pillowy & soft gluten free pączki with raspberry jam

so u don't have to miss out this fat tuesday / tat thursday (tłusty czwartek)

good evening everyone !! ♡

to spread the wealth (& because i truly believe everyone should be able to enjoy an authentic pączek), this recipe is free!

however, if u want to support my journey of opening a gluten-free polish bakery cafe (read more about it here), consider subscribing ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜

witam w [welcome to] miodek cafe & bakery !!

if ur not polish, pączki may just look like regular donuts to u… but trust me, they are much better. more on this & the story behind pączki below!

@adelzaversetomorrow is fat tuesday (aka pączki day — pączki are traditional polish donuts & fun fact this is actually celebrated on thursday [tłusty czwartek] in poland !!) & i wanna make sure my gluten free / celiac friends aren’t left out this year so let me show u how i made these gf pączki !! full recipe / ingredients / instructions on my substack for FREE !! 🙆‍♀️🍩 link in bio as a polish girl living in new york / detroit who also wants to open a polish cafe bakery i wanna share my culture & cuisine w u all 🧸🙂‍↕️ #paczki #donuts #recipe #glutenfree #polishfood

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pączki !!!!

when i went gluten free due to my wheat allergy, i thought i’d never have a good pączek again (or any authentic polish food, for that matter—polish cuisine is one filled with wheat flour!).

these pączki are so soft, pillowy, & perfectly sweet that actually puff up when you fry them. they’re filled with a thick raspberry jam, topped with glaze, & taste almost identical to the ones i remember from childhood. i’m not gonna lie i really impressed myself with this one (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

i grew up eating pączki every tłusty czwartek (it’s fat thursday in poland, which is the thursday before ash wednesday, but in america (specifically detroit & chicago), it’s tłusty wtorek or fat tuesday). if my memory isn’t failing me, my parents, sister, & i would stand in line at our local polish church where the older ladies made & served fresh ones. they were always massive, always filled with jam (well, i got custard because i didn’t like jam as a kid… i was a picky eater), & always dusted with powdered sugar or a glossy glaze.

when i went gluten-free, i mourned pastries more than almost anything else. pączki specifically are not just a dessert—they’re my culture, my tradition, & my memories.

this year, i missed those oily, fluffy pieces of dough more than usual. i decided to test a few batches with different gluten free flours to see which works best! & to my surprise, they tasted like my childhood. & now i get to share that with you! (╥ ᴗ ╥)

tips & the science behind the baking:

♡ flour blend: this specific combination of sweet white rice flour, tapioca starch, & corn / potato starch creates a light & fluffy cloud-like texture. sweet white rice flour adds chew & structure, tapioca gives you that classic donut stretch, & corn / potato starch keeps everything together & tender (don’t substitute with a store-bought blend, they won’t work the same way as they have different ratios of flours & xanthan gum)

꩜ spirytus: this is traditional polish grain alcohol (95% abv lol) that’s used in pączki dough. it evaporates during frying, helps the dough absorb less oil, & helps create a lighter texture while adding subtle flavor. if you can’t find spirytus, use vodka, & try not to skip this step as it’s needed for that traditional flavor & texture!

⏾ marmalada vs jam: traditional polish pączki use thick marmalada [marmalade], not regular american jam. marmalada is thicker & less watery, so it doesn’t make the pączki soggy. if you’re using regular jam, make sure it’s thick! heat it in a small pot to reduce it if needed, then let it cool before filling

⟡ sticky dough: i cannot stress this enough: gluten-free pączki dough is much wetter & stickier than traditional wheat-based dough. this is intentional !! the high hydration is what creates that soft, pillowy interior. don’t panic & add more flour or your pączki will be dense. it will be hard to work with, but worth it

why this all works:

pączki are all about creating maximum fluffiness, which is tricky with gluten-free flours. here’s some science behind the choices i made for this recipe !!:

the flour blend: sweet white rice flour (aka mochiko) is sticky & helps bind everything together, tapioca flour creates elasticity, & corn / potato starch is light & tender, preventing the heavy, gummy texture that plagues most gluten-free doughs. together, they mimic the structure and texture that gluten normally provides.

high hydration: gluten free flours absorb liquid differently than wheat flour. this dough has more liquid than u’d expect, to create steam during frying which in turn makes the pączki puff up!

substitutions:
traditional fillings include rose petal marmalada, plum jam (powidła), or custard (budyń). use whatever flavor jam or marmalade that speaks to you, just make sure it’s thick (>ᴗ•)

for toppings, a simple glaze or powdered / granulated sugar is classic, but you can also do candied orange peel, chocolate glaze, or frosting/icing! basically anything that u’d find on a classic donut, though it would be less traditional.

u can also make these smaller for mini pączki (kind of like donut holes), but adjust frying time accordingly

i love sharing my polish culture & cuisine with others.

so… did u make these? i want to hear everything !!!! how they turned out, what filling u used, if u made them massive or tiny, anything & everything! drop a comment below and / or tag me on socials (@adelzaverse) when you make them !!

also… this recipe is free, but not all of them are! be sure to subscribe to get more gluten free recipes & help support my journey as a baker/future business owner—u can also gift a sub!

& if paying isn’t for u, no worries :] u can subscribe for free & also share this recipe with a celiac / wheat allergy / gluten free friend so they can celebrate fat tuesday & grab more gf recipes
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