Paczki Fat Tuesday Donuts Recipes

BAKED PACZKI (POLISH DOUGHNUTS)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup, 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.
• Add 4 1/2 cups of the flour alternately with the milk-yeast mixture and beat for 5 or more minutes until smooth. The dough will be very slack. If much too soft or runny, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, anywhere from 1 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Punch down the dough and let rise again.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll to 1/2 to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut rounds with a 3-inch cutter. Remove the scraps, re-roll, and re-cut.
• Transfer the rounds to parchment-lined baking sheets, cover, and let rounds rise until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes or longer. Heat the oven to 375 F.
• Place pączki in the oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean.
• Remove from the oven; if coating in granulated sugar, brush the tops and sides with melted butter and roll in granulated sugar while still hot. If using confectioners' sugar, let the doughnuts cool before coating.
• To fill the pączki , let them cool completely, cut a slit in the side, and slip a teaspoon of fruit paste or jam inside. Then dust with confectioners' sugar or roll in granulated sugar.
• Serve and enjoy.

PACZKI (FAT TUESDAY DONUTS)

Steps:

• Stir together the warm milk, yeast, and pinch of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let rest 10 minutes until bubbly.
• Stir in 2 cups of the flour until smooth. Cover and let rest in a warm, draft-free area for 30 minutes until risen. (In the oven with the light on works well in the cold months.)
• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolks together until light yellow and foamy. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt. Continue whisking until smooth.
• Add the egg mixture to the mixer bowl with the dough. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and mix on low speed until combined. Add the cooled melted butter and continue mixing until combined. Add 3 cups of flour (5 cups total at this point) and mix until a dough comes together. It will be very sticky and soft. Add up to 1 additional cup of flour if needed to form the dough.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel. let rise until doubled in size (Mine took about 35 minutes.)
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and gently roll dough into a large rectangle about ½-inch thick. (Be sure the dough is not more than ½-inch thick or it will be too dense and won't cook through when frying.)
• Cut dough into rounds using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (a clean leftover tuna can works well too). Arrange dough rounds on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
• In a large pot or skillet with tall sides, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. (You only need about 2 inches of oil.)
• Fry paczki in batches of about 4 until bottom of dough is a deep golden brown before flipping and frying until top is deep golden also. Be sure to allow the oil to return to 350 degrees before adding another batch. Drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet.
• To fill the paczki: Poke a hole in the side of each paczki with a straw or skewer. Fill a piping bag with your desired fruit filling and squeeze about 2-3 tablespoons of filling into the hole in each paczki.
• Toss in granulated sugar (or confectioners' sugar) if desired.
• Enjoy!

AUTHENTIC POLISH PACZKI

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat milk until steaming with small bubbles forming around the edges (about 180F). Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm (about 105F).
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast in the lukewarm milk and let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour. Mix together and let stand for 20-30 minutes, until really bubbly.
• In the meantime, beat the yolks in a small bowl until they are light and fluffy.
• To the proofed yeast mixture, add the melted butter and sugar and mix. Add salt and vanilla. Add beaten egg yolks. Slowly add more of the flour to bowl in small increments, adding just until you have a soft dough that is moist ,but not sticky. Remove dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 1 minute (adding a bit more flour if it is sticking to your hands or the work surface). Form dough into a ball.
• Grease a clean bowl and add dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled. (This dough is a bit of a slow riser, so expect this rise to be up to 90 minutes).
• Deflate dough and pat out onto floured cutting board. With a rolling pin, gently roll into a 1/2-inch thick circle. Gently cut out circles with 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with a clean tea towel and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes). *You can re-roll the scraps and cut more pieces, though they are never quite as neat as the first cuts. I like to use the ugliest of these ones as "test" ones, to test the temperature of the oil. I fry one, let cool, then cut it open to make sure it is cooking all the way through. I can then adjust time/temperature, as needed from there.
• Meanwhile, heat oil to 360°F. Fry paczki until golden on one side, flip and fry the other side. Don't try to cook too many at a time so you don't reduce the temperature of the oil by adding too many at once. Don't rush the frying, to be sure they are cooked through well. Fry until they are a deep golden colour. Remove paczki to a cooling rack for about 30 seconds, then immediately roll in granulated sugar. Let stand until completely cooled.
• Once cooled, using a sharp knife, poke a hole on the side. Use a pastry bag with a large plain tip to pipe the jam or custard filling inside.
• These are best when freshly made, but you can freeze any extras.