cooking

Brother @LD老毒先生_万币侯 , you asked me to share a recipe for something delicious, and I spent a long time thinking about what to choose. But it's coming very soon, February 12th this year, almost on your Lunar New Year, which, if I'm not mistaken, begins on February 17th this year. In Western Ukraine, and in Poland, we celebrate Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent. And traditionally on this day we fried donuts... a lot of donuts (I usually make about 40😁)

🛒 What you'll need: For 20 pieces
◽️ 4 cups of all-purpose flour (type 500-550) (600 g)
◽️ 35 g fresh yeast / or 10 g dry
◽️ 1 cup of milk (250 ml)
◽️ 6 egg yolks (large eggs)
◽️ 3-4 tablespoons of sugar (50 g)
◽️ 1 teaspoon of natural honey
◽️ 1/2 teaspoon of salt
◽️ 100 g of very soft butter
additionally
◽️ 1 liter of oil or 1 kg of lard
◽️ jam, marmalade, plum jam (for filling)
◽️ 2 cups of powdered sugar (for icing)
Flour: Premium wheat, sifted.
Yeast: Fresh (crumbly) or 1 teaspoon dry yeast.
Liquids: Warm milk and egg yolks (they give the dough color and tenderness).
Sweet secret: Sugar, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of honey for flavor.
Butter: Butter (remove from the refrigerator 3 hours beforehand) + oil for frying.
Filling: Jam, preserves, or chocolate.

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step preparation:
1. Kneading the dough is the foundation of success
If you are using dry yeast, first "wake it up" in warm milk (10 minutes). Then combine the flour, yeast, milk, and egg yolks, then add sugar, honey, and salt. Important: First, knead with a mixer (dough hook attachment) for 5 minutes on low speed. Only then add the very soft butter and knead for another 10 minutes. The dough should be shiny, elastic, and—attention—not sticky at all.
2. First Rise
Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a clean towel, and set it in the warmest place in the house for 1 hour. It should rise noticeably.
3. Shaping and Proving
Divide the risen dough into equal pieces (approximately 55–65 g each). Lightly flatten each ball, fold the edges toward the center, and roll it in your palms.
Tip: Place the ball on a floured surface and press it flat with your palm. Cover with a towel and forget about it for another 40 minutes. This is critical for airiness!
4. The Magic of Frying
Heat the oil to 170–180°C. Carefully place the donuts in the pan, seam-side up.
The secret to the "rim": Cover with a lid and fry for 3–4 minutes over low heat. Remove the lid, flip the golden-brown beauties, and fry for another 3 minutes, uncovered.
5. Finishing Touches
Place the finished donuts on paper towels to remove excess oil. Once they've cooled slightly, fill them with the filling using a pastry bag. Finally, dip the tops in icing (2 cups powdered sugar to 4–5 tablespoons water) and let it set. Even better, sprinkle candied fruit over the icing—it'll be a real treat.
💡 Little Tips:
Flour: Don't overdo it when shaping, otherwise the dough will become tough. Sticky dough: If it's still sticky, it's been too warm. Next time, reduce the second rise time.
Checking the butter: Don't have a thermometer? Drop a piece of dough in—it should float to the surface in a couple of seconds, but not immediately turn black.
Enjoy! 🥯
P.S. I don't throw out the remaining egg whites (usually 12 of them) but rather leave them in the refrigerator for a week or two, and then bake Kyiv Cake with them, but that's a whole other story... And yes, the donuts in the old photos didn't turn out very well, sorry, but I learned how to make them properly last year, but for some reason I didn't take a picture.
👍🥃🐅
#cooking #DONUTS #TłustyCzwartek2026