Pączki (Polish Jam Doughnuts)

Method

1. Pour the milk into a 14 cm pot and warm it over low heat for 1 min until lukewarm, about 37 °C: it should feel barely warm on the inside of your wrist. Hotter milk kills the yeast. Off the heat, stir in the yeast, a little of the sugar and a little of the flour to a smooth paste. Cover and leave for 10 to 15 minutes, until foamy on top.

   Add in this stepMilk 75 mlInstant dried yeast 3 gSugar 5 gPlain flour (or bread flour) 15 g

   low heat

2. Melt the butter (microwave or small pan) and let it cool. In a large bowl, whisk the yolks with the rest of the sugar and the vanilla until pale. Add the rest of the flour, the salt, the yeast mixture and the vodka, and knead by hand (or with a mixer and dough hook) for 10 min, adding the melted butter a spoonful at a time. The dough is ready when it is smooth, glossy, very soft and comes cleanly away from the bowl and your hands. It should be softer than bread dough, so resist adding much extra flour.

   Add in this stepEgg yolks 2Sugar 20 gVanilla extract ½ tspPlain flour (or bread flour) 135 gSalt 1 pinchVodka or other strong spirit (optional) 1 tspButter 30 g

3. Cover the bowl with cling film or a damp cloth and leave it somewhere warm (25 to 28 °C) for 1 h, until doubled in size.

4. Press the dough gently to knock out the air and divide it into 4 equal pieces, about 55 g each. Roll each one under a cupped hand into a tight, smooth ball, set them 5 cm apart on a floured tray or on 8 cm squares of baking paper, and flatten them slightly to 1.5 to 2 cm thick. Cover with a cloth and prove for 25 min, until puffy and about one and a half times bigger; a fingertip dent should spring back slowly.

5. Pour the oil into a deep 20 cm pot: at least 5 cm deep, but no more than one third of the pot's height. Heat over medium-high heat for about 9 min, to 170 °C. No thermometer? Dip in the end of a wooden chopstick: a steady stream of small bubbles means it is ready. Keep wet utensils away, turn the pot handle inwards and keep a lid within reach. If the oil smokes, turn off the heat.

   Add in this stepOil for frying (e.g. sunflower) 0.9 L

   medium-high heat

6. Lower the doughnuts in top side down, gently and away from you (sliding them in on their paper squares is easiest; pull the paper out with tongs after a few seconds). Fry 2 or 3 at a time, in 2 batches, for 4 min per batch over medium heat, turning once halfway. Lift them out when deep golden brown on both sides with a pale ring around the middle, and drain on a rack. If a side browns in under a minute, the oil is too hot and the centre will stay raw: keep it between 165 and 175 °C.

   medium heat

7. Let them cool for about 10 minutes. Push a chopstick into the side to the centre and wiggle it to make a pocket. Pipe in the jam from a piping bag (or a freezer bag with a corner snipped off) until each one feels heavier. Stir the icing sugar with the lemon juice to a thick icing that flows slowly (add a few drops of water if it is too stiff), spread it over the tops and scatter with the orange peel. Leave for 10 minutes to set.

   Add in this stepRose-petal or plum jam (thick) 80 gIcing sugar 50 gLemon juice 2 tspCandied orange peel, finely chopped 10 g