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Excellent Beignets

These are excellent beignets, that are soft and fluffy.
We can find these beignets in so many countries with different names such as:
Bolas de berlim which are traditional Portuguese donuts, filled with pastry cream and dusted with powdered sugar.

German Berliner donuts that are filled with fruits preserve or jam and dusted with powdered sugar.

Bamboloni that are Italian doughnuts. rolled in sugar and filled with pastry cream or other different fillings.

Beignets of Mardi Gras or French โ€œbeignets de Mardi Grasโ€ as some people call them in France.
These beignets are also called โ€ beignets de la plageโ€ in French which means beach donuts, because they are very much sold in the beach. Beignets de la plage are also presents in Algeria.

In Brazil, these beignets are called Sonhos and they are filled with Dulce de leche.
You can make a small hole on the beignets and fill them with your favorite filling, using a piping bag with a star or round tip. You can use a knife and slice the beignets across the center but not all the way, then fill them up with your choice of filling (see picture above).

For the pastry cream video recipe, please check this link: https://youtu.be/lJgSzyxXmGg
For the written recipe, please check here: https://www.myexcellentdegustations.com/french-pastry-cream/

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Excellent Beignets

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 11
Author LDSโ€™s Mom

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp dry active yeast
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • Vegetable or canola oil for frying
  • Granulated sugar for rolling the beignets

Filling

  • Pastry cream (please see recipe link above)
  • Jam, Nutella

Instructions

  1. Put milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.

  2. Add the egg and vanilla extract.

  3. Whisk everything for few seconds then place the hook attachment on the stand mixer.

  4. Add flour gradually and mix until everything is well incorporated.

  5. Add the softened butter and knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes or less until the dough is smooth. The dough is sticky at this point.

  6. Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and kitchen towel.

  7. Let rise until doubled in volume.

  8. Sprinkle flour on a working board.

  9. Dump the dough on the working board.

  10. Deflate it and form small balls, the size of a tangerine.

  11. Flatten the balls by hands into thin circles.

  12. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in volume.

  13. Preheat vegetable oil in a pan.

  14. Fry the beignets until golden brown on both sides.

  15. Drain on a paper towel lined tray.

  16. Roll the beignets immediately in granulated sugar.

  17. Insert a knife into the side of each beignet and make a small incision.

  18. Fill the beignets with Nutella, pastry cream, jelly, Dulce de Lethe, you name it! Use a piping bag fitted with a star or round tip.

  19. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

  • You can form the beignets in another way. Just roll out the dough thinly (about 1/2 inch thick), then use a round cookie cutter to cut out the beignets (your preferred size).
  • The total time in this recipe didnโ€™t include the rising time of the dough.
  • You can add cinnamon or vanilla powder to granulated sugar used for rolling the beignets.
  • You can dust powdered sugar on the beignets instead of rolling them in granulated sugar.
  • Instead of making a small incision on the beignet, you can slice itย across the center without going all the way (or make a big incision).
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๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algerian Traditional Flour Bread called Matloua or Thamthoot

There are several recipes for traditional bread or Matloua or Thamthoot. I previously shared the recipe for Algerian semolina bread, video recipe here: https://youtu.be/dfBROjrjs_A.

This Matloua or Thamthoot is made with flour only. You can cook the Matloua on the stove or bake it in the oven.
Flour Matloua or Thamthoot that was baked in the oven.
Flour Matloua that was cooked on the stove.
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๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algerian Traditional Flour Bread called Matloua or Thamthoot

Course Bread
Cuisine Algerian
Keyword Flour bread, Matloua, Thamthoot
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 8
Author LDSโ€™s Mom

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all purpose flour plus more to roll out the dough
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp dry active yeast
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Olive oil as needed

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, put 1 cup flour.

  2. Add yeast, sugar and 1 cup warm water.

  3. Mix everything with a spoon or a whisk.

  4. Cover the bowl with kitchen towel and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

  5. Add the 3 cups remaining flour.

  6. Add vegetable oil, salt then add the cup of water gradually while mixing (using a stand mixer with a hook attachment).

  7. Knead for about 5 minutes on low.

  8. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in volume.

  9. Grease your hands with olive oil (or vegetable oil).

  10. Deflate the dough and dump it on a working board.

  11. Try to lift the dough up then down to get some air in it. You may need to grease your hands with oil from time to time. Keep doing that for about a minute.

  12. Divide the dough into balls (your choice of size).

  13. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.

  14. Sprinkle some flour on the parchment paper and roll out few balls of dough (if they are small) into thin circles. These are the Matloua that will be baked.

  15. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise again.

  16. For the Matloua that will be cooked on the stove, just roll out each ball into a thin circle on an individual sheet of parchment paper. Make sure to sprinkle a little flour on parchment paper and on top of the Matloua.

  17. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in volume.

  18. To bake some of this bread, preheat oven to 425ยฐF. Bake the Matloua for about 15 to 20 minutes( depending on your oven). You may need to place under the broiler in the last 2 minutes of baking.

  19. To cook some of the bread on the stove, just put a griddle on medium heat.

  20. Place the Matloua with parchment paper on the griddle.

  21. Reduce heat to medium low.

  22. Once the bottom of Matloua sets, slide or remove parchment paper.

  23. Cook the bread in both sides.

  24. Brush the bread sides with olive oil and cook the sides.

  25. Brush the Matloua (the baked and the one that was cooked on the stove) with olive oil in both sides after cooking.

  26. Let cool a little bit before cutting.

Recipe Notes

  • The baked Matloua cook fast. If you stick a knife and it comes out clean after 15 minutes of baking, then just place it under the broiler to have that golden color.
  • At first, the baked Matloua may look hard on top, No worries, just brush it with olive oil (or your choice of oil or butter).
  • If you donโ€™t have time to cook the Matloua on the stove (it needs time and patience), just bake your Matloua in the oven, itโ€™s quick!
  • For the ย Matloua that you cook on the stove, make sure you cook it on medium low. You only increase the heat to medium when you cook the sides.
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