Paczki

Growing up in Michigan paczkis were a yearly treat. They are basically deep fried jelly doughnuts, and always available for Fat Tuesday (or as they call it here Mardi Gras). You can use just about any fruit filling, but rosehip, prune, apricot, strawberry, raspberry or sweet cheese filling are considered traditional (raspberry are my favorite, and we also would get lemon). All the ones I ever had are coated with powdered sugar as well. I went on a quest to find some, and found that they all added alcohol, I don't cook with alcohol, and don't see a need for it in a doughnut (and doubt my local bakery went and bought rum just for this)

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter melted
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm (room temperature) milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbs. vanilla
• 4 ½ to 5 cups white flour
• Fruit filling jam works best, will vary depending how full you make them
• Powdered sugar to coat

 Directions:
 Dissolve yeast in warm milk, and set aside.
In large bowl combine nutmeg, eggs, sugar, and vanilla
Add butter, and mix until well blended
Add yeast mixture, and mix well
Slowly add flour, until dough is no longer sticky (after about 4 cups or so)
Knead gently
Place in bowl and cover with tea towel and allow to rise for a couple hours until doubled
punch down, and then allow to rise again
Dump onto lightly floured surface, and roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness, and use a canning jar lid (or a cookie cutter about the same size) to cut dough
let dough rise again
Fry in 325* oil until deep brown (turning while cooking)
Allow to drain, and then using a piping bag fill each with fruit, and then coat in powdered sugar, they don't keep well so either eat them, or freeze them (eating is much better of course)