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Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 02/21/24
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Tested byDiana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process
Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 18 mins
Rise Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Total: 3 hrs 8 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Yield: 24 doughnuts
This traditional recipe for Polish pączki (POHNCH-kee), or doughnuts, is a splurge food before Lent fasting begins.
In the United States, Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and Pączki Day, is the day to indulge before Lent begins. However, Fat Thursday (the last Thursday before Lent) heralds the winding down of Carnival season, and that's when fried foods such as pączki are eaten with abandon in Poland, where it's known as Tłusty Czwartek.
Making them was a way to use up ingredients such as butter, sugar, eggs, fruit, and lard before the dietary restraints of Lent started, in order to avoid food waste. Some accounts say these fried foods date all the way back to the Middle Ages, but immigrants have brought this tradition with them to places such as the United States, where many communities still make them.
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 differ from regular doughnuts insofar as these Polish treats are sweeter and richer.
As with any baking project, make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature for best results. Use a neutral-flavored oil to deep-fry doughnuts. Canola oil, peanut oil, generic vegetable oil, and high-heat safflower oil are excellent choices.
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What You'll Need to Make This Polish Pączki Recipe
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"These were easy to make with a stand mixer and came out fluffy and delicious. The oil temperature doesn't come down much when you add the doughnuts so that you can fry three or four at a time, depending on the pan you are using. The doughnuts were excellent, filled or unfilled." —Diana Rattray
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A Note From Our Recipe Tester
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
Steps to Make It
Make and Cut the Dough
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 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, about 45 minutes.
Turn 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.
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Fry the Pączki
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 2 to 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
Flip them over and fry 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 don'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.
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Tips
- This recipe calls for one egg and three egg yolks, sofreeze the leftover egg whites and save them for recipes such as ameringue 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.
How to Store Pączki
As with most doughnuts, these are best the day they are made. If you want to save some for later, it's best to freeze them without any icing or powdered sugar. Simply wrap them in waxed paper or foil and freeze in a resealable plastic bag. Defrost in the fridge and reheat in a warm oven or the microwave.
What Is the Difference Between Doughnuts and Pączki?
Pączki are a type of doughnut. They have a sweeter and richer dough than your typical doughnuts, but are made and fried in the same way as yeasted doughnuts. Pączki are often filled with fruit jams or pastes and sometimes dusted with sugar.
Why Is Alcohol Added to the Pączki Dough?
It is thought that the alcohol (traditionally grain alcohol) prevents the absorption of excess oil as it evaporates and might contribute to a more spherical shape. For a less pronounced alcohol flavor, use 1 tablespoon vodka or grain alcohol instead of the rum or brandy.
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 220 | Calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 25g | Carbs |
| 4g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 24 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 220 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 11g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat 3g | 17% |
| Cholesterol 42mg | 14% |
| Sodium 131mg | 6% |
| Total Carbohydrate 25g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
| Total Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 4g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 28mg | 2% |
| Iron 1mg | 7% |
| Potassium 63mg | 1% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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