Classic Polish doughnuts
Polish doughnuts have a high egg yolk content with added butter, so they’re richer than traditional doughnuts. I’ve noticed a trend of brioche doughnuts recently, and Polish doughnuts are pretty close – the common element being eggs and butter. They’re traditionally filled with rose jam, plum jam or custard, but if you take a trip to Poland, you’ll find all sorts of fillings and flavours, such as citrus, rose and cinnamon.
MAKES 8 large doughnuts
250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
⚫ 30g fresh yeast, crumbled, or 14g
⚫ active dry yeast
50g caster sugar
⚫
250ml lukewarm milk
⚫ 250g strong white bread flour
⚫ 1tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra
⚫ to grease
4 large egg yolks
⚫ 2tsp vodka
⚫ 70g butter, melted
⚫ TO FINISH
About 1 litre vegetable oil,
⚫ to deep-fry
Jam of your choice (or custard, see intro)
⚫ 250g icing sugar
⚫ 50ml water or rosewater
⚫ Edible dried rose petals or
⚫ citrus peel, to decorate, optional
1 For the starter, place 3tbsp of the plain flour in a bowl, crumble in the fresh yeast (or sprinkle in the dried yeast), add 1tbsp sugar and stir in 1/2 the lukewarm milk. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for 10-15min.
2 When the starter has risen, sift the remaining flours into a large bowl, add the starter, the remaining sugar, the oil and a pinch of salt, and bring together by hand or with a silicone spoon. Add the rest of the milk, the egg yolks, vodka and melted butter, then knead the dough, or use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, until it becomes smooth and elastic. This will take around 5min. Carefully scrape any dough off the hook or from around the bowl. Tip the dough out, rub a little oil around the bowl, then put the dough back in and cover with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place (this could even be a very low oven at 35°C) for 1hr.
3 Once your dough has risen, sprinkle some flour on to a large board and tip the dough out on to it. Roll out to 2.5cm thick, then use a 7cm cutter or a glass to cut out round pieces of dough. Shape into small, slightly flattened balls, lightly rounding the edges. Space the dough pieces out on a tray, cover with a clean cloth and leave them in a warm place for a further 30min.
4 Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large, heavy-based pan to 175°C (use a sugar thermometer), or until a cube of bread browns within 20sec. Line a plate with kitchen paper and set nearby. Fry 3 or 4 doughnuts at a time for 2-3min on each side, gently flipping once. You should end up with a golden doughnut with a lighter ring around the middle. Remove with a slotted spoon to the lined plate. It’s best to try deep-frying one doughnut first, then leave it to cool slightly before pulling it apart. You want to check that the dough is cooked all the way through. Call it a cook’s treat.
5 Once you’ve fried all the doughnuts, leave them to cool slightly before filling them with jam (or custard). To do this, I make a hole in the side with a chopstick, then use a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle to pipe the filling into the middle.
6 For the icing, mix the icing sugar with the water or rosewater until you have a thick but pourable liquid. Pour a little over each doughnut and serve. Alternatively, simply dust with icing sugar. They look pretty sprinkled with dried rose petals or a little citrus peel, if using.