Pączki — pillowy Polish doughnuts enriched with egg yolks and cream, filled with almond-spiked jam and deep-fried golden. A traditional treat for Fat Thursday.
- 10g Yeast
- 125ml Milk
- 7 Egg Yolks
- 15g Sugar
- 10g Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 500g Flour
- 200ml Double Cream
- 15g Butter
- 125ml Jam
- 10g Ground Almonds
- For frying Oil
- 75g Icing Sugar
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- Dash Almond Essence
- 50g Almonds
Video
Preparation
- To make the leaven, mix the yeast with the sugar and flour, stir in the warm milk, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- For the dough, put the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl with the sugar and vanilla sugar. Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk until smooth and thick.
- Sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the beaten yolks and warm cream, and mix thoroughly, then add a pinch of salt and the leaven. Bring together into a dough and knead for 10 minutes (or 15–20 by hand).
- When the dough stops sticking to your hands, pour in the cooled melted butter and knead for a few more minutes. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Mix the jam with the ground almonds and spoon into a piping bag or jam syringe. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and shape into doughnuts, then cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
- Fill a deep pan or fryer one third full with oil or melted lard and heat to 180C — if you don't have a thermometer, drop in a small chunk of bread; the oil is ready when it browns in about 30 seconds. Fry the doughnuts, turning once, for about 1–2 minutes on each side (a thin lighter ring should form in the middle). Drain on kitchen paper, then fill with the jam.
