Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook attachment, mix the wet ingredients including the egg, sugar, water, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, sourdough starter, and melted butter.

Step 2

Add the bread flour and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed and gradually increase to medium speed and mix for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and passes the windowpane test (see guide above).

Step 3

Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl, cover, and proof in a warm location for about five hours or until it's doubled in size.

Step 4

Chill the dough for at least an hour or overnight and up to two days, depending on your schedule.

Step 5

Generously flour a work surface and dump the sticky dough out onto the surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle about ¼-inch thick. The exact dimensions are not important.Use a pastry wheel or sharp knife to cut out long strips of dough about 1 ½ inches thick. Then, cut the beignets out into squares. You should end up with 35-42 beignets, depending on how much you rolled out the dough and how big your squares are.

Step 6

Fill a Dutch oven or large pot with at least three inches of neutral oil for frying. Bring the temperature of the oil up to 350-370ºF (177-188ºC). Meanwhile, place a cooling rack or plate lined with paper towels nearby.Carefully drop one beignet at a time into the pot, but don't crowd the pot. Fry for a couple of minutes on one side until golden brown. Then, flip them over with a spider strainer and fry another minute or two until golden brown all over.Remove the beignets with a spider strainer and place them on top of the paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the beignets.

Step 7

Finally, dust the hot beignets with powdered sugar and serve them immediately.