Gluten-free New Orleans Beignets
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY – Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Nut-free
A few years ago, my husband and I stopped at the colourful Louisiana city of New Orleans on our backpacking tour around the US. Jazz on every corner, spicy Cajun food and a magic mix of cultures awaited us and we, like so many, fell head over heels.
New Orleans is famous for a lot of things but it is perhaps most renowned for its Creole and Cajun cuisine second only to the state’s official doughnut, the beignet. Brought over by French settlers in the 17th century, beignets are now most associated with the French Quarter of this historic southern city and can be found on almost every corner, though arguably the very best place to sample these powdered sugar pillows is Café Du Monde, a beautiful coffee spot on the edge of the Mississippi River open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure every visitor gets their beignet fix.
Soft, pillowy, rectangular-shaped pieces of yeast-risen fried dough, not quite as sweet as a doughnut but caked in a mountain of powdered sugar to make up for it, New Orleans beignets are best eaten warm with a side of coffee. When we were in town, hubby wasn’t yet diagnosed with celiac disease, so, fortunately, he got to enjoy many a beignet while we were visiting. However, fast-forward three years, and he can no longer go near one. So, of course, as we reminisced about our adventures abroad, I thought surely he doesn’t need to miss out for good, so I got to work developing a recipe for a gluten-free beignet as close to the real thing as possible.
Beignets are made from a type of choux pastry, which ordinarily means lots of flour. Making any bread or pastry without gluten is tricky, but not impossible, it just requires a little more patience and perseverence. One thing I have learned about gluten-free baking is if you’re going to make dough, you need plenty of protein, so I added a bit of a unique ingredient to this mix – whey protein isolate. Usually taken after a workout at the gym, I decided to add it to my dough instead to increase the protein content, which helped to form a well-risen structure for my beignets.
When I make gluten-free beignets, I leave my shaped dough overnight in the fridge, as I found this helps them to puff up and keep their shape when cooking. It also gives them a decent chance to rise again after shaping. However, if you don’t want to wait then this step isn’t entirely necessary, you can simply cover your uncooked beignets and leave them to rest for 30 minutes before frying.
If you don’t have a deep fryer, don’t worry, nor do I. I fill a casserole pot around halfway (three inches) with vegetable oil and bring up to temperature. I always add only one beignet at first, as the oil will be at its hottest, so you’ll likely get a more browned beignet initially before the cooking time evens out to around 90 seconds each. I used a pot big enough to cook four at a time. Once cooked, place each beignet on to some kitchen towel to drain then move to a clean tray to dust liberally with powdered sugar on both sides. Though traditionally eaten as is, I decided to whip up a quick chocolate sauce to dip my beignets in as we both have a sweet tooth, so enjoyed the extra indulgence!
Gluten-free New Orleans Beignets
Ingredients
- 1 packet (8g) yeast
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tbsp white or white wine vinegar
- 50g butter, melted and cooled
- 3¾ cups gluten-free self-raising flour
- ¼ cup flavourless whey protein isolate
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 2L vegetable oil, for deep frying
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 200g dark chocolate
- 200g double cream
Method
- In a bowl, add the yeast, water and sugar. Mix and cover with clingfilm for 10-15 minutes until a foamy head forms on top of the liquid.
- Add the egg, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, white vinegar and melted butter to the yeast water and mix.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, mix the flour, whey protein isolate, salt and cream of tartar.
- Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and, using a dough hook, mix the dough until soft and smooth using a hand or stand mixer. This will take around 2-3 minutes.
- Place your ball of dough into a clean, oiled bowl and cover with lightly oiled clingfilm. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1-1½ hours.
- Once doubled in size, place the dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to chill to make it easier to work with.
- Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and, using a light touch, gently knead until the dough is smooth, being careful not to add too much extra flour.
- Roll the dough out to around ½ inch thick. Using a pizza wheel, trim the edges, so you have a perfect rectangle, then cut into 16 even squares. You will have some dough leftover, which can be re-rolled to make another couple of beignets if you wish.
- Place each beignet on to an individual piece of baking paper cut to be a little larger than each piece of dough. Pop on to a baking sheet, cover with lightly oiled clingfilm and put into the refrigerator overnight, or for 30 minutes if you want to eat your beignets on the same day.
- Pour your oil into a deep casserole pot and heat to 375°F. Use a spatula to slide each beignet into the oil, using tongs to remove the baking paper. This will ensure the dough keeps its shape and doesn’t deflate. Cook for approximately 45 seconds on each side until puffed up and deep golden brown in colour. I cooked my beignets in batches of three. Use a thermometer so you can keep an eye on the temperature to ensure it doesn’t get too hot or too cool.
- Drain each cooked beignet on some kitchen paper before dusting liberally with sifted powdered sugar on each side.
- If you want to serve them with the chocolate dipping sauce, heat the cream in a microwave-proof bowl for 90 seconds then pour over your chocolate. Leave to sit for 20 seconds then stir until smooth and thickened.
- Serve your beignets right away with the chocolate sauce. As with most gluten-free bakes, these don’t keep fresh for long, so I recommend eating them on the day you bake them.