Pączki
Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 10 g yeast
- 200 ml warm milk
- 80 g sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 80 g soft butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- oil or lard, for frying
- rose petal jam or plum jam, for filling
- powdered sugar or glaze, to finish
Traditionally fried in lard and eaten in great numbers on Fat Thursday before Lent, pączki are a very rich, egg-yolk-heavy yeast doughnut, deep-fried until golden and filled with jam — most classically róża, a fragrant wild rose petal jam, though plum is also traditional. They're finished with a dusting of powdered sugar or a thin glaze and a little candied orange peel.
Method
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk with a little sugar and flour; let it foam for about 15 minutes.
Combine the remaining flour, sugar, salt and vanilla, then mix in the egg yolks and yeast mixture.
Knead in the soft butter until the dough is smooth, elastic and glossy.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
Roll the dough to about 1.5cm thick and cut into large rounds.
Let the rounds proof again until puffy, about 30-45 minutes.
Fry gently in oil or lard at around 175°C (350°F), a few at a time, until deep golden on both sides, about 3-4 minutes total.
Once cooled slightly, pipe jam into each doughnut through a small hole, then dust with powdered sugar or glaze.
