Best 7 Paczki Recipes

AUTHENTIC POLISH PACZKI

Steps:

• Beat egg yolks with the salt in the small bowl of an electric mixer at high speed until the mixture is thick and piles softly, about 7 minutes.
• Soften yeast in warm water.
• Cream butter, add sugar to it gradually, beating until fluffy.
• Slowly beat in the softened yeast.
• Stir one fourth of the flour into the yeast mix.
• Add rum/brandy and half of the cream.
• Beat in another fourth of the flour.
• Stir in remaining cream.
• Beat in half of the remaining flour and then the egg yolk mixture.
• Beat for 2 minutes.
• Gradually beat in the remaining flour until the dough blisters.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Set in a warm place to rise.
• When it has doubled in bulk, punch it down.
• Cover and let rise again until doubled.
• Punch it down again.
• Roll dough on a floured surface to about 3/4 inch thickness.
• Cut out 3 inch rounds using a cookie cutter or glass.
• Put 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of half the circles.
• Brush the edges with water.
• Top with the remaining rounds.
• Seal the edges very well.
• Cover the paczki on a floured surface.
• Let rise about 20 minutes.
• Deep fry in the hot fat until they are golden brown on both sides.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with honey.

PACZKI

Steps:

• For the paczki: Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Microwave the milk in a small microwave-safe bowl until warm (between 110 to 115 degrees F.), about 1 minute, then stir to even out the temperature. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar, stirring just enough to hydrate the yeast. Let bloom for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the butter and remaining granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream together on medium high-speed, stopping and scraping the bowl once or twice as necessary, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the whole eggs and beat on medium high to combine, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat together another minute.
• Starting with the mixer on low and then raising to medium high, add the flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the yeast mixture. Once the last addition of flour has been combined, knead the dough in the mixer until smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. The dough will be slack and sticking to the sides but not too sticky to the touch. If it is too sticky, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour and knead a minute more to tighten it up.
• Put the dough on a flour-dusted surface and knead by hand a few times, tucking the dough under itself to form a smooth ball. Transfer to a large, greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll or pat down to 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into 3-inch circles and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Make one more circle from the dough scraps or make mini paczki to fry. Cover the dough circles with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep Dutch oven to 350 degrees F; line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• Shake off any flour from the dough circles and fry in batches of 3 to 4 until deep golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side. You will be able to tell they are cooked through because the amount of bubbles will reduce to almost nothing. Transfer the doughnuts to the paper towel-lined baking sheet as they come out of the oil. Return the oil to 350 degrees F between batches. Let rest until cool enough to handle.
• For the filling and glaze. Fit a pastry bag with a small round tip and fill with the jam. Set aside.
• Use a thick skewer or chopstick to poke a hole in the middle of each doughnut and wiggle a little space, taking care to not poke all the way through. Fill with the jam using the pastry bag.
• To make the glaze, add the confectioners' sugar to a small bowl big enough to dip a doughnut into. Whisk in the milk until smooth. The glaze should be a little loose, close to the consistency of maple syrup. Dip each doughnut in the glaze, letting it roll off a bit before turning it over to set. Some of the glaze will run down the sides which is okay, but if you need to adjust the thickness, add a little more confectioners' sugar or milk depending on what you need. Let the glaze set for about 5 minutes! If you want to skip the glaze, just dust with confectioners' sugar; many paczki are enjoyed this way too. Paczki are best the day they are made, but they can be stored in an airtight container to enjoy the next day.

POLISH PRE-LENTEN JELLY DOUGHNUTS: PACZKI

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients, except vegetable oil together in a large mixer fitted with a dough hook for 11 to 12 minutes or until dough reaches 78 degrees F. Set dough aside to rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Divide and round dough into golf ball-sized pieces, put onto sheet pan and proof until the balls grow to around the size of soft balls, about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Preheat a fryer to 360 degrees F.
• Deep fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Cool. Using a piping bag fitted with a plain tip, fill with your favorite preserves and top with powdered sugar.

BAKED PACZKI FOR MARDI GRAS

Steps:

• Mix 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixer bowl.
• Heat milk, butter and honey until very warm (120° to 130°F). Add to flour mixture with rum, egg yolks and egg; beat 1 minute at low speed.
• Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.
• Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, to cut out as many rounds as possible.
• Place rounds about 2 to 3 inches apart on parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheets. Re-roll and cut remaining dough.
• Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• For glaze, mix honey and melted butter; set aside.
• Bake 10 minutes. Brush glaze over packzi and continue baking for 2 to 4 minutes until light golden brown. If desired, brush again with any remaining glaze.
• Let cool slightly, then dust or roll in sugar or powdered sugar.
• Fillings:.
• Fruit or custard: Use a knife to cut a small slit in side of paczki. Use a small spoon (or pipe with pastry tip and bag) to insert a heaping teaspoonful. (vanilla rum custard or pudding is amazing!).
• Chocolate: Use your finger to gently poke a small hole in side of paczki and insert 1 teaspoon chocolate chips into center of paczki while still warm.

PACZKI (POLISH "JELLY" DOUGHNUTS)

Steps:

• SPONGE:.
• Dissolve crushed yeast in lukewarm milk, sift in flour, add sugar.
• Mix, cover, and let stand in warm place to rise.
• Beat egg yolks with powdered sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy.
• Sift flour into bowl, add sponge (yeast mixture), egg mixture, and grain alcohol or rum.
• Knead well until dough is smooth and glossy.
• Gradually add melted lukewarm butter and continue kneading dough until it no longer clings to hands and bowl and air blisters appear.
• Cover with cloth and let rise in warm place until doubled.
• Punch dough down and let it rise again. Transfer dough to floured board, sprinkle top with flour, and roll out about 1/2" inch thick.
• With glass or biscuit-cutter, cut into rounds.
• Arrange on floured board and proceed in either of the following ways:.
• SMALL PACZKI:.
• Place a spoonful of fruit filling (rose-hip preserves, cherry preserves, or other thick jam) off center on each round.
• Raise edges of dough and pinch together over filling, then roll between palms snowball fashion to form balls.
• Let rise in warm place until doubled.
• LARGE PACZKI:.
• Place a spoonful of fruit filling as above on only 1/2 dough rounds, cover each with another round, pinch edges together, and roll between palms to form a ball.
• Let rise until doubled in warm, draft-free place.
• Heat 1 1/2-2 lbs. lard in deep pan so paczki can float freely during frying.
• It is hot enough when a small piece of dough dropped into hot fat immediately floats up.
• Fry paczki without crowding several minutes until nicely browned on bottom, then turn over and fry on other side another 3 minutes or so.
• NOTE:.
• If using electric fryer, set temperature at 360-375 degrees.
• If frying in stove-top pan and fat begins to burn, add several slices of peeled raw potato which will both lower the temperature and absorb the burnt flavor.
• Paczki may also be fried in oil, but lard produces the tastiest results.
• If you are cutting down on animal fats, you can compromise by using a lard and oil combination.
• Transfer fried paczki to absorbent paper and set aside to cool.
• When cool, dust generously with powdered sugar, glaze or icing.
• RECIPES USING EGG WHITES:.
• Fat-Free, Sugar-Free & Cholesterol-Free Banana Bread! Recipe #45394.
• Angel Food Cake Recipe #12591.
• Fruit pies with meringue topping.

PACZKI - FAMOUS POLISH DONUTS

Steps:

• 1. Melt you 1/2 cup of butter and let cool to room temp. Warm milk and cream. Beat the whole eggs, yolks and sugar together then add butter and beat thoroughly. Next, add orange zest, salt, cream, milk, yeast, spiced rum and mix well. * THE DOUGH WILL BE SOFT AND STICKY. IT SHOULD ROLL OUT VERY EASILY AND SMOOTHLY.
• 2. Let the dough rise till double in bulk (at least an hour or longer), punch it down and let it double in bulk again. Here is Chef Tad punching down the dough.
• 3. After second rising, punch the dough down again and divide dough. Dust your board liberally with flour and roll out your dough to about 1/2 inch thick.
• 4. Cut into rounds with at least a 3 inch cutter & fry in hot oil. (If you have no cutter then you could use a thoroughly washed tuna can as your cutter.) HEAT YOUR OIL BETWEEN 325 TO 350 DEGREES. --- This is my good friend Kaycee who joined me for the class.
• 5. Depending on the size of your fryer only put a few in at a time. This size that we used in the photo we dropped about 5 to 6 rounds in at a time. Let them start to puff up in the middle and you can see them brown on the one side then turn them over to finish browning the other side. Take them out and let them drain on a paper towel. This happens very quickly within a minute or two.
• 6. After they have cooled you can fill them with your favorite filling or leave plain and dust with powdered sugar or plain sugar. --THESE DONUTS WHEN THEY PUFF UP ARE HOLLOW INSIDE. SO, IT MAKES THEM PERFECT FOR FILLING.
• 7. Here we are filling and dusting the paczki! VERY TRADITIONAL FILLINGS FOR PACZKI - Apricot Poppyseed Black Raspberry Lekvar - (sweetened prune puree) Rose Cherry and more non-traditional flavors too.
• 8. Put the coffee on...fill up some glasses with cold milk and let's eat some Paczki!
• 9. FOR FUN: Our male Schnoodle is named after the famous Paczki. It wasn't until I met my husband Anthony that I heard about the famous Paczki. Not only is his heritage Polish/Italian but he used to be a police officer and has had his share of Paczki. Every year, there is a box of Paczki's that arrive mysteriously in our kitchen! But now, I know how to make them so we can have some homemade. If Paczki the Schnoodle was allowed to eat these famous Paczki he for sure would win. He would probably eat all of them and then be sick but I can assure you every last Paczki would be gone. Do you see his focus on the donut? LOL --- I think he was thinking are they mine? All mine?!
• 10. I stopped over at Krakus Polish Deli & Bakery here in my hometown and saw these lovely towels and just "HAD" to get one. It only seemed right don't you think? lol

PACZKI WITH ROSE JAM

Steps:

• 1. Add yeast to warm milk, stir to dissolve and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together sugar and butter and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and salt until well incorporated.
• 2. Still using the paddle attachment, add 4-1/2 cups flour, alternating with yeast-milk mixture and beat for 5 or more minutes until smooth. If the dough will be slack and have a sheen to it, but if it looks too sticky, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, but no more.
• 3. Place dough in a greased blow, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (1 to 2-1/2 hours). Punch down and let rise again.
• 4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Pat or roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, gathering scraps and re-rolling to cut and use all the dough.
• 5. Heat oil to 350 degrees in an electric or heavy skillet. Place donuts top-side down in the oil a few at a time and fry 2-3 minutes and fry until golden brown. Flip them over and fry another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Be careful not to let the oil get too hot as it will burn the outside of the donut before the center is fully cooked.
• 6. Drain on paper towels and roll in granulated sugar while still warm.
• 7. To fill donuts, poke a hole in the side of the donut (I used a chopstick), fit a pastry back with a medium sized tip, and pipe filling into the center of the donut.
• 8. ROSE JAM: Pick clean, chemical-free roses.The color roses you chose will determine the color of the jam. Pull the petals from the roses and clip off the white ends. Pack a one cup measuring cup with rose petals. Put petals in a blender, add water and lemon juice. Blend until smooth, then gradually add sugar. Run blender until sugar is disolved. In a pan stir pectin into water. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into rose mixture, 1/8 cup at a time with the blender running on low, until you achieve the desired consistency. Pour into clean glass jars, cover and refrigerate. Will keep for one month.
• 9. This recipe and picture of Paczki comes from: http://whatscookinginyourworld.blogspot.com/2011/06/day-143-poland-paczki-polish-donuts.html
• 10. Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 6 minutes 2 rises: 3 hours Total Time: 3 hours, 51 minutesYield: 2 dozen Polish Paczki