Paczki (Pounchki/Punchki)

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The Lenten Season starts today on Ash Wednesday. Yesterday was Fat Tuesday-the day when all rich and fatty foods in the house is to be finished. This concept falls under the European culture. I am drawing a blank as to what Christians in India traditionally would make on Fat Tuesday. Back home my family did not make a big deal of it but we all stuffed ourselves with meat and fish before lent starts.  Yes, for lent we give up only meat and fish, not sweets nor rich food.



As such, I decided to go with the European tradition on Fat Tuesday this year.  With a little snooping around on the web found a recipe for paczki. Simply put, packzki is a polish doughnut.  Deep fried with stuffing and dusted with sugar- it's decadent. It is also very filling, but then again that’s the whole point of having this on Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday. The recipe is from here. All I have done is halve the quantity and skip the step of layering and filling before frying.





Ingredients:
Eggs – 3 Whole or 6 egg yolks
Salt – ½ tspn
Dry Yeast – 1/8 ounce (half of a sachet is what I used)
Water – 2 Tbspn
Butter – 1/3 C at room temperature
Sugar – ¼ C
Bread Flour – 2 ¼ C
Brandy or Rum – 8 tspn (I eye-balled about half of 1/3 C)
Whipping Cream – ½ C scalded
Preserve – to fill (I used Smuckers, apricot preserve)
Oil – for deep frying

Method:
1. Beat eggs for about 5 minutes or until frothy. If you are using only egg yolks(which is recommended) beat till it is thick and soft, and set aside
2. Dissolve yeast in luke warm water 110 D C
3. In a separate bowl Cream butter and add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy
4. Using the lowest speed on your egg beater beat in the yeast
5. Add about 1/8th cup of flour into the above mixture
6. Follow up with your choice of rum or brandy and half the cream
7. Beat in ¼ cup of flour
8. Beat in the remaining cream
9. Add ½ of the remaining flour and the egg and beat for 2 minutes
10. By now I changed the blade on my hand mixer to the hook which is used to knead dough
11. Gradually beat in the remaining flour until it comes together as a ball
12. Cover and let it rise.  It will take about an hour.
13. When doubled, takes about an hour punch it down, cover and let it rise again
14. After another hour or so, punch down again, and on a floured surface (you will need some flour since the dough is sloppy) use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 2 inch thickness
15. Cut using a cookie cutter or glass
16. Deep fry on low medium until both sides are golden brown.
17. Break a punchki and make sure the insides are cooked.  This will help to gauge if you have the heat on the right setting. 
18. Serve with cream or fruit preserve filling.

Submitted to Yeast Spotting

Contributor: Sunitha