Paczki Kujawskie are traditional Polish donuts made of boiled potatoes and pumpkin puree. Originally from the Kuyavian region of Poland, these sweet donuts with a golden brown crust are perfect as a snack or dessert!
About The Pączki Kujawskie: Potato Pumpkin Kuyavian Donuts
A regional version of the paczki eaten for Tłusty Czwartek or Polish Fat Thursday, the paczki kujawskie are made from a dough of mashed potatoes and pumpkin puree.
This Kuyavian version of the Polish donut is not made with flour but with a mass of boiled and mashed potatoes and pumpkin puree.
Why Is Kuyavian Food Different?
Kuyavian people lived on farms and in the rural countryside of North Central Poland. As such, their cuisine was based on whatever ingredients were easily available on their farms, from freshwater fish and ducks, to potatoes and pumpkins.
Their potato and pumpkin dumplings also took on this characteristic of being made by easily available regional products. Light and fluffy, the naturally sweet dumplings didn’t require the use of flour (which was expensive) or eggs (really expensive at the time).
The pumpkin puree gave the paczki Kujawskie a nice color and sweet taste, so sugar which was also costly was not required. And the potatoes made them fluffy and allowed them to stay fresh longer. They were also called paczki ziemniaczano dyniowe because of the pumpkin and potato, of course!
Paczki Kujawskie were traditionally filled with wild rose jam. These paczki ziemniaczano-dyniowe donuts have been listed on the list of traditional Polish products from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since April 2012. This regional product from Kujawy is now popular all over Poland!
How To Make Pączki Kujawskie Donuts?
Made with boiled and mashed potatoes, these Polish donuts from the Kujawskie region are easy to make.
Step I – Prepare The Potato And Pumpkin Dough
Start by mixing fresh yeast with warm mashed potatoes. Next, add in whipped egg whites and sugar and mix well. Slowly add in the flour and knead the dough. Now add in the remaining ingredients and keep kneading till the dough starts leaves your hands.
Step II – Form The Paczki Doughnuts
Add flour to your hands to prevent sticking and form large tangerine-sized balls with the dough.
Flatten the balls of dough, put a teaspoon of jam in the middle and close the doughnut carefully. Keep the doughnuts on a floured surface and cover with a clean kitchen towel giving them time to rest and grow.
Step III – Fry The Pączki Kujawskie
Heat oil and fry the pączki kujawskie for about 3-5 minutes on each side. Drain excess oil on paper towels and allow to cool. Sprinkle the cold donuts with icing sugar and serve.
Tips For Making Polish Pączki Kujawskie Donuts
- You can skip the sugar in the dough if you want! The pumpkin puree makes it sweet enough.
- If you want to make donuts with flour, try this recipe for authentic paczki with flour.
- They were traditionally filled with wild rose jam, but you can use any jam of your choice.
- To make savoury paczki, fill them with farmer’s cheese or a sauteed mushroom filling.
- If sprinkling with icing sugar, wait till the donuts are cold!
- Instead of powdered sugar, you can top them with icing sugar or chocolate and candied peel. (Do this when warm!)
FAQs About Potato Pumpkin Kuyavian Donuts Recipe
What Other Dishes Are Made For Fat Thursday?
Other Polish dishes made for Tłusty Czwartek are paczki, krepliki serowe, rosette cookies, carnival rosettes, and chruściki.
What Other Filling Can We Use For Kuyavian Paczki Donuts?
You can fill the paczki kujawskie with any flavor of jam or marmalade, Nutella, or a custard filling. Or you can simply leave them empty and dust them with sugar, icing, or chocolate glaze.
Do I Have To Fill The Donuts Before Cooking Them?
No, you don’t have to fill the donuts before frying them. You can fill them after cooling using a chef’s syringe. Use the method we’ve used to fill paczki in this recipe.
Is It Possible To Make A Healthier Version Of Kuyavian Donuts?
If you want a healthier snack, replace the jam or marmalade with fresh farmer’s cheese.
How Long Can Potato and Pumpkin Paczki Be Stored?
These potato and pumpkin donuts stay fresh for almost a week. But if you have leftover donuts, you can refrigerate them after a few days and reheat before serving. Paczki kujawskie can also be stored in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.
Pączki Kujawskie – Potato Pumpkin Kuyavian Donuts Recipe
Pączki Kujawskie - Potato Pumpkin Kuyavian Donuts Recipe
Paczki Kujawskie are traditional Polish doughnuts made of boiled potatoes and pumpkin puree. Originally from the Kuyavian region of North-Central Poland, these sweet donuts are perfect as a snack or dessert!
Ingredients
Dough ingredients
- 10 cups (1200g) of all-purpose flour
- 2 lbs (900g) of potatoes
- 3 ½ oz (100g) of fresh yeast
- 5 eggs
- ½ cup of sugar
- 2 sticks of butter (220g)
- 2 tbsps of vinegar or distilled spirit
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree
Others
- 6-8 cups of oil
- marmalade/ jam
- icing sugar
Instructions
- Peel and boil potatoes.
- When the potatoes are almost soft, whip eggs with sugar until they change color to whitish.
- Melt the butter.
- Drain potatoes and mash them carefully, making sure there are no lumps.
- Add fresh yeast to hot potatoes and mix using a spoon until they are dissolved.
- Add egg-sugar mixture and mix using a spoon.
- Start adding the flour gradually. Knead using your hand.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and knead until the dough starts detaching from your hand. If the dough is sticky, add more flour.
- Start forming pączki. Using floured hands, form the dough into tangerine-sized balls.
- Flatten each ball, place 1 teaspoon of jam in the middle and wrap it with dough carefully, making sure it stays inside.
- Place the donuts onto the floured surface and cover them with a clean kitchen cloth. Donuts will grow, so don't put them too close to each other.
- When all the pączki are formed, start heating up the oil in a pan or wok.
- When the oil is hot enough, start frying pączki kujawskie for about 3-5 minutes on each side.
How to check whether the oil is hot enough? Throw a small piece of the dough into the oil. If it stays on the bottom, the oil is still too cold. If the dough comes straight up to the surface, the oil is ready to fry. - After frying, place the pączki on a plate lined with paper towels to remove the excessive fat.
- When the donuts are cold, sprinkle them with icing sugar.
Notes
- Adding pumpkin puree is not necessary. If you decide not to add it, use less flour.
- You may fill donuts after frying. Check out this recipe to see how to do it.
Recommended Products
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Strawberry Jam - Dżem truskawowy -
Blueberry Jam - Dżem jagodowy -
Appricot Jam - Dżem morelowy -
Black Currant Jam - Dżem z czarnej porzeczki -
Slotted Spoon- Szumówka -
Vinegar - Ocet -
Powdered Sugar - Cukier puder -
Sugar - Cukier -
Butter Unsalted - Masło -
Potatoes - Ziemniaki -
Fresh Yeast - Drożdże świeże -
Eggs Organic Cage-Free -
All Purpose Flour -
Pumpkin Puree - Przecier dyniowy
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 250Carbohydrates: 300g
These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix
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