If you’re looking to indulge, there is nothing better than a recipe that was created for just that. Paczki (pronounced something like puhnch-kee) are a traditional Polish
dessert typically prepared on Fat Tuesday (or often the Thursday before Ash Wednesday in Poland) as a way to use up all the rich ingredients—butter, sugar, and milk—typically given up for Lent. Whether you’re cleaning out your fridge for the holiday or are just looking for a decadent anytime treat, these dense jelly donuts should be next on your baking list.
Although these donuts do traditionally have a celebratory context, they can be enjoyed any time of the year with a variety of fillings. We made ours with store-bought seedless raspberry jam, but any jelly or filling of your choice will work. Just make sure whatever you choose is smooth so it can be pressed through the pastry tip.
Speaking of pastry tips—while we’re all for the snipped-corner-of-a-plastic-bag method of DIY frosting, this is one recipe where you’re really going to want to bust out the actual piping bags and tips. It makes it so much easier to get a clean fill of your donuts, AND means you can more easily swap out filling flavors if you like. Sticking with just one kind? Feel free to skip the coupler called for in the instructions.
This recipe makes 12 donuts, but feel free to double or even triple the recipe for a big crowd. End up with leftovers? Try turning them into our jelly donut breakfast bake to keep the good times rolling.
Did you try making these? Let us know how it went in the comments!
If you’re looking to indulge, there is nothing better than a recipe that was created for just that. Paczki (pronounced something like puhnch-kee) are a traditional Polish
dessert typically prepared on Fat Tuesday (or often the Thursday before Ash Wednesday in Poland) as a way to use up all the rich ingredients—butter, sugar, and milk—typically given up for Lent. Whether you’re cleaning out your fridge for the holiday or are just looking for a decadent anytime treat, these dense jelly donuts should be next on your baking list.
Although these donuts do traditionally have a celebratory context, they can be enjoyed any time of the year with a variety of fillings. We made ours with store-bought seedless raspberry jam, but any jelly or filling of your choice will work. Just make sure whatever you choose is smooth so it can be pressed through the pastry tip.
Speaking of pastry tips—while we’re all for the snipped-corner-of-a-plastic-bag method of DIY frosting, this is one recipe where you’re really going to want to bust out the actual piping bags and tips. It makes it so much easier to get a clean fill of your donuts, AND means you can more easily swap out filling flavors if you like. Sticking with just one kind? Feel free to skip the coupler called for in the instructions.
This recipe makes 12 donuts, but feel free to double or even triple the recipe for a big crowd. End up with leftovers? Try turning them into our jelly donut breakfast bake to keep the good times rolling.
Did you try making these? Let us know how it went in the comments!
- Yields:
-
12
serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 10 mins
- Total Time:
- 3 hrs 30 mins
- Cal/Serv:
- 512
Ingredients
- 1 c.
whole milk
- 3/4 c.
plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar, divided
- 1
(1/4-oz.) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
-
Cooking spray
- 4 1/2 c.
(540 g.) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 6 tbsp.
unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
- 2 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 2
large eggs
-
Vegetable oil, for frying
- 3/4 c.
raspberry or your favorite flavor jelly or seedless jam
Equipment Needed
-
A 3″ round cutter and a pastry bag with a coupler and 1/4″ tip
Directions
-
- Step 1
In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir milk and 1 teaspoon sugar until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let sit until yeast begins to foam and bubble, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2Grease a large bowl with cooking spray. In another large bowl, whisk flour, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar until well combined. Make a well in the center and pour in yeast mixture, butter, and vanilla. Crack eggs into well. Using a wooden or silicone spoon, stir until a shaggy dough forms. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and smooth, about 6 minutes. Form dough into a tight ball. Place in greased bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Step 3Lightly dust 2 baking sheets with flour. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2″ thick. Cut out rounds with 3″ round cutter. Being careful not to overwork dough, knead scraps back together, reroll, and cut more rounds (you should have about 12). Arrange rounds on prepared sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until puffed, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Step 4Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl. Into a large heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour oil to a depth of 1″. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°.
- Step 5Working in batches, fry rounds, turning once and adjusting heat as needed to maintain oil temperature, until golden and puffed, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set in a baking sheet and let drain 15 seconds. Toss in sugar to coat outside of donut. Return donut to rack and let cool completely. Repeat process with remaining rounds.
- Step 6Fit pastry bag with coupler and 1/4″ tip. In a medium bowl, whisk jelly until no lumps remain. Fill pastry bag with jelly. Using a chopstick or a wooden skewer, make a hole in the side of each donut. Insert tip and fill with jelly until slightly puffed in the center and there is a bit of resistance. Transfer to a platter.
- Step 1
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