Delicious, Authentic Polish Paczki recipe traditionally made for Fat Tuesday or Thursday in February to celebrate the last day before Lent fasting begins.
When it comes to Fat Tuesday, I'm all about the Polish tradition of Paczki! The Polish do it right, because these are definitely a worthy Fat Tuesday splurge!
What are Paczki?
Pączki are essentially donuts, made by frying dough, filling with a variety of fruit or custard fillings, and coated with sugar. Paczki are made from a rich dough containing eggs, fats, sugar, yeast and sometimes milk, so they tend to be a little more rich and dense than a typical donut. Packzi can have a variety of fruit or cream fillings. They can be glazed or covered with either granulated or powdered sugar. In Poland, a stewed plum jam or a wild rose hip jam are the most traditional fillings, but many others are used as well, including strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, apple, prune or custard.
When are Paczki eaten?
In Poland, Paczki are eaten on Fat Thursday, which is the last Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday (prior to lent). The traditional reason for making pączki was to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, in preparation for the fasting of Lent ahead.
In North America, Paczki Day typically occurs on Fat Tuesday, the last day before the beginning of Lent. In some communities with large Polish populations, Paczki day is celebrated on both Fat Thursday and Fat Tuesdy.
How do you pronounce Paczki?
While there are slight variations, the typical North American pronunciation of Paczki is POONCH-key. Some prefer more of a PAUNCH-key.
Paczki Fillings:
Like jelly donuts, Paczki can be filled with any number of fillings. Any fruit jam, such as raspberry, strawberry, blueberry or plum. Apple jam/compotes are also good. On the creamy side, Bavarian Cream or custard fillings would be nice.
Cook's Notes for Polish Paczki
I like my Paczki rolled in granulated sugar. There's just something about that sugar crunch! Traditionally though, paczki have a thin icing sugar and milk glaze, if you'd rather go that route. You could also dust them in icing sugar. Any way you eat them, they're a really delicious treat and definitely a splurge.
Paczki are best eaten on the day they are made, although they do freeze well, if you have extras. You don't need a deep fryer to make these, although that's definitely the easiest route, as it keeps a constant temperature and is safer. If you don't have a fryer, use a deep, heavy pot and a portable thermometer to monitor the temperature. Do be careful though and have a lid handy, just in case.
When deep frying, be sure to use a thermometer to keep the oil temperature constant. If the oil is too hot, it will cook the outside before the inside is cooked. If it is not hot enough, the dough will absorb oil, rather than just cooking the outside to seal the oil out. Also, avoid frying too many at once, as it will lower the oil temperature.
Be sure to coat your Paczki in granulated sugar while they are still warm, so the sugar will stick. If opting for powdered sugar, obviously you'd want to wait until the Paczki are cool before coating. As powdered sugar will dissolve over time, add powdered sugar just before serving.
I quickly got tired of trying to deep fry in a pot on the stove. Not only is it slightly dangerous, it's messy and really hard to control the oil temperature in. I invested in a small deep fryer that doesn't take up much room to store and doesn't need a ton of oil to fill it - about 1 large container. When the oil is cooled, I return it to the container and store it in the fridge to use again. Here are some great small deep fryers you might like.
Polish Paczki
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active or instant yeast
- 1 cup whole milk (scalded and cooled)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter (melted)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (use only as much as you need to make a moist, but not sticky dough)
- Oil (for frying)
- White Granulated Sugar (for dusting)
- Jam or custard (for filling (suggested: Raspberry, Blueberry, Cherry or Strawberry Jam))
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat milk until steaming with small bubbles forming around the edges. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast in the lukewarm milk and let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour. Mix together and let stand for 20-30 minutes, until really bubbly.
- In the meantime, beat the yolks in a small bowl until they are light and fluffy.
- To the proofed yeast mixture, add the melted butter and sugar and mix. Add salt and vanilla. Add beaten egg yolks. Slowly add more of the flour to bowl in small increments, adding just until you have a soft dough that is moist ,but not sticky.
- Grease a clean bowl and add dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled.
- Deflate dough and pat out onto floured cutting board. With a rolling pin, gently roll into a 1/2-inch thick circle. Gently cut out circles with 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes)
- Meanwhile, heat oil to 360° Fry paczki until golden on one side, flip and fry the other side. Don't try to cook too many at a time so you don't reduce the temperature of the oil by adding too many at once. Don't rush the frying, to be sure they are cooked through well. Fry until they are a deep golden colour. Remove paczki to a cooling rack for about 30 seconds, then immediately roll in granulated sugar. Let stand until completely cooled.
- Once cooled, using a sharp knife, poke a hole on the side. Use a pastry bag with a large plain tip to pipe the jam or custard filling inside.
- These are best when freshly made, but you can freeze any extras.
Kay says
Hi i just made these yesterday. Everything went graet they looked great but the inside was still somewhat raw (doughy) any tips on how to get a even cook? Thanks
Jennifer says
Hi Kay, you have to find the sweet spot with the oil temperature. If yours were golden on the outside, but undercooked on the inside, the oil was a touch too hot. Lower it a bit so they can cook longer.
Margaret says
Hello! I will be making these on Sunday morning as a gift to someone! I have done a lot of research and I think this will be my recipe, but just to clarify - if I use instant yeast I can just add it in with the dry ingredients, correct? And, I found a very similar recipe online for baked Paczki, almost all the same measurements but they only used 1 1/2 cups of flour... does the fact that those are baked have to do with the flour being so much less? I have seen online that most fried donut recipes require quite a bit more flour than the baked ones. Cheers!
Jennifer says
Hi Margaret, just to be clear, the Instant Yeast referred to in this recipe isn't anything labeled "Quick Rise" or "Rapid Rise". It is Instant Yeast, such as SAF brand instant yeast. It is yeast intended for two-rise yeast dough recipes. After that, I have no idea about the baked recipe and flour amounts etc. Honestly, if they are baked, they aren't donuts, they are a bun, and not a Paczki :)
Annalise says
AMAZING!!!!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear! Thanks :)
Henry says
My stove was out of order waiting for parts so I made the dough and cooked them in an Instant Pot Vortex air fryer. They came out perfect. I do want to make another batch to fry when I get my burners back but these paczti were some of the greatest things I ever ate.
This dough recipe is dynamite. I can’t wait to use it (without the sugar) for Parker House rolls.
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them, Henry :) Thanks!
Chris says
What was the brand of small fryer you used. name /photo helpful. Thank you.
Jennifer says
Hi Chris, the one I have they don't make anymore, but it's very similar in size and shape to this one - https://www.amazon.ca/Ovente-FDM1091BR-Removable-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B0746Z3DPM/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=bravetti+deep+fryer&qid=1582848478&sr=8-15 . The key is a small one. It takes less oil and is much easier to store. Of course, it does mean you have to fry in smaller batches (I do only 2 of these paczki at a time), but I don't deep fry that often, so I don't find it a major issue. Hope that helps :)
Jan says
Very, very good, authentic Paczki!
Happy Paczki Day!
Jennifer says
Glad you enjoyed them, Jan and Happy Paczki Day to you, as well :) Thanks!
karmel says
can these be made one day in advance? I want to make them for my boss, but won't be able to stay up all night to make them and bring them in fresh =)
Jennifer says
Hi Karmel, While the donut itself will stand up somewhat well a day ahead, the sugar coating will probably dissolve. Not sure how long you think these take to make, but I just made a batch and it was a bit less than 3 hours, start to finish. If you do make them ahead, don't put them in a completely air-tight container. That might help the sugar stand up a bit better (let the moisture escape a bit).
Mia Carney says
I was going to make this recipe but was confused about how long it takes for the dough to double the first time.
Jennifer says
Hi Mia, it doesn't state a time, because it will be different in each kitchen, depending on the temperature of the kitchen. You need to let it rise until it doubles, however, long that takes in your kitchen. That said, as I just made these again myself, I can tell you that in MY kitchen, the first rise took 90 minutes.
Megan Z. says
We made this recipe tonight with raspberry jam, and it was perfect. My husband (whose family is Polish) said they were just right! This will be the recipe we use from now on. Thanks so much.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Megan! Raspberry is my favourite :) Thanks so much!
Christine Winters says
These sound amazing. I bought some at our local Polish deli and they were quite the disappointment. The paczki tasted ok but there was next to nothing in the filling. And they were pretty pricey. So I will be trying your recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Jennifer says
Thanks Christine! I think these will hit the spot for you. Enjoy :)
Penny says
Haven't tried to make yet but the recipe looks less intimadating then others then others I've seen. Also the replies about using fresh non quick rising yeast are also helpful. I'm wondering if I can airfry instead of deep frying?
Jennifer says
Hi Penny, Yes, you don't want to use rapid rise yeast here. It poops out too quickly and you won't get a good second rise. Someone tried air frying recently and said they we "ok". For my money, deep frying is really the only way to go here, for best taste and texture. If you try the air frying, let me know what you thought.
Slavo says
I made paczki every year for fat Thursday when I lived in Poland. I always added 95 % grain spirit. It killssome gluten so dough is more puffy. For above recipe I use 1 Tbsp everclear alcohol and 1 Tbsp good brandy or rum. Also adding 1 tsp lemon juice is good.
Jennifer says
Hi Slavo and thanks for your tips! I'm not sure we can get 95% alcohol here in Canada, but thinking that vodka might perform similarly?
Monica says
Vodka will drastically change the taste of dough and will not be the same. Find the brand Everclear. That is what we use if anything calls for spirytus
Valerie says
These are similar to Fank, hungarian doughnuts and the recipe does include rum it apparently stops the oil penetraiting too much.
Jennifer says
Good to know, Valerie! Thanks :)
Alyssa says
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now and for some reason they never puff up.. what am I doing wrong??
Jennifer says
Hi Alyssa, Are you saying they don't rise (get puffy before baking) or they don't puff up when you fry them? If it's the rise, what type of yeast are you using. If you are using a Rapid Rise type yeast, it may not last long enough. Could that be the issue?
Oleksandra says
Hi! The recipe looks perfect but can I bake it instead of frying?
Jennifer says
I'm afraid not, at least if you want something that tastes anything like a donut. These are meant to be fried.
Liz Nowak says
These were quite tasty. The best recipe I have tried. Mine were not very puffy. After I cut the dough into circles, they really didn’t double in size. Any ideas what I might have done wrong?
Jennifer says
Hmmm. Sounds like your yeast might have given out on you. Did you use quick-rise yeast by any chance? Or maybe it was old?
Liz Nowak says
Yes, I did use the quick rise yeast! I am making another batch with regular yeast and have no doubt I will be rewarded with tasty, puffy paczki
Debi Sunshine says
I am dying to try these. They look fabulous! My question is, what is the best oil for frying??
Thank you!
Jennifer says
Hi Debi, I've heard that peanut oil is the best for frying, but it is quite a bit more expensive than other oils. I generally use vegetable oil, myself and it works out quite well.
Gina says
Delicious! My A/C was on a bit too high so my rise times were longer than usual. But I coated them in the granulated sugar, sliced them in half like sandwiches, and put a generous spoonful of home made rhubarb and berry jam inside. My first foray into deep fried desserts, and I am so happy with them! Can't wait to take some to my Polish grandmother to try. :)
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Gina. Thanks so much :)
Tina S says
Hi, do you use all of the 3.5 cups of flour? I added it in .5 cup increments but have like 1.5 cups the dough was getting dry.
Jennifer says
Hi Tina, no, you only use as much as you need. I just made a batch yesterday and I used almost exactly 3 cups. You don't want the dough to be dry. It should be moist but not sticky. You probably want to add the flour in less than 1/2 cup increments as you get closer to that point. I've updated the recipe card to be more clear about that part.
Milena says
Hello. Is there any way to make this dairy free?
Jennifer says
Hi Milena, you could replace the milk with water and the butter with vegetable oil. Of course, it will affect the end result in terms of texture and taste somewhat, but it will definitely work :)
Jeannette says
Hi can you use coconut milk or almond in place of dairy?
Jennifer says
Hi Jeannette, I haven't tested either, but I feel like you should be able to. I think I would go with the full fat coconut milk (stirred) over the almond milk, as the coconut is closer to the fat content of the whole milk. If you try it let me know how it works out (I just made a batch of these this morning, myself ;)
ROSE ANN CAPALONG says
This is the best recipe for these doughnuts that I've found.....delicious.....
Jennifer says
Thanks so much :)