Carnival season is here, the joyous preface to Lent! It’s a season that has many historical origins and cultural interpretations; however, there is one unifying theme, an iconically sweet, fat something devoured in its honour.
From King Cake for Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) to Fastelavnsboller (Danish Carnival Buns) and the many baked, fried and flipped delights in between, they all serve to instigate indulgence and celebration. Their very make-up is engineered to rid the pantry of rich animal products such as butter, milk and eggs, with the intention that consumption of such things would be curbed from Ash Wednesday until Easter.
This week’s letter muses on this notion and proposes you reach for fatty, rich whole grains and stoneground wholegrain flours as you explore the enriched doughs that are synonymous with the season. Many recipes typically call for strong white bread flour, but many more wholewheat flours can offer interest and tons of flavour. But before we jump into the techniques you can employ to get these delicious grains into your buns, let’s take a side step and look at what we mean by stoneground flour.
Milling Methods
A typical bag of supermarket flour is produced via a roller mill. The first step in this process sees the grain kernels shattered by cylindrical steel rollers to break the grains into three fractions that can be separated from each other. Next, the germ is removed, and the bran is sifted off, leaving the endosperm, the starchy centre of the grain. The endosperm then goes through a series of aptly named ‘reduction rollers’ which grind it to flour with a fine, powdery texture.
The result is a uniform, base structural component used for baking. It has been stripped of all live and life-giving parts (the bran and germ), thus rendering it shelf stable for many months—an ideal product for a global commodity food system. Unfortunately, identity, character, nutrition and flavour are also lost in the process.
In contrast, stoneground wholemeal flour (including any flour fresh milled via a home-scale tabletop mill) is significantly more active and teaming with volatile fatty acids, phenolic compounds and fat-soluble vitamins. This makes it so lively, aromatic, flavourful, and, quite frankly, life-affirming to work with.
Stone ground flour is produced via a stone mill in which the whole grain kernels are ground between a bed stone (bottom stone) and a runner stone (top stone); furrows in the bed stone help direct the grain as the runner stone passes over the top and crushes the grain. As the crushed grain particles travel from the centre to the outer edge of the stone, they reduce in size to become flour.
Crushing the grain releases oils within the germ into the flour, and the bran shatters and flakes. The mill speed is slow, and the temperature stays low, which helps preserve the flour's characteristics and functionality.
However, the shelf life of stoneground flour is limited by the oil-rich germ, and as a result, they are prone to spoil sooner. The characteristic aroma, texture and flavour that is so pronounced when just milled will deteriorate the further it gets from the moment of milling.
Wholegrains for soft and lofty buns.
Enriched dough recipes allow us to play with and dial in the unique nuances and function of whole grain flours whilst employing specific techniques to help achieve the soft loft of a sweet yeasted bun.
Today’s recipe is a case in point. Pączki, (pronounced puhnch·kee) the Polish ‘doughnut’ is eaten year-round but is especially celebrated on Fat Thursday, the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, leaving a good six days to feast and celebrate before supposed abstinence ensues.
Traditionally they are a truly indulgent affair, not content with the inclusion of multiple egg yolks and butter in the dough; they are deep fried and then filled with sweet jam, cream or custard (rose and rosehip are popular flavours), resulting in a hefty bun.
Because everyone likes the opportunity to indulge in multiple buns and, quite frankly, because I dislike deep frying at home, the recipe that follows is for a baked version featuring a prune and walnut filling, basted in melted butter and tossed in lemon-infused sugar.
Adding wholemeal flour can dramatically alter the crumb and mouthfeel of baked goods, especially those that are typically enjoyed for their soft, light and fluffy interior. However, specific steps and stages in the method help to counteract or mitigate this.
Firstly, the recipe calls for a Tangzhong, a simple water roux that is especially useful in improving the texture of enriched doughs that use a higher proportion of whole-grain flour. The technique involves pre-gelatinising starches in the flour, which allows them to absorb more water, which is especially useful when using thirstier, whole-grain flour. At the same time, it contributes a structure that can hold onto the carbon dioxide created by the yeast, encouraging good rise and volume.
This structure can also hold on to the extra hydration during the baking and cooling phases, resulting in delayed stalling; the baked product does not dry out as quickly and stays fresher for longer.
The second measure is to employ slow development of the dough during the fermentation process; once mixed, the first rise occurs at a low temperature in the fridge overnight with another long, slow, final proof of the shaped Pączki. This contributes to improved overall volume in the final bake and a more complex flavour.
The final texture is dictated by the proportions of egg, butter and sugar in the overall formula as opposed to the strength of the flour. You will notice the butter is added towards the end of the mixing phase, after first developing the gluten in the dough to prevent the fat from hindering gluten development.
Along with the butter, the multiple egg yolks offer an extra buffer to the often coarser stoneground whole grain flour, helping to bind in the initial mixing phase. Egg yolks are also rich in lecithin, which acts as a natural dough conditioner, improving the rise and texture of the final bake.
Whilst I’m a little late in getting this newsletter out for Fat Thursday, we’re still in good time to indulge in some Carnival Buns before the end of Tuesday. The recipe can also be baked without the filling and used as a big fat bun canvas to be filled post-bake as you would for Fastelavnsboller or Semla.
Paid subscribers to this newsletter will receive a pdf version of the recipe with extra tips on the visual cues to look for when making Pączki, along with a bonus recipe for Preserved Lemon Custard, a lily-gilding filling that you’ll want to use in many more baking applications.
Lemon Sugared Baked Pączki with Prune and Walnut Filling
Ingredients
Makes approximately 10 x Pączki
For the dough -
240g whole milk
233g stoneground wholemeal flour
230g stoneground sifted flour
4g sea salt
60g soft light brown sugar
7g sachet dry yeast or 14g fresh yeast^
120g tangzhong**
1 tbsp Pernod/brandy/rum/vodka^^
3 egg yolks
60g unsalted butter (cubed and at cool room temp)
^^ Optional, but it is in the spirit of Polish tradition
**To make the tangzhong
20g bread flour
100g whole milk
For the Lemon Sugar -
6 tbsp caster sugar
Grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
Prune & Walnut Filling -
150g dried but soft and plump prunes
2tbsp lemon juice, plus 1tbsp hot water to help blend
60g walnuts (lightly toasted)
Good pinch sea salt
Method
Heat the milk in a pan to just below a simmer and pour it into a jug; allow it to cool. It should just feel warm to the touch when ready to use.
Make the Tangzhong - combine the flour and milk in the saucepan, place on low to medium heat, and whisk until the mixture thickens to a thick paste. Once thickened, scrape into a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the flour, sea salt, soft light brown sugar and dry yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. (^If using fresh yeast, combine with a little of the cooled milk to liquify it and then add to the remainder of the milk). Briefly mix the dry ingredients to distribute evenly.
Add the cooled milk to the dry ingredients, along with the tangzhong, brandy (if using) and egg yolks. Use the dough hook and mix on a low speed until all the ingredients come together; you should have a rough but cohesive-looking dough.
Now begin to add the cubes of butter, one at a time. Keep the mixer on low and add more only when the previous addition has been incorporated.
Increase the speed of the mixer to medium/high and mix until the dough looks smooth, feels supple and soft.
Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover, or use an airtight box with a lid and refrigerate the dough overnight.
The next day -
Make the Lemon Sugar
Combine the lemon zest and sugar in a bowl large enough to toss one Paczki at a time. Cover and set aside until needed.
Make the Prune & Walnut Filling
Place the prunes and lemon juice in a food processor and blitz until smooth, adding the hot water as needed to help create a soft but thick and spoonable consistency.
Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 10 equal portions (95-100g each). Try to portion into neat squares or rounds as you go.
Flatten each portion and spoon a tablespoon of your chosen filling into the centre. Fold the edges over to encase the filling and flip over, cup your hands around the dough and gently rotate in a circular motion to smooth the surface and create tension. Do this carefully and stop as soon as the shape is nicely round and you’ve built tension. Over handling after creating tension will cause the dough to tear and the filling to break through.
Set the shaped dough balls onto a lined baking sheet and loosely cover, leave to prove for approximately 4 hours. A long slow rise helps to produce a good volume in the final bake. They won’t appear to increase massively in size, but you’ll know they are ready when you press the dough lightly and it doesn’t spring back.
When you feel the dough is close to being ready, preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (know your oven and adjust accordingly if you know it runs hot or cool).
Bake for 8 minutes, rotate and bake for a further 5 minutes. They will be golden brown and well-risen.
Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes to make them easier to handle.
Brush the buns with melted butter and immediately toss in the infused sugar. It's best to do this one bun at a time with an effort to keep one hand for brushing with butter and the other for tossing in sugar.
The Paczi are best enjoyed the day they are made. Preferably still warm from the oven.