Pączki

Ingredients

• 150 g butter
• 5 heaping tablespoons powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• half a cup lukewarm milk
• 1 cup lukewarm cream 30%
• 1.8 oz / 50 g fresh yeast (can be replaced with 1 packet (14 g) dry yeast)
• 8 egg yolks
• 4 cups / 500 g all purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons vodka

• 2 l oil for deep frying (I use rapeseed oil, traditionally it was lard)
• rose petals jam for filling
• for icing: 1 cup powder sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
• candid orange peel (optional)

Place butter in a small saucepan and heat for few minutes for melting. Set aside to cool.

Sift flour in a large bowl.

Using fresh yeast: first make a leaven. Divide fresh yeast into small pieces in the bowl, add warm milk, 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 teaspoon sugar, mix all. Cover with a cloth and set aside in warm place for 15 minutes for rising. After that time add other ingredients: powder sugar, cream, egg yolks, vanilla sugar, vodka, pinch of salt and the rest of the flour.

When using dried yeast: combine dried yeast with sifted flour and add other ingredients: powder sugar, cream, egg yolks, vanilla sugar, vodka and pinch of salt.

Knead well (by hand or use a food processor). At the end add cooled melted butter and knead again till it gets incorporated. Don’t worry if the dough is a bit runny. Set aside in a warm place for 1 and half hour for rising. It should double by that time.

Once it’s doubled, knead it again shortly and roll out on the floured surface. The dough should be 1 cm height (a bit less than half inch). Cut rounds size about 8 cm / 3 in. Place on a floured tray and cover with a cloth. Put aside for 20 minutes for rising.

In the meantime heat oil in a big pot. Once it’s 175 C (about 347 F) you can start frying pączki. Delicately place few at a time, so that they did not stick. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side till golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Fill the pastry bag with rose petal jam, assemble filling tip. Pipe the filling into pączki from the side.

For icing: blend powder sugar with lemon juice and lukewarm water. Brush pączki with the icing. You can sprinkle candid orange peel over them, if you prefer so.

Phew, that’s quite a lot of time to get these delicious pączki:) If you have less time, maybe you would like to check my easy and yummy