Believe it or not, these babies come in at 112 calories, 1.4 fat, 21 carbs, .6 fiber and 2.9 protein - unofficially 2 WW points!
Believe it or not, these babies come in at 112 calories, 1.4 fat, 21 carbs, .6 fiber and 2.9 protein - unofficially 2 WW points!

So I scoured the internet looking for a baked paczki (poonchki) recipe and didn’t find any.  Every single one called for deep fat frying.  And while I am all about anything deep fat fried, I decided to try to get a lightened version.  This is where I got the base of my recipe:

If you have not been to Heidi's website www.101cookbooks.com go there straight away.  Well, after you read this post!  She has the most amazing photography, interesting recipes, very cool!
If you have not been to Heidi's website www.101cookbooks.com go there straight away. Well, after you read this post! She has the most amazing photography, interesting recipes, very cool!

 So the only problem I encountered is that my dough hardly rose at all.  Here’s how it looked right after being kneaded in the stand mixer for a few minutes.  I really really liked the texture of this dough.

So I expected it to double in size, but it didn't.
So I expected it to double in size, but it didn't.
I chopped up 2/3 cup for the filling - this company makes a sugar free version, but I have yet to see it in any of my grocery stores
I chopped up 2/3 cup for the filling - this company makes a sugar free version, but I have yet to see it in any of my grocery stores
I used a 2 inch biscuit cutter
I used a 2 inch biscuit cutter
Heidi's recipe called for baking for 8 to 1o minutes, but because my dough was denser because it didn't rise, I cooked for 8 minutes on one side then flipped them over and cooked for an additional 4 minutes
Heidi's recipe called for baking for 8 to 1o minutes, but because my dough was denser because it didn't rise, I cooked for 8 minutes on one side then flipped them over and cooked for an additional 4 minutes

As I was re-reading her recipe this morning, I caught my fatal error.  The instructions said to stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk, and I believe I added the (melted) butter directly to the yeast/milk mixture, thereby killing the yeast with the melted butter.  Damnit!   So the result of these paczki is not a donut, but more like a sweet bread/cake texture?  So while Tony and I thought they were good, not exactly what I was hoping to achieve!

I am still going to take them to work though!  I will suggest they either put them in the toaster oven to crisp up, or put in the microwave for a chewy donut.  So I will definitely try this again and will follow Heidi’s instructions to a T next time!  I guess it helps to read ALL the words! 

Happy Fat Tuesday – see you at lunch.