Paczki (Polish Doughnuts)
You can fill these with jam, lemon curd, chocolate pudding, or custard (my favorite). It's best to have the egg yolks & oil at room temperature and be sure to aerate your flour before measuring. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Makes: 12
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons (1 packet = 7 grams) yeast (instant or dry active)
- 2/3 cup milk (reduced fat or whole milk) warmed to 120°F for instant/110°F for dry active yeast
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- about 1/4 cup extra flour
- 1 Tablespoon melted butter
- 1/3 cup sugar for coating
- 1 cup jam, custard, or filling of choice
Instructions:
- Place flour, sugar, salt, & yeast in large bowl.
- Stir in warm milk, followed by oil, egg yolks & vanilla.
- With electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes on high speed.
- Stir in enough flour until the dough holds together.
- On a floured surface, knead 50 turns, cover with plastic and let rest 10 min.
- If using custard filling, make it now so it can cool. (see recipe below)
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a floured surface, roll dough 1/2-inch thick. Cut circles using a 2 1/2 -inch round cutter, dipped in flour. Re-roll scraps.
- Place mounds on baking sheet, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm spot about 45 minutes. (1 hour at room temp.) During this time, preheat oven to 375° F.
- When paczki are puffy, but not necessarily doubled in size, bake for 10 minutes.
- Melt butter and place 1/3 cup sugar in a plastic produce bag. Lay down some wax paper to save cleanup.
- Remove paczki immediately from pan to wax paper. Brush each one while warm (top & sides) with melted butter and roll in bag to coat with sugar.
- For jam, fill warm or cooled paczki using a pastry bag with a long tip, pushing into the side, or cut a slit in the side and insert filling with a spoon. For custard, cool paczki before filling. All paczki are best served right away.
- In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar + 4 teaspoons cornstarch. Slowly stir in 1 cup low fat or whole milk + 1 egg yolk. Bring to a boil. Cook & stir about a minute. (it thickens more as it cools) Spread onto a dinner plate and let it stand, undisturbed, to cool thoroughly before using - refrigerate if necessary.
Custard Filling:
Note: If using a pastry bag, choose a smooth jam and not one with pieces of fruit as they can clog the tip.
That’s is where the Americans (stole) got the idea for jelly filled donuts. If it were not for the polish people we would not have a thing called jelly filled donuts. The polish people were the first to have a thing called jelly filled donuts. There are a lot of other things the Americans (stole) from other people from other countries.
If you have a little time to make these – they are delicious!!
Hi Jenny,
I love this recipe! Wondering… may I fill the donuts with custard the day before I serve them? I’m assuming they would be stored in the fridge uncovered.
HI JENNY,
I CAN’T FIND THE LONG NOZZLE FILLER FOR FILLING THE JELLY DONUTS LIKE YOU USED ON YOUR SHOW. ANY IDEAS, AS TO WHERE I CAN PURCHASE ONE? I LIKE YOUR SHOW, I WANT ONE OF EACH ITEM YOU MAKE, I’M IN LOVE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?
John,
I use a squeeze bottle for condiments.. you can buy them just about anywhere.. Walmart, Amazon, etc.. the other thing I use are large 4-5” long by 1” or so wide 60 ml medical grade syringe. These worked well because I could consistently put the same amount in each donut.
Cherie
I want to make these gluten-free. Can I use Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose GF flour? Is there something I need to change in the recipe to do that? Has anyone made GF Paczki without a fryer? Thank you.
I have made them with Bobs Red Mill- they don’t rise the same, but they still are good in my opinion! Some of the GF blends are better for yeast doughs, Better Batter has one and GF Jules.
I came across this recipe a few years ago, they never disappoint! I hated cooking them in oil, the baked ones are so much better, you taste the pączki, not the oil. I pass them out to family, friends, and co-workers and everyone loves them. Thank you, Jenny!
Jenny, I very much admire your presentation, Thank you
So it’s ok to leave the custard uncovered as it cools? Usually, cooked custard is covered with saran as it is cooled. I am looking forward to trying your recipe.
Can I make the dough the day before I bake them? Maybe let them rise in the fridge overnight?
Fat Tuesday or Fasnacht is coming up soon. These would be perfect.
Just to be clear here. Is this regular sugar or powdered sugar that the donuts get tossed in?
It’s regular sugar.
tried to make these donuts and my dough is too sticky. what did i do wrong?
I floured my surface and kneaded the 50 turns it actually worked out exactly as it did in the video. After the 1/4 cup flour was still a bit sticky. It came together after I did the final kneading on the table! Hope that helps!
I love her site, she is not in slow motion, like addressing brain dead people as a lot do. Her recipes are always great, easy to follow and as I said in normal speed.
If you don’t eat all of them right away, three seconds in the microwave will make them taste as fresh as just made.
Literally, 3 seconds or the hot jam will burn your mouth off.
I made your paczki for Fat Tuesday and they came out to die for! I viewed your video last year and I never made them till this week. I got so many compliments on how good they were…better than bakery! I made them a little smaller than indicated. I had to quadruple the recipe to make the amount of paczki I wanted. I filled up five baking pans, having a dozen on each pan. I baked them at 325 instead of 350 because they were turning out darker on the bottoms, which I did not want. I added vanilla powder with the powdered sugar dusting to give them more flavor. I will make these again soon and use them for regular donuts.
Delicious! Perfect and so light and fluffy. Just made these today…..actually I prepared them yesterday and then let them rest overnight in the fridge. Warm Jelly donuts for breakfast. A great recipe that I will be sure to make again.
The donuts are a perfect. Polish treat .
I made then followed the recipe and came out perfect . Truly delicious
I want to do this too! Did you let them rise before you refrigerated them, or while refrigerating?
I made this today. They turned out great, puffed nicely. They cooked well but I did have to turn on broil for 2 or 3 mins to brown the top.I made a mess with raspberry jam lol.
Good recipe and very tasty. My only problem is that the tops didn’t brown very much. Please advise.
Could apple cider be used in place of milk?
Thanks
Thanks for all your great recipes! I like that you make some recipes healthier. I would never make paczki if I had to fry them, although they would taste the best.
I recently bought a convection/air fryer range and would like to figure out a way to make them taste more like deep fried paczki then the baked version. I haven’t used it very much yet. Do you have any suggestions? Or readers do you have suggestions?
Also, I would love to see air fryer recipes, especially for a convection/air fryer range.
Thanks!
Carol, my understanding of air fryer ‘fried’ foods is that you should spray with a little bit of oil before cooking. That will give it a more fried taste and protect it from getting too dry. If you have an oven type air fryer, I would put them in the lowest position on a sprayed sheet pan and not directly on a grid rack.
Thank you! Was wondering the same thing.
Curious if anyone has tried to air fry? I am thinking they may need to be turned over halfway through?
As a child we ate paczki with raisins inside so when I make them I will put raisins in them and use powered sugar on outside..this is the way I remember them…..thanks for recipe
what is nutrition, mainly carbs and any fiber….diabetic. thanks, patty
As a diabetic, just reading the recipe, doesn’t seem diabetic friendly to me. Still looking for a way to tweak it so that i can make them again, but for me!
You can try using Monk Fruit instead of sugar as a low-cal alternative. For your filling, use a sugar free jam!
Hi, can you tell me the nutrition value of these, please. Thank you.
OMG !!! These are absolutely phenomenal! Thank you so so much for the recipe! I made them the night before, put them in the fridge covered well. I let them rise for two hours in a warm place and baked and filled them with jam and some with Nutella. Amazing! My daughter said never to buy them again and to just make these!
This is one of my best recipes ever. Never disappoints. I made a double batch today for kids skating on our pond and they were gone in a flash. By popular demand I usually fill with a spoonful of Nutella, but the custard is also sublime. I used to fiddle with a pastry bag to squeeze in the filling but I could never get enough in so now I just cut and opening and spoon in filling so I can send them out warm.I still don’t understand how these come out so light and airy..
I used 3 % milk for this recipe instead of the 1% could this be the reason for not rising quickly
Looked good like donuts. I filled with them with Jam. Maybe that’s where I made the mistake, I should have filled it with a custard . They tasted like fresh buns with jam, not like a tasty donut. I could have spared myself the extra sugar and just made white buns. However I was excited about the idea of donuts without the oil from frying. But I think I will just stick to regular deep fried donuts from now on.
These doughnuts were very simple to make. I love the fact that they are baked & not deep fried. They’re light, fluffy & absolutely tasty. It was very helpful to watch the video showing how to do everything step by step. I will definitely be saving this recipe to make again!
I filled these with “chocolate spread”, lemon pie filling, stabilized whipped cream, coffee cream, caramel cream, banana pudding, grape jelly and “chocolate spread” with peanut butter. Even dusted the plain ones with cinnamon sugar. They were AWESOME!
What kind of whipped cream did you use??
How big did you make them that you could fit all that filling in them?
These are excellent. They’re light and tender and not too sweet. I filled half with a creamy chocolate ermine frosting and half with blueberry jam. Both versions were delicious and froze well. I’ve tried several recipes for baked paczki and the results have been consistent. It’s important not to add too much flour when mixing the dough. It should be slack, soft, and tacky. The only change I made to the recipe was to add a bit of nutmeg. The dough was slow to rise in both rises. I’ve learned from experience not to rush the second rise. The rounds should be well puffed before baking. To fill, I poked a deep hole in the doughnut with the handle of a wooden spoon then piped the fillings in using a large round pastry tip.
Hello Everyone,
Jenny is my go to recipe gal. I just love her style, recipes and kitchen format ~ Fantastic!
I plan to make these donuts soon but wonder if anyone has a WHITE CREAM tried and true donut filling?
Not all sugary and yukky that taste slickening like bad cake icing.
We have a local Mom and Pop style donut shop that USED to make the best white filling. But like most places – unfortunately they probably changed their recipe to save money and stay afloat 🙁
My sister was tipped off that they “used to use marshmallow fluff” in their white cream filling.
High hopes for someone to come through
Thanks 🙂
The white filling might be like the strawberry dip…half cream cheese and half marshmallow cream. This can be used for frosting too.
This is the 7th time making these for family and everyone tells me the BEST DONUTS. With a maple glaze on top 👌 😋
I made these today and they were wonderful I used my homemade bluberry pomegranate jelly inside and nutella very small amount on top made a dozen and my husband and boys polished them off in minutes . thankyou for this easy to follow recipe and video.
Outstanding. First attempt was picture perfect.
Your videos and recipes are amongst the best on social media. Too often, recipes are written for people who can cook. Yours are well written, straightforward and easy to follow. Your videos as well are well done. I’m impressed!
Looks good and looks simple to make…..
I made this recipe for our Easter brunch. It was delicious! Soft, tender, easy to work dough. Thank you, Jenny! I enjoy your bakes and so does my family!
WONDERFUL!!!!! These came out terrific and i used my homemade jam so they were sooooo good. One drawback was they were so good my husband and I ate them all. Lol Now that covid is better the kids and grandkids are getting them. Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe.❤💯😁
They turned out amazing! 2 hours to make less than 5 minutes for my family of 4 to eat them up. Thank you for sharing your recipe and the tips you give in the video make a big difference 🙂
Oh my!
I made these today and Oh My! This recipe is excellent. I don’t have a piping bag yet so I sliced the bun 2/3rds through, put strawberry jam inside then a pile of fresh whipped creme. They remained me of the creme buns of my youth, when I was a child in Australia. I now believe that the Polish bakers must have started the creme bun craze there. I will post a photo. Delicious. I will not be needing supper.
I found the donuts were not as moist and fresh tasting the next day. I had to microwave them before eating.
As with most donuts, these are best eaten right away- just as stated in the recipe :). krispy kreme donuts are made with many added chemicals, that keep donuts fresh for longer- i’ll pass!
I made these this week. My husband & I both loved them! They were easy & turned out great!
I have made these two times in the last two weeks, and they are soooo delicious! We live in Colorado, so whenever I go to bake something I usually have to tweak the recipe, due to the high altitude (the struggle is real), but I didn’t have to change a thing. They came out perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I was so happy to read your comment regarding high altitude adjustments not being necessary for this recipe. New Mexico, where I live, has the same problem, so I am excited to try this donut recipe. Thank you!
Thanks Jenny, It was fun to watch your video. I love you kitchen. That is my dream kitchen. You are so cute in the videos it makes me feel like I can bake that. Well we shall see. Take care. Susan
Such a great dough! I actually rolled it out rectangular,(after making the doughnuts twice), brushed melted butter on it, cinnamon sugar, golden raisins, pecans, rolled it, baked it. It was delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Video was really helpful! Thank you.
I only have original dry active yeast on hand, can I use this?
Please see the recipe.
Did Anyone watch the Video before you started Recipie ?
Jenny says to add flour as need to get the right “dough”.
Little moist to start, flour surface, put dough down and add
more flour as you need to blend Before the final 50 KNEEDS.
Mine took almost an hour to Rise enough. I Sat them on stove
surface (covered with towel) as oven pre heated.
Vent along back, did the trick. Trust your gut! It will thank you 🙂
Anytime I bake with yeast and where a rising is required, I put the bowl on a heating ad that I only use for this purpose. It works great!
Wow i love the heating pad idea. i’m gonna have to dig mine up! i usually use the oven(heated and then turned off, door shut) but with a family of 5, and being a baker, i’m always using my oven- so this would work great!!Thanks!
The best way to raise dough is to put in the oven and leave the light on. This provides enough heat for it to raise.
I’m Polish and a baker but had never made Paczkis. I chose this baked recipe over one that required frying primarily to save on calories. I filled half with a chocolate ganache/mascarpone whipped cream I had left over from Valentine’s Day and the other half with raspberry preserves. They were the most delicious Paczkis we’ve ever had! *Definitely added more flour than recipe called for. Probably additional 1/4 cup.
I just made these. They are so good. I made a real mess filling them. I found the same pastry bag they Jenny used but obviously I don’t have the knack yet. Some did not get much filling. I’m wondering if I can successfully double this recipe.
Yes, you can easily double the recipe . However, you do NOT double the yeast I I got my information from King Arthur Flour a few years ago for something else and this is a general piece of advice . If you were working with a very “exotic” recipe you might need to alter it in some way but for general home baking like this don’t double the yeast .These are so good our houseful would inhale them coming in the door ! LOL Enjoy !! KRM
.
Ok, now you got me really curious. ive heard about being cautious with doubling baking soda in recipes, but i’ve usually doubled yeast quantities when doubling recipes. What would the appropriate amount be when doubling?
Made these yesterday for today. They’re amazing. Not sure how to get the photo from my phone to here, but it’s on my FB page. Great stuff.
Made today. Delicious! I may have added too much flour, but still great!
Made half raspberry filling and half custard. Did add vanilla to custard 🍮.
Thanks for recipe and video!
WOW! Complete fail. I followed the direction s to the “t.” I had to continue to add more flour to get it to a consistency to knead. What in heavens name did I do wrong?????
OK, I have never aerated flour and I’ve been baking for over 50 years. Maybe that was my problem? I measured the 1 1/2 cups of flour first then aerated it and then re-measured the flour to 1 1/2 cups. Was that my problem? Should I have just aerated the 1 1/2 cups of flour and used that?
I have started weighing my flour, as I live in a humid climate. I discovered that a cup of flour is supposed to be 120 grams. My flour weighed 150 grams, and I didn’t scoop it. I’m thinking the humidity makes the flour stick together. Since I started measuring with my kitchen scale my recipes are coming out so much. better!
I am making the dough now and have the same reaction – I’ve made soft doughs before and after they proof they’re roll-able, but I’ve added the additional 1/4 cup and am working in more because it’s almost like batter.
I’ve made these and I recommend using as a little flour as possible. It’s not going to kneed like regular bread. It’s still kind of sticky. I mainly let my mixer do the work and then just before rolling I kneeded it a bit more. It’s very soft dough.
When I made them today – I did have to add additional flour — the dough was more like batter without the additional dough — but the taste was wonderful.
Probably the milk was either too cold or too hot. That usually is the problem with yeast dough.
This are my husband’s favorite so I am definitely going to make some, Thank you Jenny for this video you make it so much fun.
I m going to make it ‼️ No matter what ‼️ Can’t wait to make it‼️ Thank you Jenny
Made these for Valentines Day – my husband said it was the best paczki he’s ever had- thanks Jenny for the fun video & delicious recipe!!
These are so yummy! My mom always made paczki on Sunday before Ash Wednesday, except hers were fried. These are so much lighter! We just split them open with a knife and put whatever filling inside that I have ready. Works just fine! No mess and not everyone wants them filled. Making right now!!
I would like to print the recipe, but i can’t figure it out!
could you send it on my email?
thanks, Marion
I had to open it in my phone on another app not chrome but Safari and I was able to print it.
I made these for the first and fried some and baked some and boy oh boy everyone raved about the baked ones! what I’m having an issue with is the filling, I can make the custard fine but I can’t seem to get it in the paczki , I’ve got pastry bags, decorating tip and I just end up with a complete mess, I bought the one you had on your video and the seam exploded, now I cannot find another one like that one, that tip was a good tip. HELP!
I bought tips off Amazon after reading how bad that bag was.
Has anyone tried to make these gluten free? I’m thinking of substituting King Arthur Measure for Measure for the flour.
I have tried baking a yeasted dough with gluten free and it doesn’t quite work out. I think the yeast and gluten work together to make a fluffy texture. If you are interested in gluten free you might be able to find a recipe that uses the normal gluten free additives like xanthium powder or arrowroot and the like that try giving the dough some more elasticity. Either that or give it a whirl and do your own experiment! Good luck, I hope it turns out tasty!
Hi Jenny:
I made your Pączkis last year and they turned out amazing.
I want to make them again this year and wanted to try making some of them with chocolate filling. Do you have a recipe idea for chocolate custard or would chocolate pudding work?
Thanks!
Chocolate pudding would probably work, especially if mixed with Nutella? Imho😷🇨🇦
I just made these for the first time, and they are BEAUTIFUL !! I am SO PROUD of myself! I sent pictures to my sisters, and they were amazed !
Whenever I’ve tried to deep fry ANYTHING, I mess up, but baking was so much easier. I can’t wait to make them again! I have learned so much from this site, and I LOVE Jenny!! She makes everything seem so easy. I filled them with strawberry jam because that’s what I had on hand. I used my (brand new ) long pastry tip. Worked perfectly.😍
I dont have a biscuit cutter. Could I cut in rectangles? Also, could I bake half today and save the other half for another day?
I’m loving all your videos! I wish I would have found you at the beginning of the pandemic! Would have made isolating so much more bearable! You are a delight!
Use a drinking glass (the part you put on your lips) dipped in flour. My mom always used one 😊
This is a fabulous recipe. I’ve made paczki a few times before but always deep fried them. When they cooled they tasted heavy and greasy. I always doubted that I could get a good result with baking them, so imagine my surprise when I tried this recipe. Light delicious and so easy. Just got done serving them to a bunch of children playing outside on a cold day. They each had at least three and kept thanking me. Thank goodness I made a double batch. Also, the custard recipe is quick and excellent.
Can I double the recipe? Thank you!🙂
I just ran across your site last night. I haven’t had to much time to look around . You were doing the Angel wings when I turned it on .I was so excited to hear you were Polish. Brings back so many memories. My Mom came here with her Mother when she was ten months old. Grandpa had come over earlier with his brothers to home stead. Any way I am use to all these recipes since I lived with my Grandparents when I went to high school. Plus my mom and my 7 Aunts all cooked the polish dishes. I will Continue to stop in and keep up with you .
Betty in North Dakota USA
This is by far, the best recipe (and results) for Paczki. They were light and fluffy and the filling was wonderful (I used Rose jam, like I tasted in Krakow).
I’d been searching for a baked paczki as opposed to a fried one.
They turned out beautifully… each and every time. This is my “go to” dessert/treat recipe.
thank you 🙂
Just found the Jenny Can Cook video series in my YouTube feed while I was looking for a no-knead bread recipe – who knew/how did I miss these when they originally came out? I loved the Jenny Jones Show & it has really cheered me up to see her again, as beautiful & classy as ever! The no-knead bread was a success but then I couldn’t stop thinking about making my own donuts. Reflecting on lessons learned as I snack on my first attempt with the stewed apples & custard (ie fillings) on the side: I think next time I would cream butter (I don’t have canola oil right now), sugar and egg yolks at high speed for 2 minutes first, add dry ingredients and some milk, and then 2. gradually dribble in milk until the dough looks the same consistency as the video, just like I would if I was making bread. During this attempt I poured in all the milk, but then it took nearly a cup of extra flour before the mixture took on the consistency of the dough in the video, and lots more flour was required to get through the kneading, resulting in an overworked floury substance that wouldn’t brown or rise much in the oven. Can’t wait to try again tho, several
times over the years my sister has asked me to recreate a pastry from Norway called Skolebrød that she loves and I think this dough is a close match – I can bake it with a recess in the middle, add a blob of *lemon curd* in the center after cooling, & decorate with coconut!
Can you use bread flour if you’re out of all purpose?
Oh these are so good!! I did half jam & half custard, (not in the same doughnut, lol) This is a lovely dough. I’m wondering can it be used for other goodies?
Made this recipe with custard filling. Added a pinch of salt to the custard and a teaspoon of vanilla. I had to add around 1/4 cup of extra flour to get to the right consistency. This recipe is for keeps
These were delicious, and soft, however, I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how anyone gets 12 doughnuts out of this. I rerolled twice and only managed to get 8. And I only rolled to 1/2″ thick.
Ben, I think you just need a smaller diameter cutter. Try a 2”, that is what it looked like to me, will end with a 3” donut. I think that could be your problem,
Let us know if that helps.
Just made the donuts, they are lovely, the custard is awesome, my husband absolutely loves it and loves custard in the donuts and in a bowl. this is a real winner. thank you so much. I have to find something that gets the custard into the donut, the piping heads I have didn’t work well. it didn’t stop him he spooned it onto them.
Hi Ms. Jenny,
I have made those paczki twice: once was for the Paczki’s Day last year and one was yesterday. The first time I made Paczki I didn’t bake them. My husband was too excited to wait, so he pulled out the fryer and fried the donuts. Because of him, I had a chance to taste the fried paczki and the baked paczki donuts. I would like to say that I preferred the bake ones. The donuts are very soft and moisture. I couldn’t stand to eat 3 donuts at a row although I am not a fan of donuts and I planned to make those for my father-in-law, who is a Polish.
In the second I made the paczki donuts, I used soy milk (120 Calories) and 3 oz of butter. I can’t feel the differences between milk, oil and soy milk, butter.