Light Air Fryer Bugnes

📝 Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour (230 g for the dough, 20 g for the work surface)
• 30 g caster sugar
• 5 g baking powder (½ sachet)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 unwaxed lemon (the zest)
• 2 eggs
• 40 g unsalted butter
• 50 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 20 g icing sugar

🍴 Utensils

• Mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• Pastry wheel or knife
• Pastry brush
• Air fryer
• Small sieve

📖 Steps

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 230 g flour, the sugar, baking powder and salt, then finely grate the lemon zest over the top (only the yellow part, as the white pith is bitter). Melt the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave and leave it to cool slightly.
2. Make a well in the centre, crack the eggs into it, then add the warm melted butter and the orange blossom water. Mix with a fork, gradually drawing the flour into the centre, then pour in the milk little by little until the dough comes together into a ball.
3. Knead for 3 to 4 min on the lightly floured work surface, until the dough is smooth, supple and no longer sticks to your fingers. Wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest for 1 hour in the fridge: it will be much easier to roll out thinly.
4. Flour the work surface again with the rest of the flour and roll the dough out as thinly as possible with a rolling pin, to 2 to 3 mm: the thinner it is, the lighter and crispier the bugnes will be. Cut it in half if it is difficult to handle.
5. Cut the dough into diamonds of about 10 cm by 5 cm with the pastry wheel or knife. Make a 3 cm slit in the centre of each one, then push one of the points through it and pull gently to form the typical bugne twist.
6. Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C for 3 min. Very lightly brush both sides of the bugnes with the oil: just a thin film is enough, otherwise they turn greasy instead of crispy.
7. Arrange the bugnes in a single layer in the basket without overlapping and cook them in several batches, 6 to 7 min at 180 °C, turning halfway through, until puffed up and nicely golden. Keep an eye on the first batch to adjust the time.
8. Leave the bugnes to cool on a wire rack: they crisp up as they cool. Just before serving, dust generously with icing sugar through a small sieve. They keep for 2 days in a metal tin.