Beignets

Method

1. Pour half the warm water into a large, clean bowl, then add the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar, stirring until the yeast/sugar have dissolved. Leave in a warm place for 10-15 minutes or until the surface froths. Add the salt, egg, evaporated milk, the rest of the sugar and the remaining water, then mix. Add half the flour and the 1 tsp nutmeg, then mix well. Beat in the butter, then the remaining flour. Once the mixture has come together to form a fairly sticky dough, put in a greased bowl, cover and chill for at least 3 hours or up to 24 (see Make Ahead).
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-based saucepan (don’t fill it to much more than half full) or deep-fat fryer, until it reads 180°C on a digital probe thermometer – see tips. (If you don’t have a digital probe thermometer you can test if the oil is hot enough by adding a cube of bread – it should turn crisp and brown in around 30 seconds.
3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 0.5cm thick. Cut into 6cm squares to make around 18 beignets (see Make Ahead). Fry the beignets in batches for 2-3 minutes, turning regularly, until golden brown (they’ll puff as they fry). Drain on kitchen paper and dust with icing sugar (see tips). Serve warm.
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