Baked Beignets

I love New Orleans, powdered sugar, baking, powdered sugar, trying new recipes, and powdered sugar. This recipe seems to have been made for me.

I've had my eye on this recipe for a while. I pinned it a few months ago, but I've never worked with yeast before. After reading up on it a little bit (Jenna, the author of the blog, does an amazing job of explaining how to work with yeast), I found out that it's not as scary as it seems. Make sure the "warm water" is at least 100 degrees and don't let the salt mingle with the yeast because salt kills yeast. Mix the salt in with flour and other dry ingredients and then incorporate it with the yeast. Pretty simple.

This is a tasty alternative to frying. One day I'll try frying them, but for now, I'm trying to keep my junk food a little less junky.

This is her exact recipe here:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F)
1 packet active dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
5 T cold butter, cut into small chunks
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk

Combine the yeast, warm water and a pinch of the sugar in a small bowl and set aside for five minutes. The water will start to look foamy and bubble a little bit. That’s normal.
Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Using your fingers, cut in the butter and work mixture together until it resembles coarse sand.
Mix together the egg and the buttermilk. Add to yeast and then add to dry ingredients. Stir together to form a soft dough and then continue to knead (or use your Kitchen Aid) until dough becomes smooth and elastic. If using a Kitchen Aid, keep your speed on medium and beat with paddle attachment (or dough hook) for 6-8 minutes until smooth. If using your hands, make sure you are working on a lightly floured surface. The dough will feel smooth like pizza dough when it’s done.
Spray a bowl with cooking spray and drop in your dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Then, roll out dough into a large rectangle or square on a floured surface. Cut square into five long strips and then cut those strips into squares. Place squares on a lined baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake beignets for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Dust with powdered sugar and eat warm.

I absolutely loved trying this recipe! It was delish and easier than I expected. I should mention, that after I took my photo above, I added more powdered sugar, but in case I didn't make it clear before-I LOVE powdered sugar!