By: A Common Connoisseur
bread, breakfast, dessert, recipe, , , , , , ,

matcha dusted overnight beignets


Happy March! It’s almost Saint Patty’s Day, so I wanted to send a little green with envy love your way. I present to you fluffy pillows of Matcha Dusted Overnight Beignets. The best part is that most of the leg work is done the night before, the fridge does the heavy lifting and these babies are ready for coffee and breakie in the morning.

I love making yeast-based breads and bakes. It’s a challenge I accept any day, but only have time to do on the weekends. There is nothing better than fresh crispy beignets with a rich cup of coffee in the morning.

With this recipe you do not have to drive to New Orleans to get your fill. It’s no Cafe du Monde, but it certainly is the next best thing. The dough is mixed, with browned butter, the night before and left to rest in the refrigerator overnight. Because there is a whole stick of butter in the dough, it solidifies overnight. So the dough needs time to warm up in the morning. Don’t give up on it! I rolled it out into a cold rectangle on a baking sheet, covered it with a damp towel and placed it in the oven (off) to proof. After about 1 hour the dough was puffy and ready to be fried.

After rolling out the proofed dough into a neat rectangle, I used a pizza cutter to cut each piece into a square. I attempted to bake a batch on 350 degrees for 20 minutes, but they were like hockey pucks and did not puff up.

I suggest frying the dough squares in canola oil and cover in Matcha Dust immediately. This concoction was inspired by the matcha powder I bought at Home Goods the other day. I blitzed the green stuff with confectioner’s sugar in a Nutribullet and voila! It gives these fried pillows a vegetal sweetness that matcha lovers can’t resist.

matcha dusted overnight beignets

  • Servings: 15-20
  • Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

Matcha Powdered Sugar

  • 1/2 cup matcha powder
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Beignet Dough

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 cup whole milk, warmed slightly
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 1/2 cups to 4 cups bread flour (like King Arthur)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 bottle canola oil, for frying

Directions

      To make the Matcha Powdered Sugar:

      1. In a food processor or high-powered blender (such as a Nutribullet) add the matcha powder and powdered sugar. Pulse until powdery, about 1 minute.

        To make the Overnight Beignets:
      1. In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, whisk the yeast, warm milk and a pinch of sugar. Let it rest for 10 minutes, until foamy.
      2. To brown the butter, put a stick of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan as it foams. Remove when butter is amber colored.
      3. Add the browned butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and egg to the yeast mixture.
      4. Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat with dough hook on low speed, until dough is soft and plush.
      5. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour, until puffy, does not need to double in size.
      6. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
      7. In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it proof for about 1 hour, in a warm place. If needed, roll out the cold dough into a rectangle and place on a baking sheet with a damp towel over it. It will proof more quickly.
      8. Dump dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out into a roughly 16 x 12-inch rectangle and, using a pizza cutter, cut it into 2-inch squares.
      9. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat about 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees F. If you do not have a thermometer, I test the oil by placing a small amount of dough it it. If it sizzles and floats immediately, it is ready. If it falls to the bottom and does not sizzle, it’s not ready.
      10. Working in batches of 2-3, fry each square and use a slotted spoon to transfer to a baking sheet fitted with paper towels. Fry until each is golden brown on each side.
      11. Cover with a generous amount of matcha powdered sugar and serve immediately.