Polish Doughnuts (Pączki)

Ingredients

• 1 tbspyeast, fresh or instant; for leaven
• 1 tspsuperfine sugar, for leaven
• 1 tbspflour, for leaven
• 1/2 cupmilk, warm; for leaven
• 7egg yolks, for dough; beaten with sugar over a double boiler
• 1 tbspsugar, for dough
• 2 1/2 tspsuperfine sugar, for dough; used as vanilla sugar alongside vanilla extract
• 1 tspvanilla extract, for dough
• 4 cupsflour, for dough
• 0.83 cupheavy cream, warm; for dough
• 1 tbspbutter, melted and cooled; kneaded in at the end
• 1/2 cupjam, rose jam or plum jam; for filling
• 1 1/2 tbspground almonds, mixed into jam for filling
• oil, for deep frying at 180°C
• 2/3 cuppowdered sugar, for lemon glaze
• 1/2lemon, juice only; for lemon glaze
• 1/2 tspalmond extract, a dash; for lemon glaze
• 1/3 cupalmonds, toasted; scattered on top of glaze

Method

1. 1

   Make the leaven: mix the yeast, sugar and flour together, stir in the warm milk. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until thick and smooth.

3. 3

   Sift the 500g flour into a stand mixer bowl. Add the whisked egg mixture, warm cream and vanilla extract. Mix, then add a pinch of salt and the leaven. Knead for 10 minutes (15–20 by hand).

4. 4

   When the dough no longer sticks, add the cooled melted butter and knead for a few more minutes. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled.

5. 5

   Mix the jam with the ground almonds and put it in a piping bag or jam syringe. Divide the dough into 16 pieces, shape into rounds, and fill each with jam. Seal well. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, heat the oil to 350°F in a deep pan or fryer, no more than one-third full.

6. 6

   Fry the doughnuts in the hot oil a few at a time for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden with a lighter ring around the middle. Drain on paper towels.

7. 7

   Make the glaze: mix the powdered sugar with lemon juice and almond extract. Spread over the warm doughnuts, then scatter with toasted almonds.

Nutrition per serving