Strawberry rose paczki made with a fluffy brioche dough, filled with strawberry rose jam & coated in rose sugar.
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small batch strawberry rose paczki: polish donuts
Hello hello! Today I have something truly amazing and delicious for you all: paczki! It all starts with a super light and fluffy brioche dough (my perfected one you can find all throughout the blog :).) We’re going to fry the dough off (amazing), then coat it in rose sugar (delicious), and finish it all off with a generous amount of strawberry rose jam (spectacular!)
Below you’ll find a TON of tips and tricks that (I hope) are helpful for successfully making these paczki. I know it can seem intimidating, but I promise that with a little bit of patience, yeast breads and donuts can be easy!
what are paczki?
Paczki [paunch-key] are Polish donuts that are made with an enriched dough like brioche. This means that they contain more eggs and butter than the standard donut you might find at many of the chain donut shops in the U.S. (a.k.a. more delicious!) Traditionally, they are filled with rose petal jam or plum jam, but here in the U.S. you can find them filled with pretty much any fruit or cream filling. In Poland, they’re enjoyed on Fat Thursday, while here, you’ll typically enjoy them on Fat Tuesday!
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before you’ll need them.
the dough will take a while to knead
Kneading this dough will take a longer time than you are probably used to. This dough is enriched with eggs and butter which makes it take longer for the proper amount of gluten to develop. Kneading in the mixer can take me anywhere from 10-20 minutes. The dough is ready to be used when it passes the windowpane test and has pulled away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are weighing your ingredients, just trust the process! If you are using cup measurements and the dough just is not coming together after 15 minutes, try adding in 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
be careful heating the milk
Heating the milk is important for bringing the yeast to an optimal temperature for rising. The milk should be heated to ~100°F / 38°C but it does not have to be exact. As long as the milk is between 95°F – 110°F, it is good to be used. If the temperature exceeds 110°F, wait for it to cool down before using so that you do not kill the yeast!
how to tell your dough is done kneading: the windowpane test
The windowpane test is (in my opinion) the best way to tell that your dough has been properly kneaded. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl, it is most likely ready. However, just to be sure that it’s good to go I check if it passes the windowpane test. To do that, take some of the dough in your hands and start to slowly stretch it out. If it can get thin enough to where light passes through it before tearing, then it’s good to go! If not, keep kneading until it does!
strawberry rose paczki ingredients –
Brioche donuts:
- Bread flour: for structure and chewiness. I recommend using bread flour because it has more protein which gives you a chewier, fluffier donut. You can use all purpose flour in it’s place, but please be sure that you are using a high-quality flour that has a high protein %, such as King Arthur (11.7%) so that your gluten will develop. If you’re using a low protein flour, the gluten will not develop enough and you will have to add a lot more flour to the brioche, which will alter the dough!
- Active dry yeast: for making the dough rise. You can easily substitute in instant yeast if that is what you have on hand. You will just skip the step of combining the warm milk, sugar, and yeast!
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the brioche. Salt also “controls” the yeast to make sure that it does not overly expand.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetening the brioche and for helping the yeast with rising.
- Egg: for binding and adding moisture.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the brioche rolls and giving them a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. I would not recommend substituting in salted butter since salt is important to controlling yeast growth and the amount of salt in salted butter is quite variable.
- Whole milk: for tenderizing and hydrating the dough. Whole milk will provide the softest rolls because the extra fat helps tenderize the dough. You can however swap in 1%, 2% or your favorite non dairy milk alternative! Just note that the dough may be a little less soft and fluffy due to the varying fat content.
- Vegetable oil: or any neutral oil, for frying.
strawberry rose jam:
If you’d like to make this whole process a lot easier (it is a small batch recipe after all), feel free to use a store-bought strawberry jam! You can mix in rose water to taste.
- Strawberries: you could use fresh or frozen here – I typically prefer frozen since it’s often cheaper and you don’t have to worry about the fruit going bad before you want to use it!
- Granulated sugar: for sweetening up the jam.
- Lemon: you’ll need a fresh lemon for the zest and juice. This helps to brighten up the flavor of the jam.
- Corn starch: for thickening up the jam
- Rose water & dried rose petals: It wouldn’t be strawberry rose paczki without rose! I use this rose water from Nielsen Massey. I also use and love these dried rose petals.
rose sugar:
Granulated sugar & dried rose petals: optional, for sweetness and for making them look pretty. You could also coat the donuts in powdered sugar or a thin icing, which is more traditional for paczki.
how to make small batch paczki
Here’s a few photos of the process of making these small batch strawberry rose paczki. You can find the full recipe and instructions at the end of this blog post!
- Knead the dough together, then let it rise until doubled in size.
- Roll the dough into 6 balls, then let them rise again.
- Make the strawberry rose jam.
- Combine granulated sugar & rose petals to make the rose petal coating.
- Fry the donuts.
- Coat the donuts in rose sugar, fill them with strawberry rose jam, and enjoy!
strawberry rose paczki
recipe q&a
how to store strawberry jam donuts
Fried donuts are definitely going to taste the best the day that they are baked, and I highly *highly* recommend serving them on the same day. Filled, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 hours at room temperature. I recommend filling them no more than 2 hours before serving so you don’t have to refrigerate them, which will change the texture a bit.
can I double this recipe?
Yes! I can’t emphasize using a kitchen scale enough for especially this recipe already, but if you are going to double or half the ingredients it is even more important that you weigh your ingredients. The dough is very hydrated and slight alterations can change the texture of the dough.
can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Definitely – just pop all of the dough ingredients into your mixing bowl to start kneading. I recommend refrigerating the dough overnight to make it easier to work with and more flavorful. However, if you are making the recipe all in one day, and using instant yeast, let the dough rest for just 10 minutes as the first rise (or whatever the instructions are on your yeast packet), then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, and I highly recommend it! Brioche dough is a very enriched dough that can be hard to work with when warm. Simply knead the dough together, cover it, and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight. When ready to make the honey almond brioche cake simply take it out of the fridge and proceed with the recipe.
my yeast mixture isn’t foaming, what should I do?
The mixture should start foaming around 5 minutes in. If it has not foamed after 10 minutes, the yeast is likely dead. You want to make sure that the milk temperature does not exceed 110°F / 43°C or it will kill the yeast. If you try it again and it still does not foam, the yeast you are using may be expired and you will want to purchase some more before proceeding.
why are my fried donuts hollow?
While they will still be delicious, this has happened to me and it’s definitely frustrating! This could either be that the donuts did not rise for long enough, or that you didn’t get enough air out of the dough when punching it down. Note that every environment is different and while they should only take ~60 & ~30 minutes for the first and second rise in a warm environment – it could take longer if your kitchen is on the colder side. The dough is ready once it has doubled in size!
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Strawberry Rose Paczki
Ingredients
Brioche Donuts
- 80 g whole milk (⅓ c.)
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 180 g bread flour (1 ½ c.)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 56 g unsalted butter sliced, room temperature (4 tbsp.)
- vegetable oil for frying
Strawberry Rose Jam
- 160 g strawberries fresh or frozen, sliced (1 c.)
- 75 g granulated sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 16 g cornstarch (2 tbsp.)
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. rose water
- 1 tbsp. dried rose petals
Rose Sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 1 tbsp. dried rose petals
Instructions
Brioche Donuts
- In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat the milk to 100°F / 38°C. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar. Set aside until the mixture begins to foam. (~5 minutes)
- While waiting, add the flour, salt, egg, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. When the yeast mixture begins to foam, add it in to the rest of the ingredients.
- Knead the dough on low speed for 1 minute to allow the ingredients to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the dough passes the windowpane test.* (This will happen after the dough has cleaned the sides and bottom of the bowl)
- Once the dough is done kneading, butter the inside of the bowl, form the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl. Then cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap. At this point, you could set the dough in the fridge to rise overnight, or continue with completing the recipe in one day. If doing in one day, set the dough in a warm area and wait for it to double in size (~1 hour.)
- While the dough is resting, make the jam.
Strawberry Rose Jam
- In a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir frequently, mashing the strawberries down as much as you can as they soften.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and lemon juice. Add it to the jam, and stir continuously until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the jam from the heat and transfer it to a heat safe bowl. Mix in the rose water and dried rose petals, then set the jam in the fridge to chill until you're ready to fill the donuts.
Rose Sugar
- Add the rose petals to a shallow bowl. Use your fingers to break up the rose petals into smaller pieces, then mix in the sugar. (Alternatively, you could blend the rose petals and sugar together in a food processor – but this way is easier & less clean-up!)
Frying / Assembling
- Cut out 6 parchment squares that are ~4" each and place them on to a baking tray.
- Once the dough is done resting, transfer it to a clean, lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces (roughly 60g per piece.)
- Transfer the donuts to their own parchment square, then cover them loosely with a towel. Allow them to rise in a warm environment for ~30 minutes, or until they have slightly puffed up.
- Fill a large saucepan with at least 2" of vegetable oil. Heat the mixture to 365°F / 185°C.
- Carefully place the donuts in to the fryer with the parchment paper (2-3 at a time, depending on what your pan can fit). After ~5-10 seconds, remove carefully remove the parchment from the donuts using metal tongs.
- Fry the donuts on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown. You can also check if they are done by making sure the internal temperature is at least 190°F / 87°C.
- Remove the donuts from the oil with a metal slotted spoon and immediately toss them in the rose sugar (carefully!)
- Once the donuts have cooled down to room temperature, fill them with the strawberry rose jam. Use a knife to poke a hole in the top of each donut. Transfer the strawberry jam to a piping bag fitted with a round tip, insert it into the hole in the donut, and fill. Enjoy!
In Poland we have Fat Thursday not Tuesday😊 But we love to eat PĄCZKI all year round🍩🥰