Polish Doughnuts (Paczki)
Active dry yeast and plum or rose hip jam come together in this vegetarian — 70 minutes, 7 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Warm the milk to about 40 C (just lukewarm, not hot) and stir in the yeast along with a teaspoon of the sugar; leave for 10 minutes until foamy to confirm the yeast is alive.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, remaining sugar and salt, then make a well and add the yeast mixture, egg yolks, whole egg and vanilla; mix to a shaggy dough.
- Knead in the softened butter a little at a time, then continue kneading for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft and elastic; cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour until doubled.
- Roll the dough out to 1 cm thick on a floured surface, cut into 8 rounds with a cutter, place on a lined tray, cover loosely and prove again for 30 to 40 minutes until puffy.
- Heat the oil to 175 C; fry the doughnuts in batches for about 2 minutes per side until deep golden, turning once, and drain on a rack lined with paper towels.
- Once cool enough to handle but still warm, fill a piping bag with the jam, push the nozzle into the side of each doughnut and pipe in a generous spoonful.
- Dust generously with icing sugar and serve the same day while fresh.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Large pot · Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Polish Doughnuts (Paczki) take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Polish Doughnuts (Paczki) vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Polish Doughnuts (Paczki) is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Polish paczki.jpg (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.