History

The Polish doughnut tradition stabilised in the 19th century, but A. Blikle on Nowy Swiat made the rose-petal-jam version the canonical Warsaw paczek from 1869. In February 2013, Gazeta Wyborcza named the Blikle rose paczek the 'king' of the Polish doughnut market. The day before Lent (Tlusty Czwartek, Fat Thursday) is the city's biggest pastry day: queues form at Blikle and Lukullus from 06:00, and the average Pole eats 2.5 paczki that day. Outside Lent, the same paczek is in every bakery in the city every morning.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 16Hands-on 1 hrTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g strong white flour
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 10g fresh yeast (or 5g dried)
  • 150ml warm whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 80g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vodka (helps reduce oil absorption)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 200g rose-petal jam (konfitura z plat rozy)
  • 1 litre lard or sunflower oil for frying
  • Icing sugar plus a few drops of lemon juice for the glaze

Method

  1. Mix yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and warm milk. Rest 10 minutes until foamy.
  2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, egg yolks, melted butter, vodka and the yeast mixture. Knead 10 minutes to a soft elastic dough.
  3. Cover and prove in a warm spot for 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled.
  4. Knock back. Divide into 16 balls. Flatten each, place a teaspoon of rose jam in the centre, pinch closed and roll into a tight ball.
  5. Prove the filled balls on a floured cloth for 30 to 40 minutes.
  6. Heat the lard to 180C. Fry paczki in batches of 4, 90 seconds per side, lid on for the first minute to puff them up.
  7. Lift to paper towels, glaze with the lemon-icing while still warm.

Tip from the editors. The vodka in the dough is not optional; it reduces oil absorption and is the trick every Polish bakery uses.

Where to eat paczek z roza

Paczek z roza in Warsaw

A. Blikle (Nowy Swiat) ★ 4.5

Bakery$Mon-Sun 08:00-21:00Walk-in onlyWarsaw paczki, faworki, cream cakes

A. Blikle on Nowy Swiat in Warsaw has sold rose-filled paczki since 1869. Five generations of the Blikle family across 157 years, fifteen Warsaw locations.

Worth the queue: Paczek z konfiturowa roza

ul. Nowy Swiat 33, 00-029 Warszawa

Lukullus (Mokotowska) ★ 4.7

Bakery$Mon-Sat 09:00-20:00, Sun 09:00-18:00Walk-in onlyWarsaw doughnuts and laminated pastry

Lukullus on Mokotowska in Warsaw is the third-generation Warsaw patisserie family business since 1946. Open mon-sat 09:00-20:00, sun 09:00-18:00.

Worth the queue: Paczek z roza (rose-filled doughnut)

ul. Mokotowska 52A, 00-543 Warszawa

Charlotte (Plac Zbawiciela) ★ 4.8

BrunchFrench bakery brunch$$40-80 zlMon-Fri 07:30-23:00, Sat-Sun 09:00-23:00Walk-in

Charlotte on Plac Zbawiciela in Warsaw is the city's flagship Saturday-brunch room, a French boulangerie with a glass-roof terrace under fairylights.

Order: Eggs Benedict on croissant, sourdough toast with French jam

Aleja Wyzwolenia 18, 00-570 Warszawa

Cafe Bristol ★ 4.2

BrunchViennese coffee-house brunch$$70-150 zlMon-Sun 08:00-19:00Recommended

Cafe Bristol on Krakowskie Przedmiescie in Warsaw runs Sunday brunch from the 1901 dining room of the Hotel Bristol. Open mon-sun 08:00-19:00.

Order: Eggs benedict and a hot chocolate with kremowka on the side

ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 42, 00-325 Warszawa

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