Polish Treats

03/02/2024

Polish donuts.

03/02/2024

Polish donuts.

This recipe I developed by trying adding different elements to improve there texture, taste and freshness.
I always use good quality flour, free range or organic eggs.
I beat eggs and egg yolks with sugar above the steam. I put eggs and sugar to heat proof bowl and put it on the top of pot with boiling water, water can't touch the bowl. Eggs become fluffy and double in size. It make donuts lighter.

I boil pure cream and mix with 2 tablespoons of flour. When cream and flour is cool, I am adding it to the dough. It keep the donuts fresh longer.

Ingredients for about 25 donuts.

500g flour sieved, 50g fresh yeast, you can use 25g instant yeast which you mix with flour, 100g sugar, 5ml vanilla essence, 10ml vodka or rum, 1 egg, 4 large egg yolks, 125g butter, 225 ml full fat milk, 75 ml pure cream, small jar of your favourite jam, I like rose hip jam or blackcurrant jam, 1300ml rice brain oil, icing sugar about 150g for icing, juice from lemon.

All ingredients need to be at room temperature. If you use fresh yeast, crumble them in the medium bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 cup of milk in room temperature, 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour and mix to get mixture which has slightly thick consistency. Cover and leave in warm place for 20 minutes. Yeast mixture will rise. Boil cream, put 2 tablespoons of flour to small bowl and pour boiling cream over it. Mix well and leave to cool down. Mix egg and egg yolks with sugar and beat it above the steam until fluffy.

Now put the risen yeast into flour, add flour with boiled cream, pinch of salt, rest of milk, add beaten eggs with sugar, vanilla essence and mix everything well. Knead in your electric mixer using bread hooks.

I stop kneading and leave the dough for 10 minutes rest. In the meantime I melt butter and leave it to cool down.

After 10 minutes I start to add melted, cool down butter in small portions kneading the dough all the time. If the dough is to runny add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour, if the dough is too thick add more milk. The dough for donuts has to be soft, not too thick. Add vodka or rum. Mix the dough well and transfer into clean bowl, brushed wit a little bit of oil, cover with clean film and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Prepare jam, the big, wide pot with oil. When dough is ready transfer it into the kitchen counter sprinkle with flour. Flatten dough into a small cake 2 cm high and cut out circles with a sharp glass. 1 donut will weigh about 50 g. I always cut small pieces of baking paper and put each donut on 1 piece of paper. Now I put donuts on flat tray, leave a little bit of space between them and cover with tea towel. Leave your donuts in warm place for 30 minutes.

Now you can slowly warm up oil in wide and large pot. You need to heat it to 170 degrees C.

Now lift the paper with donut, turn upside down and flip the donut safely into the oil without the paper. You can fry 4 to 5 donuts at the time. Cover the pot and fry for 2 minutes, next uncover the pot, flip your donuts and fry uncover for 2 minutes. Remove donuts with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate cover with paper towel. Fry rest of your donuts. Remember to check oil temperature.

Prepare jam in a pastry bag fitted with a sharp, long tip. When fried donuts cool slightly stuff them with jam by pressing the tip of the piping bag deep and squeezing out the desired amount of filling.

Prepare icing for donuts by mixing sift icing sugar with a little lemon juice and boiled water gradually until you get right consistency, not too liquid. When donuts are still warm dip them in the icing. This way icing will spread better. You can also sprinkle them with icing sugar instead of using icing when they cool down.

If you never made donuts before I recommend you to do it with another person. You can find some video on You tube how to make donuts. It could give you better idea what the process is like.

If you have any questions please contact me, I am happy to help.

Good luck, and don't feel overwhelmed, homemade donuts are the best. You can always try to make smaller portion first using 250g flour.

03/02/2024

Next week Poles are having Fatty Thursday, they allow to eat donuts all day. I've never had time to make them for my family. Today I prepared donuts for my friends. It will be donuts feast.

I will post the recipe tomorrow.

31/01/2024

Pastry cookies.

Last Sunday I participated in Polish Event WOSP. This is the biggest, non governmental, non profit charity organization. We are raising money for pediatrics and elderly care.

I prepared cake and cookies for the event, also I was selling cakes which our Polish community offered to bake for us.
One lady asked me for the recipe for my cookies.
I promised to share it on my FP.

My grandmother made this pastry cookies for Christmas a d Easter. I absolutely loved them, and honestly couldn't stop eating them. I was pleased that someone likes them so much.

Ingredients for about 60 cookies

280g plain flour, 250g cold butter, cut into small pieces, 5 tablespoons sour cream, 1 yolk. Extra for finishing -1 egg white, 120g or more sugar.

Quickly knead all the ingredients. Leave the dough in the fridge for an hour. Next roll the piece of dough not too thin, roughly 3mm, and cut heart shape. Place cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Knead the remaining dough scraps again, roll them out and cut cookies, using the entire dough.

Before baking, brush cookies with egg white and sprinkle with sugar, sticking it firmly to the cookies.

Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes at 180 C degrees or until lightly brown. Cookies can be stored for up to 4 days in room temperature. I don't think they will last so long😀

Enjoy!

27/01/2024

I am baking today more cakes, crescents with sour cherries jam, and buttermilk cake with berry fruits and crumble on the top.

26/01/2024

I am making my first portion of cookies for WOSP event in Polish House Syrena. Come this Sunday from 12pm, you can enjoy pierogi, kielbasa, bigos and cake for dessert.

14/01/2024

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6945922618818334&id=100002019941809&mibextid=RtaFA8

If you would like to take part in this event, please save the date in your diary. You can enjoy Polish food, Polish cakes. It would be great to see you there. I am going to sale cakes with my friends.

❤️ The 32nd Grand Finale will play in 2️⃣0️⃣ days!

❤️ What do we know so far about the upcoming fundraiser?
👉 The 32nd Grand Finale will be held on 28 January 2024!
👉 "Post-pandemic lungs" is the aim of the 32nd Grand Finale.
👉 We want to purchase the equipment for diagnosis, monitoring, and rehabilitation of pulmonary diseases among kids and adults.
👉 This year, our message to the world says: "We are all in tune!"
👉 The Grand Finale concert stage and our TV studio in Warsaw will be located at the PGE Narodowy meadows. See you there!

24/12/2023

I wish you a very merry Christmas and peaceful, filled with love New Year.

19/12/2023

Polish people are preparing for Wigilia, we have 12 dishes on 24th of December.

I am making beetroot starter for beetroot borscht and dumplings (uszka) with mushrooms.

Pierogi ready in freezer.

Have you tried Polish borscht?

18/12/2023

Christmas is coming 🎄

16/12/2023

Would you like more recipes for Christmas cookies? I am trying to keep you busy. These cookies are delicious, the best next day. It is worth to work in the kitchen and prepare them.

Nuts and coffee shortbreads.

You need for base:

1 and 1/4 cup of plain flour, 1 cup of walnuts or pecans, pinch of salt, half teaspoon of baking powder, 170g butter, 1/4 cup of icing sugar, 1/4 cup of caster sugar, 1 egg yolk (keep egg white for filling),1 teaspoon vanilla essence.

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Sift flour with baking powder, put to the processor bowl with nuts and salt. Blend until nuts are ground.

Place the butter and both sugars it the mixer bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, vanilla essence and beat well. Add ground dry ingredients and mix. Cover with foil and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Ingredients for the nut filling: 3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 egg white, 30g butter, 2 teaspoons instant coffee, pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon almond essence.

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place nuts and sugar in the food processor bowl. Mix for 30 to 60 seconds until the nuts are ground, do not mix too long to avoid turning them into a paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix well until combined and obtaining a paste like consistency. Transfer to a bowl and put to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Extra you need 30 walnut or pecans half, half cup of sift icing sugar.

Take the dough from the fridge, line 2 flat baking trays with baking paper. Place the nut filling, cream into a pastry bag with a round tip or you can use any plastic bag with the corner cut off.

Take small amount of dough, size of 1 tablespoon, form the balls, roll them in icing sugar and place them on a baking tray. You will make 30 balls. Bake them at 180C degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and use the end of a wooden spoon to poke a hole in each cookie. They will crack slightly, so don't worry, but do it gently. Pipe the nut filling inside each hole, then place half a nut on the top of each cookie. Place back to the oven and bake for another 8 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.

You can store these cookies in at room temperature for up to 5 days.

It sounds like complicated recipe, but it is more straightforward that it sounds like.

You will appreciate your afford 🙂.