"Bugnes" (French donuts )
The Bugnes are originally a culinary specialty of the Duchy of Savoy, but in ancient Rome, they were already tasted at the time of the Carnival. They have become a specialty of the whole region: Lyon, Saint-Etienne, the Rhone Valley. Their name comes from "bunyi" which means "donut".
There are two types of bugnes: the fine and crisp and plump plump.
Anyway, bugnes are tasted on the occasion of Mardi Gras, and mark the beginning of Lent for Catholics who took there a last culinary joy before abstinence. Formerly, we made bugnes so as not to spoil the fat (here, the cooking oil) whose use was prohibited during Lent.
Ingredients (About 100)
500 g of flour
125 g of butter
11g of yeast (dry)
20g of vanilla sugar (or 2 tablespoons of blossom water or lemon zest)
100 g of white/caster sugar
4 eggs
100 ml of fresh cream
1 tablespoon of rum (optional)
50 ml of water
1 teaspoon of salt
Frying oil
Icing sugar
Directions
- In a large salad bowl, mix the flour with the sugars.
- Pour the yeast
- Form a well in the center, break the eggs.
- Melt the butter. When melted, add the glass of water to warm it.
- Mix well with a spoon until a homogeneous paste.
- Add the salt.
- Cover with a clean cloth and let rise at room temperature and sheltered drafts, until it doubles in volume (about 4h minimum) or overnight.
- The next morning (if you did it the day before) or in the early afternoon (if you did it in the morning), flour a work plan and pour the dough into it. Rework it quickly with your floured hands to evacuate the gas and make it fall.
- Put the dough back in the salad bowl, cover it with a cloth and let it double again.
- Spread the dough on a floured worktop to a thickness of 2 or 3 mm (for the plump or finer for the crisp), cut your Bugnes of the shape and size you want.
- Immerse them in the hot oil until golden brown. Think about returning them halfway through cooking.
- Put them on the paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Sprinkle with icing sugar.