Today is a great day for Charlie to cook in his homeschool cooking class because we can celebrate February 13 Paczki Day #PaczkiDay and make Paczki’s which neither Charlie or I’ve had. Before you ask I am not sure if David has had these or not. Would you like to join us and we can either visit a Baker and purchase them or go grocery shopping for the ingredients and cook them in Charlie’s cooking class.
Paczki Day, is celebrated the Thursday in the week before Ash Wednesday, making this the perfect excuse to eat Paczki a Polish pastry. This year, Paczki Day takes place on February 13th. Paczki is similar to a Donut, but Paczki are a sugary Pastry that combines glossy doughs with a delicious fruit filling. Paczki is known as a dessert that gets more-or-less splurged on around lent, but Paczki Day isn’t just about the Pastries alone.
HISTORY OF PACZKI DAY
To most Polish Americans, Paczki Day means making a ton of Paczki and eating them in the company of family and friends. Paczki Day is celebrated before Lent because Lent is a time of sacrifice, Paczki were created to use up a household’s supplies of things that the family wouldn’t be able to eat during Lenten fasting. including Lard, Sugar, Eggs, and more. Paczki Day was basically a day for people to fill up on all the goodness they’d have to give up for the next month.
In America, Paczki Day is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday which is also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. However, in Poland, Paczki were made and purchased the most on Fat Thursday, which is the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. Paczki Day is also celebrated on Fat Thursday in some cultures because it marks the start of the final week before Lent. But either way, a lot of Paczki are made and enjoyed by many Polish people on either day.
Paczki Day is unique since it dates back to at least the Middle Ages. That means Paczki recipes have been around for a long time. But, just like traditions themselves, the recipes have evolved as time has gone on. Modern versions of Paczki are filled with Custard or Cream, and some Packi’s are even covered with glaze or sprinkles. Some Paczkis use well-known modern flavors including Lemon, Nutella, or Strawberry.
Paczki Day is a pre-Lenten tradition and Paczki were created from all the ingredients that Polish families needed to eat before they began fasting. Paczki are much richer in flavor, consisting of sweet yeast dough, Eggs, Butter, and Milk. In native Poland, Paczki is pronounced like “pownch-key.”
Let’s Celebrate Paczki Day
- When it comes to holidays about food, the best way to celebrate the holiday is to try the food yourself. Whether you’re Polish or not, and whether you participate in Lent or not, you can still enjoy the delicious taste of Paczki.
- Find a local Paczki Day event to attend especially if you live near or in a City, you’ll definitely be able to find a Paczki Day event to attend. Many bakeries will sell Paczki’s which can be a Homeschool Field Trip around the time of Paczki Day. European markets will definitely have something special going on.
FACTS ABOUT PACZKI
- Paczki have roots dating back all the way to the middle ages and originally, Paczkis were filled with Pork and Lard.
- The traditional Paczki filling is called Powidla commonly known as Stewed Plum Jam, and it was mixed with Wild Rosehip Jam
- Paczkis were born from forbidden foods including Lard, Sugar, Eggs, and Fruit which were all forbidden during Catholic Lenten fasting–all Paczki main ingredients.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE PACZKI DAY
- Not only are Paczki delicious, but Paczki has such a unique cultural and religious history that makes them stand out. Paczkis have around since the Middle Ages and seeing how recipes have changed is very cool.
- Paczki Day is all about eating these treats with your loved ones before Lenten fasting.
- The awesome thing about Paczki is that there isn’t just one type. Te original recipe has changed so much since it was invented years ago, each Paczki from every baker will be unique, meaning each offers its own experience.
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Milk (lukewarm)
- 2 tablespoon Butter (unsalted, melted)
- ▢2 tablespoon Sugar
- ▢¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Instant Yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose Flour
- Vegetable Oil (for frying)
- Fruit Preserves (for filling, like Raspberry, Strawberry Jam, Custard, or Lemon Curd)
- Powdered Sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- Mix wet ingredients in a medium size bowl combine Eggs, Milk, Butter, Sugar, Salt and Vanilla Extract. Add the Yeast and mix well.
- Add the flour to the bowl of your mixer, then pour in the milk/egg mixture. Using the dough hook, mix well until well incorporated. You will know that the dough is done when it comes clean from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be a soft dough.
- Turn over the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a couple minutes, then place the dough in a bowl that’s sprayed with cooking spray. I also like to spray the dough with some cooking spray so that it doesn’t dry out. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for a couple hours. The dough should double in size.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface so that’s it’s about 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut out rounds using a glass or a cookie cutter. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the donuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rise again for about 30 minutes until doubled in size.
- Add about 3 inches of oil to a deep frying pan, I used a Dutch Oven. Before frying the donuts make sure the oil is hot, it needs to be 350℉. Fry the donuts, about 5 or 6 at a time until golden brown on both sides. Make sure you turn them on both sides to fry them evenly.
- Transfer the donuts to a large bowl lined with paper towels to drain some of the excess oil. Allow them to cool until you are able to handle them.
- Using a piping bag and a filing tip, pipe your favorite filling into the sides of the paczki.
- Roll the donuts in powdered or granulated sugar then serve.
Paczki are best the same day they are made if you are having leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for no, more than 2 days.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
