Here in the US, the Tuesday before Lent starts is known as Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, Mardi Gras and Pączki Day. Well, that’s next Tuesday so I thought I’d post a recipe for traditional Pączki.
It’s a bit more complicated than I usually post, so I don’t mind if you go to Walmart or Kroger’s or your local grocery store or Dunkin’s for jelly donuts. Just thought someone might like to try this!
Traditional Polish Pączki (Doughnuts)
Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 18 mins
Rise Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Total: 3 hrs 8 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients:
2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups milk, warm, about 110 F
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tablespoon brandy or rum
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour (about 20 1/4 ounces to 22 1/2 ounces)
1 gallon vegetable oil, for deep-frying
About 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling, optional
About 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, for rolling, optional
1-2 cups jam or fruit paste, for filling, optional
Directions:
Gather the ingredients.
Add the yeast to the warm milk. Stir to dissolve and set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy.
Beat in the egg, egg yolks, brandy or rum, and salt until well incorporated.
Still using the paddle attachment, add 4 1/2 cups flour, alternating with the milk-yeast mixture. Beat for 5 or more minutes by machine or longer by hand until smooth. (Old-fashioned directions call for beating the dough with a wooden spoon until it blisters.) The dough will be very slack. If it’s too soft, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour but no more.
Place the dough in a greased bowl. Turn to grease on the other side.
Cover the top with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, anywhere from 1 to 2 1/2 hours.
Punch down and let rise again for about 45 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut rounds with a 3-inch biscuit cutter close together so you will have minimal scraps. Remove scraps and reroll and recut.
Cover the sheet with a damp towel and let rounds rise until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes or longer, before frying.
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil to 350 F. Place the risen pączki top-side down (the dry side) in the oil a few at a time and fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
Flip them over and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot so the exterior doesn’t brown before the interior is done. Test a cool one to make sure it’s cooked through. Adjust cooking time and oil heat accordingly.
Drain pączki on paper towels or brown paper bags.
Roll in granulated sugar while still warm. If you want to fill them, poke a hole in the side of the pączki and, using a pastry bag, squeeze in a generous dollop of the filling of choice. Then dust the filled pączki with granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, or an icing glaze.
Pączki doesn’t keep well, so for the best taste, be sure to gobble them up the same day you make them or else freeze them. Enjoy.
Tips:
This recipe calls for one egg and three egg yolks, so freeze the leftover egg whites and save them for recipes such as a meringue torte.
Always use caution when working with hot oil, especially around children. Have a fire extinguisher designed for grease fires at the ready.
There are ways to cut the rising time by using the microwave, if you want to make these doughnuts but perhaps don’t have a lot of time.
If you don’t like the taste of rum or brandy, you could omit the alcohol or use an alcohol with no flavor, such as vodka.
These fried rounds of yeast dough are typically stuffed with rose hip, prune, apricot, strawberry, raspberry, or sweet cheese filling. Some people make these puffy doughballs without a filling and roll them in granulated sugar, which is equally delicious. Whichever way you make them, keep in mind that pączki differs from regular doughnuts insofar as these Polish treats are sweeter and richer.
Nutritional Facts:
220 Calories
11g Fat
25g Carbs
4g Protein
Recipe courtesy of The Spruce Eats.com
They were great considering they were from Walmart. I was a bad girl. LOL!