Tiana’s beignets from The Princess and the Frog

Ingredients

1 cup milk, very warm

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, (or up to 3 cups, as needed)

1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast

1 large egg, at room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Powdered sugar for serving Honey for drizzling

Instructions

1. To activate the yeast add it to the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the warm milk, and two tablespoons of sugar. Let your mixture sit for five minutes or until the yeast is activated and foamy. Next, stir the rest of the sugar, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and salt into your batter.

2. After switching out the stand mixer attachment to a dough hook, slowly add the flour to the wet mixture with the mixer on a low speed. Keep combining until a soft dough forms.

3. Utilizing your dough hook, knead the dough for four to five more minutes until it pulls away from the bowl's sides. If this does not happen, add a few dashes of flour to the mixture. The dough should have a smooth, stretchy, yet sticky consistency.

4. Cover the bowl with your choice of plastic wrap or dish towel and let the dough rise for at least two hours at room temperature. You can also refrigerate it overnight. The dough should double in size.

5. Once your dough has risen, pour two inches of your preferred frying oil into a deep skillet. Heat the oil over medium to high heat until it becomes 350°F.

6. To shape your beignets, add the dough to a lightly floured countertop, and dust the surface of the dough with more flour. Roll out your dough until it is about a half an inch thick. Using a greased pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut one to two inch wide squares.

7. Add four or five squares of raw dough into the hot oil, and then fry for two or two and a half minutes, flipping halfway through. Once golden brown and puffy, add the cooked beignets to a paper towel-lined plate.

8. Garnish! Cool the beignets for about five minutes before drizzling them with honey and dusting them with powdered sugar.