Strawberry Rose Paczki
Yield: 13 paczki
Total time: 1 hr. 45 min.
Hello! Today I have for you the most amazing treat. In honor of both national strawberry day and Fat Tuesday coming up, I was inspired to make these delicious strawberry rose packzi! Soft and fluffy sweetened yeast dough get’s fried and filled with a strawberry rose filling. If that’s not enough to sell you on these, they also get rolled in an easy homemade rose sugar for extra flavor and crunch!
What are paczki?
Paczki [paunch-key] are polish donuts that are made with an enriched dough. 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!) They are typically filled with a jam or other sweet filling, and sold around Fat Tuesday!
A couple of things to note:
1. Measuring the ingredients. It is important that you weigh the ingredients so that the recipe turns out correctly. When you use a kitchen scale, you can ensure that your baked goods turns out as closely to the written recipe as possible. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
2. Room temperature ingredients. It is important that the eggs and butter are at room temperature so that they incorporate properly into the batter. Take the eggs and butter out at least 30 minutes before starting the strawberry rose paczki.
3. Let the dough rise in a warm environment. Yeast doughs like warm environments, it’s where they thrive! Most often you will be able to get away with letting the dough rise at room temperature. However, on particularly cold days, I like to turn my oven on to the lowest temperature it can go, and let the dough rise on top of the stove near the back where it gets warm.
4. 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!
To make strawberry rose paczki, you will need:
All purpose flour: the structure of the dough.
Instant yeast: helps the dough to rise. You can use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast, you will just need to make some adjustments to the process. I will list those changes later in the post!
Salt: brings out and balances the sweetness of the dough. Helps keeps the yeast from rising too much.
Granulated sugar: sweetens the dough and helps the yeast to rise. We will use sugar in the dough, in the jam, and to coat the donuts with a rose sugar!
Eggs: adds richness to the dough, helps bind the dough together, and adds moisture.
Unsalted butter: tenderizes the dough.
Whole milk: adds moisture and tenderizes the dough. You can substitute 1%, 2%, or your favorite non-dairy milk in place of the whole milk. Just note that the donut be a little less rich in flavor.
Dried rose petals: for flavor. We will use dried rose petals in the strawberry rose jam, and in the homemade rose sugar. These are the rose petals I used.
Lemon juice: for bringing out the flavor of the jam. In a pinch, you can easily use lime juice as well! You will not be able to taste the lemon or lime juice.
Cornstarch: for thickening the jam.
Frozen strawberries: the bulk of the jam!
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Yes! You will need to make a few minor adjustments to the process.
- In the beginning, mix together the warmed milk, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the mixture begins to foam. Once it foams, that means your yeast has been activated, is alive, and is ready to be added to the dough.
- The dough will take longer to rise on the first proof. It may take up to 1.5 hours to double in size.
- The dough will take longer to rise on the second proof. It may take up to 1.5 hours to double in size again. All you are really looking for on both proofs if for the dough to double from its original size, so if it is ready before that long, it is good to go!
Can I make these strawberry rose paczki ahead of time?
Yes! You can easily make the dough, jam and rose sugar to be stored overnight before filling them. After kneading the dough together, cover it in a large bowl and leave it in the fridge to rise overnight until you are ready to fry them off. The jam can be made up to a week before assembly, just store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The rose sugar can also be made way in advance, and will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for as long as your sugar and rose are still good.
Tools & ingredients helpful for making this recipe:
For more product recommendations, check out this page here!
I hope you enjoy these strawberry rose paczki. If you make them, I would love to see and know your thoughts! Leave a rating down below & tag me on Instagram with a picture @freshbeanbakery. Happy baking! x
Strawberry Rose Paczki
Ingredients
Dough
- 310 g all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 85 g unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- 120 mL whole milk
Strawberry Rose Jam
- 280 g frozen strawberries
- 220 mL water
- 175 g granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. dried rose petals
- 40 mL lemon juice
- 32 g corn starch
Rose Sugar
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. dried rose petals
Instructions
Dough
- In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat the milk to 100°F / 38°C. Add it to the dough.
- Add all of the dough ingredients, including the warm milk, to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Knead the dough on low speed for 1 minute to allow the ingredients to come together. Increase the speed to medium and knead for an additional 12 minutes, or until the dough has cleaned the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
- At this point, let the dough rest for 30 minutes, or you can put it in the fridge to rest and rise overnight. While the dough is resting, make the jam.
Strawberry Rose Jam
- In a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat, mix together the frozen strawberries, water, sugar, and rose petals.
- Stir the mixture occasionally, and use a fork or potato masher to break down the strawberries as they soften. Stir until the mixture begins to boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and corn starch. Add it to the boiling mixture, and stir continuously until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a heat safe bowl. Chill the mixture in the fridge until you are ready to fill the donuts.
Rose Sugar
- In a food processor, pulse together the rose petals and sugar until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a small bowl for coating the donuts
Frying / Assembling
- Once the dough is done resting, transfer it to a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll the dough until it is ½" thick. Use a 2.5" biscuit cutter to cut out the donuts. Continue to re-roll the dough until you have used all of it.
- Fill a large saucepan with at least 2" of oil. Heat the mixture to 365°F / 185°C. Drop no more than 4 of the donuts in at a time, and fry them on each side for 2 minutes. Remove the donuts from the oil and coat in the rose sugar.
- Once you have fried all of the donuts, fill them with the strawberry rose jam. Use a knife to poke a hole in the side 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.
- Serve and enjoy!
Izabella says
In Poland we have Fat Thursday not Tuesday😊 But we love to eat PĄCZKI all year round🍩🥰