BAKED PACZKI (POLISH DONUTS)

Love jelly donuts, but hate the deep fryer? Our authentic Polish Paczki recipe gives you light and airy Polish Donuts that are easy to make and healthier because they’re baked, not fried!

Here in the States we tend to lump all pre-Lent celebrations together as one big Fat Tuesday party. Pazcki, King Cake, pancakes, they all happen on Tuesday.

If you’re from a part of the country with a heavy Polish influence, you’ve undoubtedly heard of these tasty, jelly-filled donuts. Bakeries go crazy with them and someone probably brings a box into the office.

Ingredients :

• 1 ½ c warm milk (100F)
• 1 ½ Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1/3 c unsalted butter, softened ¼ c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp brandy
• 1 tsp salt
• 5-6 c unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 c smooth jam, pastry cream, or lemon curd (to fill)
• 1 c powdered sugar or granulated sugar (to coat fi)

Instructions :
Making the Dough

• Place the warm milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top of the milk and set it aside for 5 minutes, for the yeast to soften and become foamy.
• In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar, until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, yolks, brandy and salt. Beat until combined and fluffy.
• With the mixer on a low speed, add the milk mixture in three additions, alternating with flour until you reach 5 cups. (Switch from the paddle attachment to dough hooks as the dough starts to come together.) Mix on medium low speed until the dough comes together, adding more flour as needed. (Dough should be soft and sticky, but not runny.)
• Increase the mixer’s speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes, until it is smooth and glossy.
• Remove the dough hooks and cover the dough in the bowl with a damp tea towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 -1 ½ hours.

Cutting the Paczki

• When dough has risen, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and knead it a few times.
• Roll the dough out to ½ inch thick.
• Using a 3” circular cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough. Re-roll and cut as necessary, until all the dough has been cut.
• Transfer rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly cover the rounds with your damp tea towel and let them rise until puffy and nearly doubled, 30-45 minutes.

Baking the Paczki

• Near the end of the rising time, heat your oven to 375F.
• Uncover the risen rounds and bake them in the preheated oven for 7-9 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the donuts in the middle of the baking sheet comes out clean.
• Filling the Paczki

• Let the donuts cool for 2-3 min on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
• If you are filling your paczki, you will want to do so as soon as they are cool enough to handle, after about 5 minutes.
• Fit a pastry bag with a Bismarck tip, and fill it with your desired jam or custard filling.
• Insert the tip as far as it will go into the center of the paczki.
• Squeeze the pastry bag gently as you slowly withdraw the tip from the donut. (You will feel the paczki get heavier as you fill each with approximately 1-2 Tbsp of filling.)

Sugaring the Paczki

• If you are using granulated sugar to sugar your donuts, you will want to roll them in the sugar while they are still warm, so that the sugar sticks.
• If you are using powdered sugar to sugar your donuts, you want to wait until they are completely cool before rolling them in powdered sugar.(If you roll them in powdered sugar while they are still warm, the sugar will dissolve into a glaze.) If you plan to store your paczki, wait and powdered sugar them just before serving. 
• Serving and Storing Paczki

Read more please visit : www.curiouscuisiniere.com

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