I have Polish roots. And who would a Pole be if they didn't celebrate this time of year and the beginning of a reflective season, without the tradition of their famous donuts, Ponczki (Paczki). I constantly get frustrated because people do not spell or pronounce it correctly, but who knows Polish? This is a hard recipe to find. Unique in and of itself and rivals any French pastry or yeast bread in taste and difficulty. It is well worth the time and effort because of its unique consistency, texture and taste. (It is a donut but it is nothing like the commercial "donut" version you find sold in stores and bakeries.) I even looked all over the web and have come to the conclusion that this has been passed on generation to generation much more by Grandmother and Mother to Daughter etc. with 2/3 of the recipe literally in the minds and memories of these Eastern European decedents, then listed in any formal cookbook. There are some sparse written copies from my hometown. I have worked and updated the recipe itself without interfering with the integrity of the heritage. Many people have asked me and inquired about these delicate tasty creations, so I decided to post the recipe here for anyone looking to find it.
Ponczki Makes 4-5 dozen.
2 pks. yeast
3 eggs (Large)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 cups milk
2/3 cups mashed potatoes - (Peel, rinse and cube 2 - 3 small potatoes. Add a small amount of water in a bowl and microwave 5 minutes or until cooked enough to mash completely.)
6 - 7 cups unbleached flour
Oil for frying - (300 - 325 degrees)
Powdered and sanding sugar for dusting.
Empty packages of yeast into a very large bowl. Warm milk so that it is very warm to the touch but not hot, pour in and mix with yeast. Let the yeast completely dissolve. Add salt, sugar, oil, eggs and mashed potatoes. Mix well with hand or stand mixer. Add flour one cup at a time. The 6-7 cups of flour will depend on the humidity of the day so add until dough pulls away, but not too dry. Cover the bowl with a flour-cloth and let rise 1 hour. Remove dough from bowl and knead 5 minutes. Let dough rest about 10 minutes or so and let it sit and rise again. Separate dough in to 4 equal parts, taking each section individually and rolling out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out with round cookie cutter or other cutter to individual Ponczki. Drop in hot oil at medium heat. Turn for even cooking 3 -4 minutes. The Ponczki will float and turn golden brown when done. Remove, drain and cool. Dust with sugar.
These can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen to keep and retain freshness. They will keep for an extended period. Thaw, warm in microwave and dust with sugar as desired.
You can wrap them up pretty by the dozen, send them out with a prayer as shown above, and gift them away fast like I did, so I can now get slim and.....fast!
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