Scone Sunday!

Beignets

What do you like to do on a relaxing weekend?  Here's one of my favorites.  Make doughnuts, fry scones, bake... okay, I like to make just about anything, any day!  But, I'm especially fond of these...Beignets. (pronounced Ben-yay's)  They're so light & puffy!  Plus they're super easy to make! 

We cut a big bouquet of fresh lilacs from the garden, set a pretty table with a variety of yummy toppings, like fresh fruit, & then my entire family enjoyed a lazy brunch with Beignets as the star! 

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Beignets
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 c. whole milk
1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. table salt
3 1/2-4 c. all-purpose flour
1 scant tablespoon dry active yeast
1/2 c. warm (about 105 degrees) water
1 egg
Peanut oil for frying

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, 1/4 c. sugar, vegetable oil, and salt. Heat over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan.  Remove from heat.

While the milk is heating, combine the yeast and 1 Tbsp. of sugar with 1/2 c. water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until it’s very bubbly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heated milk and 2 c. flour. Mix, scraping the bowl occasionally, until smooth (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and mix until well-combined. Add the yeast mixture. Add enough flour to make a soft dough that slightly sticks to your finger.

At this point, you can either place the dough in a bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and cover with a piece of sprayed plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough up to 1 day or you can roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Either way, when you roll it out, roll it into a large rectangle about 1/4″ thick. Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into about 3″x4″ rectangles. Slightly separate the dough pieces and cover with a clean cloth. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

When the dough has about 15 minutes left to go, heat 2-3 inches of peanut oil in a large skillet or saucepan to 325 degrees (just use a candy thermometer). When the oil is heated, fry the dough pieces for about 90 seconds-2 minutes per side or until they are golden. Carefully remove from the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Place some powdered sugar in a fine-mesh strainer and sprinkle the powdered sugar generously over the beignets. Serve immediately. Makes about 24-30 beignets.

Utah Scones with Buttermilk Syrup

We love scone Sunday!  Once a month we get together with the In-law's, (yes it really is fun!)  The times that I enjoy the most are when my Mother-in-law mixes up a batch of her famous yeast scone dough, fry's that sticky goodness up, & then we top them with endless choices of

honey, jams, or my personal favorite creamy peanut butter! 

The other day I made scones with just my cute family, & mixed up a batch of my addicting buttermilk syrup... It may be a contender for my new favorite topping! 

Drizzle this amazing syrup over your hot scones... and I promise you'll be thanking me later!

Amme’s Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 c sugar

3/4 c buttermilk

1/2 c butter

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, combine the first six  syrup ingredients; bring to a boil. Boil for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Great served on pancakes, french toast, or scones.