Beignet

A beignet (pronounced BEN-yay, or bayn-YAY in American English; from the French for "bump") is a deep-fried pastry that originated in France. It is most often made from choux pastry, though versions using rice flour (rice beignets) or yeast-leavened batters also exist. The most common way to serve them is dusted with confectioner’s sugar. This pastry appears in French, Hungarian, Italian, Cajun, and American cuisines. While many cultures have their own variations of fried dough, the word "beignet" itself comes from French.

The traditional French-style beignet uses choux pastry dough, which includes butter, eggs, milk or water, sugar, flour, and salt. This versatile dough is prepared differently across cultures. French immigrants introduced the pâte à choux version to New Orleans in the 1700s. Common variations there include banana or plantain—popular fruits in the port city—or berries, as well as savory fillings like meat and cheese.

Yeast pastry beignets are sometimes called boules de Berlin in French, referring to Berliner doughnuts filled with fruit or jam. In Corsica, beignets made with chestnut flour are known as fritelli. In Canadian French, the word "beigne" or "beignet" can refer to doughnuts. In parts of West Africa that were part of the former French colonial empire, a beignet is a small ball of fried dough—sometimes made with millet flour instead of wheat—similar to puff-puff.

Deep-fried yeast dough has been around since at least the Middle Ages. The Spanish call similar creations "buñuelos," which likely shares a root with the Celtic word "bigne" for deep-fried yeast dough. French colonists and Acadians brought beignets to New Orleans in the 18th century, where they became a staple of home-style Creole cooking.

Louisiana-style beignets are usually square or rectangular and made from leavened dough, not choux pastry. In New Orleans, they are often eaten for breakfast, topped with powdered sugar, and served immediately after frying at many local cafes. In the United States, beignets are a part of New Orleans Creole cuisine and can also be served as a dessert. They are one of only two official state donuts in the U.S.; the other is the Boston cream doughnut of Massachusetts.

Typical ingredients for beignets include tepid water, granulated sugar, evaporated milk, bread flour, shortening, oil or lard for deep-frying, confectioners' sugar, and yeast for leavened batters. For yeast-leavened beignets, the dough is rolled out, sliced into squares, and deep-fried for two to three minutes until puffy and golden brown. For choux pastry beignets, the chilled dough is piped or scooped before frying.