Traditional Polish Paczki

Mix all dry ingredients together (all but 1 cup of the flour), including yeast.

Heat milk and butter in a saucepan to 125 degrees (any higher and it’ll kill the yeast, any lower and it won’t be hot enough to make it grow). Use a thermometer to determine the precise temperature.

Mix all of the ingredients (dry ingredients, milk mixture and the rest of the listed ingredients – except for the frying oil and garnish) together to form dough. The only thing that will remain is the reserved 1 cup of flour and the vegetable oil, which you’ll use for frying.

Knead until it’s a nice smooth dough (using the extra one cup of flour to make sure the dough doesn’t stick to your work surface) and until all of the flour is incorporated.

Cover with a clean dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Shape into balls about the size of a large walnut. Let balls rise for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes – covered (I use waxed paper).

Fry until golden brown – the oil should be at 350 degrees F before you put the dough in.

Let cool and roll in powdered sugar.