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Pączki
Polish rose-jam doughnuts for Fat Thursday
Pączki are the rich, yeasted doughnuts Poland eats by the dozen on Tłusty Czwartek, Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent, when Warsaw bakeries such as the old ones on Nowy Świat have queues round the block from dawn. A good pączek is round and heavy for its size, with a pale ring around its middle, a fine, yolk-rich crumb and a filling of rose-petal jam (konfitura z róży) or plum butter, finished with icing and candied orange peel. A spoon of vodka or spirytus in the dough is an old trick: it evaporates in the hot oil and stops the dough soaking up fat. Chef's tip: keep the oil between 165 and 175°C with a thermometer; hotter and they burn outside while raw in the middle, cooler and they turn greasy.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the starter
For the dough
To fry and fill
For the icing
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Crumble 1 ⅜ oz fresh yeast into a bowl and stir in 1 cup whole milk, 1 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp plain flour. Cover and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes, until frothy and risen.
15 minStep 2: Whisk 5 egg yolks, 1 egg and 2 ½ oz caster sugar with an electric mixer for 4–5 minutes, until pale and thick enough to leave a trail.
5 minStep 3: Put 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast starter, the whipped eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp orange zest and 2 tbsp vodka or spirytus. Knead by hand for 10 minutes, or 6–7 minutes with a dough hook, until the dough is smooth and starts to come away from the bowl.
10 minStep 4: Add 2 ½ oz unsalted butter in three parts, kneading each in fully, and knead for another 5 minutes, until the dough is glossy, soft and elastic. It will be softer than bread dough; resist adding much flour.
5 minStep 5: Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 60–75 minutes, until doubled in size.
75 minStep 6: Pat the dough out on a floured worktop to 1.5 cm thick. Cut 7 cm circles, or divide into 16 pieces of about 55 g and roll each into a smooth ball. Set them on floured baking paper, well apart, cover with a cloth and leave for 30 minutes, until puffy. A common mistake is over-proving: they collapse and wrinkle when they hit the oil.
30 minStep 7: Heat 6 ¼ cups sunflower or rapeseed oil in a deep, wide pan to 350°F. Lower 3–4 pączki in top-side down. Fry for 2–2½ minutes, until deep golden, then turn and fry 2 minutes more. A pale band should form around the middle; that is the sign of a well-risen dough at the right temperature.
20 minStep 8: Lift out and drain on kitchen paper. Check the temperature between batches and adjust the heat.
Step 9: When just warm, push a chopstick into the side of each pączek to make a pocket, then pipe in about a heaped teaspoon of 9 oz rose-petal jam (konfitura z róży) with a piping bag and a long nozzle.
Step 10: Mix 7 oz icing sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice and a few drops of hot water until thick but spreadable. Brush or spoon over the tops and sprinkle with 1 ⅜ oz candied orange peel. Let the icing set for 10 minutes. Pączki are best on the day they are made.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pączki take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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