Lyonnais Carnival Bugnes
Twisted strips of dough fried until crispy and snowy with sugar: the Carnival treat from the banks of the Saône.
Twisted strips of dough fried until crispy and snowy with sugar: the Carnival treat from the banks of the Saône.
As a child in Lyon, I looked forward to Fat Days for these bugnes that are twisted and thrown into hot oil, where they turn golden and puff up in an instant. They are taken out crispy, dusted with sugar, and one gets one's fingers sticky without shame. It is, I think, one of the rare pleasures for which I did not forget to eat.
- •Wheat flour — one pound (base)
- •Eggs — a few (binder)
- •Butter — a piece (richness)
- •Orange blossom water — a dash (flavoring)
- •Lard for frying — a bath (cooking)
- •Sugar — for dusting (finishing)
Lyonnais Carnival Bugnes
Twisted strips of dough fried until crispy and snowy with sugar: the Carnival treat from the banks of the Saône.
Why this dish? Bugnes, the emblematic fritters of Lyon for Carnival and Mardi Gras, accompanied Ampère's Lyonnais childhood. They are fried in batches and shared, dusted with sugar, in the festive streets.
As a child in Lyon, I looked forward to Fat Days for these bugnes that are twisted and thrown into hot oil, where they turn golden and puff up in an instant. They are taken out crispy, dusted with sugar, and one gets one's fingers sticky without shame. It is, I think, one of the rare pleasures for which I did not forget to eat.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — one pound (base)
- Eggs — a few (binder)
- Butter — a piece (richness)
- Orange blossom water — a dash (flavoring)
- Lard for frying — a bath (cooking)
- Sugar — for dusting (finishing)
Ingredients
- Flour — 250 g (base)
- Eggs — 2 (binder)
- Melted butter — 50 g (richness)
- Sugar — 30 g + for dusting (sweetness/finishing)
- Orange blossom water — 1 tbsp (flavoring)
- Baking powder — 1/2 packet (leavening)
- Neutral oil for frying — 1 L (cooking)
Method
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, melted butter, and orange blossom water; knead into a soft dough, let rest for 1 hour.
- Roll out thinly, cut into rectangles, slit the center and pass one end through the slit to twist.
- Fry in small batches in oil at 170 °C until golden brown, turning once.
- Drain on a cloth and generously dust with sugar.
How it was made : Bugnes date back to the Middle Ages and marked the Lyonnais Carnival, the last fatty feast before Lent. Each family had its own recipe, more or less soft or crunchy depending on the neighborhood.
The contemporary twist : Bugnes piled generously, enhanced orange blossom flavor and a veil of powdered sugar—a revisited "bouchon" version.
André-Marie Ampère · Charactorium