Nun's Farts (Pets de Nonne)

Name: Nun's Farts (Pets de Nonne)
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 25
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons (150 g) all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoons (125 ml) water; 1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoons (125 ml) milk; 1 pinch of salt; 1.8 oz. (50 g) unsalted butter; 8 1/2 teaspoons (40 g) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking powder; 3 large eggs; 4 1/4 cups (1-liter) frying oil; 1/3 cup (75 g) caster sugar

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Make these small deep-fried beignets donuts called nun's farts or pets de noone for Mardi Gras and delight your family with the old-fashioned French dessert. They are also the best snack ever to serve all year round.

A batch of nun's farts on a red plate with a tea towel in the background

When people think of French desserts, they mostly think of well-known French macarons, glazed eclairs, and rich and creamy Paris-Brest desserts.

In reality, the French prefer comforting classic desserts instead the fancy-sounding ones.

They love rustic galettes, homemade crepes, apple fritters made from scratch at home.

Every region of France is famous for its own traditional dessert. Alsace is well-known for cute cookies Bredele, Brittany is famous for French buckwheat galettes, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is specialized in making Pink Praline.

If you want to explore the French culture and to eat authentic desserts, visit the countryside. There are some desserts out there that you have never heard of before.

One of them is nun's farts or beignets soufflés in French, a sweet type of carnival fried donuts traditionally eaten in eastern France, Franche-Comté, Belgium, and Germany.

Jump to:

What are nun's farts?
Origine of the name "nun's farts"
Why you should try this recipe
Ingredients
How to make nun's farts
Expert tips
Frequently asked questions
Love choux pastry? Try these next!
Recipe card
Comments

Sliced choux pastry donut with the rest of the French beignets on a red dessert plate

What are nun's farts?

Nun's farts, known as pets de nonne In France, are small donuts made of choux pastry (pâte à choux in French), deep-fried, and rolled in sugar.

They are bite-size, about 1 ½ inch in diameter, hollow on the inside, and deep-fried until golden.

These little donuts are also called nun's puffs in English, beignets soufflés in French, and pâte à choux donuts mixing two languages.

There is some confusion with French-Canadian dessert called pets de sœurs (nun's (or sister's) farts in English) that is a completely different pastry.

Pets de sœurs are not made of choux pastry but made with leftover pie-dough scraps and look like little spirals or rolls.

Origine of the name "nun's farts"

What is the origin of the name nun's farts? According to French Wikipedia, the name comes from a nun called this pastry paix-de-nonne (nun's peace in English).

It has the same pronunciation as pets de nonne. The legend says that the nun offered the recipe to a nearby enemy convent to ensure peace.

There is another mystery story about the origin of the dessert name.

It happened in the kitchen of the Archbishop of Tours while preparing a meal for Saint Martin.

A cooking novice named Agnès let out a wind. According to French Wikipedia,

Suddenly, a strange and sonorous noise, rhythmic, prolonged, similar to an organ moan which dies out, then to the dying complaints of the breeze which sighs in the cloisters, comes to strike the indignant ears of the nuns with amazement.

Poor Agnès! The nuns around laughed hard at her! She was so embarrassed that she accidentally dropped a spoonful of choux pastry dough into a pot with hot oil.

That is why these donuts are also called wind donuts, nun's sigh, or old lady's fart (pet de bièillo) in Aveyron.

The third version credits the invention of the recipe to the canonesses of Baume-Les-Dames (Doubs), known for their pastry creations.

Nun's fart or beignet donut covered with sugar on a board; donuts, a cup, a towel

Why you should try this recipe

The nun farts recipe is extremely easy to make.
These pâte à choux beignets are perfect as a snack and dessert.
They are loved equally by kids and adults.
These soufflé donuts are best for making during the Carnival season.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Flour: use all-purpose flour to make this recipe.

Milk and water: they are liquids used to make pâte à choux. Use whole or low-fat milk. Replace milk with water if desired.

Salt: it enhances the flavor of the choux pastry.

Butter: the recipe calls for cold unsalted butter cut into pieces.

Sugar: use granulated white sugar to make the dough, and use caster sugar or baker's sugar to roll the fried donuts. You can roll beignets in granulated sugar too.

Baking powder: it is a leavening agent rarely used to make pâte à choux, but it is recommended to make the donuts well-puffed.

Eggs: use large whole eggs at room temperature.

How to make nun's farts

To make the beignet dough, pour water and milk into a small saucepan. Add the butter cut into cubes, salt, and sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Off of the heat, add the sifted all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder all at once.

Mix with a wooden spatula. Bring the saucepan to medium heat, constantly stirring until the pâte à choux dough comes off the bottom and sides (photo 1).

Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl or a bowl of the stand mixer. Let it stand for 5 minutes to cool down.

Add the eggs, one by one, mixing between each addition: use a hand whisk or stand mixer (photo 2).

Photo 1: "Dried" choux pastry in a saucepan Photo 2: Choux pastry dough in a bowl — **PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2**

Cover this preparation with plastic film in contact and let it rest in the fridge for at least two hours. Or start frying donuts without chilling.

To fry donuts, prepare a large plate lined with a paper towel. Heat the frying oil to 350 F/175 C in a large pot or skillet.

Using two tablespoons or a small cookie scoop, form “walnuts” (about ½ tablespoon-sized balls) from the choux dough, drop them in the hot oil, and cook until puffed and golden on all sides (photo 3).

They turn by themselves once they are browned. Fry in batches, about 5 to 6 little donuts, making sure they do not touch each other.

Remove donuts with a metal spider, drain them well on absorbent paper, and roll in superfine caster sugar (photo 4).

Photo 3: Pets de noone in frying oil Photo 4: Three sugared donuts on a plate — **PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4**

Serve choux pastry puffs immediately. Repeat the operation until all the dough is used up.

Expert tips

Flavor the beignet batter with a pinch of ground nutmeg or cinnamon, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, orange flower water, or rum if desired.
Please, read on deep-frying tips and what oil to use for frying before you start.
Fry donuts right after making the pâte à choux dough or let it rest covered with plastic film in contact in the refrigerator for a few hours, a minimum of two, or overnight.
To test the oil frying temperature without a cooking thermometer, immerse the handle of the wooden spatula into the oil. If the bubbles appear around the tip of the handle, the oil is ready to use.
To serve, sprinkle nun's puffs with icing (powdered) sugar or roll them in cinnamon sugar (add a pinch of ground cinnamon to sugar) if preferred.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make them in advance?

These beignets are best enjoyed freshly made and warm. They are served immediately after making. If you make them in advance, they will become soft.

Can you make these choux pastry donuts in a deep fryer?

Yes, you can make these donuts in a deep fryer, but do not use a basket in the case. To remove the ready fritters, use a slotted spoon or spider skimmer.

Love choux pastry? Try these next!

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Recipe card