Onwards with the Mardi Gras theme! I can’t help but be happy when I think of Mardi Gras. I had my first bite of King Cake in the Big Easy at The Court of Two Sisters. Truthfully, there was a slight moment of disappointment, because when one hears the word ‘cake,’ you expect sweet cake. King Cake is more of a yeast bread with a cinnamon swirl and sweet frosting. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Please, love King Cake for what it is, not what you wish it would be.
For these donuts, I converted a baked beignet recipe into donut bars, because let’s be honest: baked beignets taste like baked donuts. The key difference here is that these baked donuts are made with actual yeast, while most baked donut recipes rely on baking powder. I’m 110% sure you’re going to love these.
I scaled down Jenna’s recipe for oven-baked beignets for this application, because Jenna is a girl who really knows her way around yeast—just ask her former culinary instructor! Oh, Jenna, I kid! I love ya! I love to make this dough because it’s so wonderful to work with. It starts out a tiny bit sticky, but after kneading, it’s supple and easy to knead. Half a dozen baked yeast donut bars before rising: Half a dozen baked yeast donut bars after rising: I topped each donut bar with cinnamon-sugar and sweet glaze with colorful sprinkles. Don’t forget to butter your plastic wrap! Laissez les bon temps rouler!
OXO Pizza Wheel and Cutter
