Pairing Polish Delicacies with Beer

Paczki (Polish Doughnuts)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup milk, heated to approximately 110°F

4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

½ cups sugar

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

4 egg yolks, room temperature

1 tablespoons vanilla or other flavoring, such as rum

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups all-purpose flour

Peanut or vegetable oil for frying

1-2 jars of plum jam

Powdered or granulated sugar for coating

Directions:

Add yeast to warm milk and stir to dissolve. Set aside in a warm spot of the kitchen to proof.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Mix until well incorporated.

To this, add the flour one cup at a time, alternating with splashes of the yeast mixture until you’ve added 4 cups of flour and all of the yeast to the dough. Beat for 5 minutes, until smooth. If too much liquid is still present in the dough, add flour a little at a time. The dough is meant to be sticky and slack, so don’t add too much flour.

Grease a large mixing bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Cover and set in a warm spot to allow the dough to rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Punch down and allow to rise again for another 45 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Roll to ½-inch thickness. Cut rounds with 3-inch biscuit cutter and place in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Reroll and cut leftover dough until all the dough has been used.

Cover rounds and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil to 350°F. Carefully drop the rounds into the oil a few at a time. Do not overcrowd them. They should immediately puff up.

Fry until golden brown on the bottom – about 2 to 3 minutes – then flip and fry the other side for another minute or two longer, until golden brown on top and bottom. Using a spider strainer or slotted spoon, remove the paczki to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bring the oil temperature back to 350°F and continue frying the rest of the rounds in this way until they are all done.

Allow them to cool until they can be handled easily. Use a pastry bag fitted with a filling tip to fill the paczki with jam – poke a hole in the side of each paczki with the filling tip and squeeze the bag until the paczki is full. Dust with powered or granulated sugar and eat!

Paczki are best eaten the same day they are made, but can be stored in a paper bag for about a day.

Makes about 2-dozen paczki. 

All photos courtesy Sherry Dryja