Baked Paczki For Mardi Gras

Total Time: 59 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 14 mins

Ingredients

• 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (7 1/4 g) envelopes fleischmann's fast rising yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• sugar or powdered sugar or jelly or preserves or chocolate chips or pudding or custard

Recipe

• 1 mix 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixer bowl.
• 2 heat milk, butter and honey until very warm (120° to 130°f). add to flour mixture with rum, egg yolks and egg; beat 1 minute at low speed.
• 3 increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.
• 4 stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• 5 knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• 6 cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• 7 roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. use a 3-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, to cut out as many rounds as possible.
• 8 place rounds about 2 to 3 inches apart on parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheets. re-roll and cut remaining dough.
• 9 cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size.
• 10 preheat oven to 375°f.
• 11 for glaze, mix honey and melted butter; set aside.
• 12 bake 10 minutes. brush glaze over packzi and continue baking for 2 to 4 minutes until light golden brown. if desired, brush again with any remaining glaze.
• 13 let cool slightly, then dust or roll in sugar or powdered sugar.
• 14 fillings:.
• 15 fruit or custard: use a knife to cut a small slit in side of paczki. use a small spoon (or pipe with pastry tip and bag) to insert a heaping teaspoonful. (vanilla rum custard or pudding is amazing!).
• 16 chocolate: use your finger to gently poke a small hole in side of paczki and insert 1 teaspoon chocolate chips into center of paczki while still warm.