Enjoyed in Poland on Tłusty Czwartek (“Fat Thursday”), pączki are traditionally made to use up any lingering sugar and butter before Lent. In the U.S., these tender and fluffy doughnuts are a beloved treat for pre-Lent celebrations like Mardi Gras and Pączki Day, which is observed in cities with sizable Polish populations, like Chicago and Detroit. This enriched dough contains more eggs, milk, and butter than many doughnuts and yields airy rounds of fried dough that are perfect for filling with jam. While traditional pączki recipes contain a splash of vodka (thought to prevent excess oil absorption while the doughnuts fry), we’ve omitted it for simplicity. SAF Gold Instant Yeast ensures a reliable rise even in this relatively high-sugar dough.
Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment, beat the sugar, egg, yolks, and salt for 3 to 5 minutes, until the batter is pale yellow and falls in thick ribbons from the beaters.
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the flour, milk, yeast, and vanilla and mix for 20 to 30 seconds until no dry spots remain.
Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix and knead the dough on medium speed. With the mixer running, add about 1 tablespoon of the butter and knead until fully incorporated into the dough, 30 to 60 seconds. Scrape the bowl if necessary, then continue adding the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing to incorporate fully before adding the next piece. The dough will be wet and sticky; this is OK.
Once all the butter has been added, knead the dough for another 8 to 10 minutes, until it's smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl slightly. (The dough won’t clean the sides of the bowl, but it should form a ball around the dough hook.)
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow it to rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
When the dough has doubled in size, generously dust your work surface with flour. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, then transfer it to the surface and gently deflate. Lightly dust the top of the dough and your hands with flour, then pat the dough to a 10" square, about 1/2" thick (a little thinner is OK).
Use a floured 2 3/4" cutter to cut rounds of the dough and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bring the scraps together, pat the dough to about 1/2" thick, and continue to cut rounds until you have a total of 12. (Don’t re-roll the scraps more than two times to ensure the doughnuts maintain a tender texture.)
Cover the baking sheet with a reusable cover or greased plastic wrap and let the pączki rise for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy, while you prepare the oil.
To fry the pączki: Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven), with oil so that it’s about 2" deep. Heat it over medium heat until it reaches between 350°F and 360°F on a digital or candy thermometer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Once the pączki are puffy and the oil is at temperature, carefully place three pączki in the oil and fry until deep brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to gently flip the pączki and fry the other side until deeply golden brown or mahogany, another 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the fried pączki from the oil and place on the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough rounds, being sure to bring the oil back up to temperature between batches, until all the pączki are fried.
To finish the pączki: Once fully cooled, toss the pączki in a bowl with the non-melting sugar, coating all sides, then place on a clean, parchment-lined baking sheet.
Use a skewer, sturdy straw, or chopstick to poke a hole in the side of each pączki and insert it about halfway; rotate the tool around a couple of times to make a small cavity in the center.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip or a squeeze bottle with the jam. Insert the pastry tip or the squeeze bottle into the hole and pipe in a generous 1 tablespoon of jam into each pączki. Serve immediately.
Storage information: Pączki are best enjoyed the same day they are fried. Store any leftovers, at room temperature, for 1 day; freezing is not recommended.
Tips from our Bakers
You’ll need enough oil to fill a large pot about 2" deep for frying.
Choose the fruit or jam of your choice to fill the pączki. Traditionally, they’re filled with unique floral jams (like rose petal) or intensely flavored preserves (like prune or plum), though raspberry jam is also a favorite of our Test Kitchen for pączki.
SAF Gold Instant Yeast is an “osmotolerant” yeast, perfect for sweet breads and any dough with a high amount of sugar. SAF Gold works best when the amount of sugar is between 10% and 30% of the amount of the flour, by weight. SAF Red Instant Yeast can be used in this recipe, but you’ll likely find that the rising times for the pączki will need to be increased by 30 minutes or longer for each rise.
