Just perfect ! Thank you so much !
Looks great. I’m going to make it, but:
Ingredients show 1 cup milk, but directions don’t explain how it’s used. There’s also two 3/4 cup buttermilks in the ingredient list. Step 2 says sprinkle sugar and yeast in water, but ingredients don’t indicate how much water to use.
Hi! The recipe has been updated and should be all good now! :)