PieSusan
Tortes Are Us
As it is nearly Fat Tuesday, may I submit to you a time-honored Cleveland tradition and a family bakery recipe. Enjoy!
Pie Susan
Based on Christine Blaut’s Grandmother's Paczki
Christine Blaut is a co-owner of the Cleveland, Ohio Landmark Bakery: Gertrude’s Bakery
Every year people make a trek to the old neighborhood to buy this special pazcki.
A version of this recipe was posted in The Cleveland Plain Dealer 2/18/04.
Makes about 36.
Ingredients:
2 pounds all-purpose flour (original recipe specified Montana Sapphire Flour; use a bit less for a lighter dough)
1 cup sugar, divided use
1 packet dry yeast
1 stick sweet butter
2 cups whole milk
5 large egg yolks
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
Zest of one orange
Filling of your choice, prune lekvar is traditional
Oil for deep-frying
Directions:
To begin with all your ingredients must be a room temperature. Scald the milk and then, cool to lukewarm. Dissolve a half cup of sugar and yeast in the lukewarm milk; set aside to proof.
Make the pazcki dough: In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Combine the flour, salt and orange rind. In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, the other half cup of sugar and the large egg yolks until well combined. Next, beat in vanilla. With the whisk attachment, whisk in the proofed yeast. Slowly add the flour and mix until a very soft dough forms. Cover the mixing bowl with clean cloth and set it in a warm place and let rise for half an hour.
How to make the pazcki: After the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead this soft dough until it is no longer sticky. Take out your rolling pin and roll the dough out to a thickness of about one inch. Make sure that the dough is evenly rolled out to that depth.
Form the pazcki by using a round cookie cutter, doughnut cutter or glass and cut small circles out of the dough. Try to place the circles close together so as not to create many scraps. Dot the middle of each circle with a teaspoon of filling and fold over and pinch it closed. Put the pazcki on a lightly floured cloth or parchment paper and let rise for 30 minutes.
Fry the paczki: Heat 2 to 3 inches of vegetable shortening in large pot or deep skillet. Drop a few paczki into the oil at one time so that the oil does not cool and so that the pan is not crowded. Fry the paczki turning occasionally until both sides are golden brown. Remove from fried cakes from the oil and drain on paper towel or brown paper. After the paczki have drained but while they are still a bit warm, sprinkle them with confectioners’ sugar.
My addition:
Those of you who know me, know that I am always extolling the virtue of Montana Sapphire Flour. It is a secret of Hungarian bakers everywhere (and evidently, Eastern Eurpean little old Cleveland ladies). When Pastry Chef and Cooking Teacher Nick Malgieri teaches in Hudson at the Western Reserve School of Cooking, he always ships some back home to New York. He has found that cakes rise higher and really likes this regional brand. In fact, I talked JoeV into giving it a go!
Pie SusanBased on Christine Blaut’s Grandmother's Paczki
Christine Blaut is a co-owner of the Cleveland, Ohio Landmark Bakery: Gertrude’s Bakery
Every year people make a trek to the old neighborhood to buy this special pazcki.
A version of this recipe was posted in The Cleveland Plain Dealer 2/18/04.
Makes about 36.
Ingredients:
2 pounds all-purpose flour (original recipe specified Montana Sapphire Flour; use a bit less for a lighter dough)
1 cup sugar, divided use
1 packet dry yeast
1 stick sweet butter
2 cups whole milk
5 large egg yolks
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
Zest of one orange
Filling of your choice, prune lekvar is traditional
Oil for deep-frying
Directions:
To begin with all your ingredients must be a room temperature. Scald the milk and then, cool to lukewarm. Dissolve a half cup of sugar and yeast in the lukewarm milk; set aside to proof.
Make the pazcki dough: In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Combine the flour, salt and orange rind. In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, the other half cup of sugar and the large egg yolks until well combined. Next, beat in vanilla. With the whisk attachment, whisk in the proofed yeast. Slowly add the flour and mix until a very soft dough forms. Cover the mixing bowl with clean cloth and set it in a warm place and let rise for half an hour.
How to make the pazcki: After the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead this soft dough until it is no longer sticky. Take out your rolling pin and roll the dough out to a thickness of about one inch. Make sure that the dough is evenly rolled out to that depth.
Form the pazcki by using a round cookie cutter, doughnut cutter or glass and cut small circles out of the dough. Try to place the circles close together so as not to create many scraps. Dot the middle of each circle with a teaspoon of filling and fold over and pinch it closed. Put the pazcki on a lightly floured cloth or parchment paper and let rise for 30 minutes.
Fry the paczki: Heat 2 to 3 inches of vegetable shortening in large pot or deep skillet. Drop a few paczki into the oil at one time so that the oil does not cool and so that the pan is not crowded. Fry the paczki turning occasionally until both sides are golden brown. Remove from fried cakes from the oil and drain on paper towel or brown paper. After the paczki have drained but while they are still a bit warm, sprinkle them with confectioners’ sugar.
My addition:
Those of you who know me, know that I am always extolling the virtue of Montana Sapphire Flour. It is a secret of Hungarian bakers everywhere (and evidently, Eastern Eurpean little old Cleveland ladies). When Pastry Chef and Cooking Teacher Nick Malgieri teaches in Hudson at the Western Reserve School of Cooking, he always ships some back home to New York. He has found that cakes rise higher and really likes this regional brand. In fact, I talked JoeV into giving it a go!
