Polish Doughnuts (Pączki)

Ingredients

• 10 gyeast, fresh or instant; for leaven
• 1 tspsuperfine sugar, for leaven
• 1 tbspflour, for leaven
• 125 mlmilk, warm; for leaven
• 7egg yolks, for dough; beaten with sugar over a double boiler
• 15 gsugar, for dough
• 10 gsuperfine sugar, for dough; used as vanilla sugar alongside vanilla extract
• 1 tspvanilla extract, for dough
• 500 gflour, for dough
• 200 mlheavy cream, warm; for dough
• 15 gbutter, melted and cooled; kneaded in at the end
• 125 mljam, rose jam or plum jam; for filling
• 10 gground almonds, mixed into jam for filling
• oil, for deep frying at 180°C
• 75 gpowdered sugar, for lemon glaze
• 1/2lemon, juice only; for lemon glaze
• almond essence, a dash; for lemon glaze
• 50 galmonds, 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 1–1.5 hours.

5. 5

   Mix the jam with the ground almonds and place 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.

6. 6

   Heat oil to 180°C in a deep pan or fryer (no more than one-third full). Fry the doughnuts for 1–2 minutes per side until golden with a lighter ring in the middle. Drain on kitchen paper.

7. 7

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