The Path to Paczki
ByToday is Fat Tuesday, the best holiday ever, and if you’re like me you’re looking for some paczkis to go with your morning coffee.
Paczki (pronounced poonch-key or punch-key) were created by geniuses in Poland years ago as a way to use up leftover eggs and butter before Lent. Rose and plum butter fillings with powdered sugar or glazed tops are the most authentic, though in Chicago you can find paczki in any flavor combination imaginable. The rose filling is indeed a jam made from rose hips or petals, and though it may not be for everyone, in my opinion it has a nice berry twist to it, like a floral strawberry.
Although many Polish folks celebrate Fat Thursday (the Thursday before Ash Wednesday), many others pig out on Tuesday instead. This works out very nicely, since now you have two reasons to head to your local bakery for paczkis.
Delightful Pastries, 5927 W. Lawrence, Chicago; (773) 545-7215
The nice thing about this aptly named bakery is the lower sugar content of their pastries. Baker and part-owner Dobra Bielinski knows that high-quality ingredients make the paczki, not tons of sugar. I think I’ve tried nearly every flavor available here (I even attended an event last year that allowed me to fry, glaze, and fill my own paczki) and each one is a treat, though the “boozy custard” and plum butter (shown below right) are my personal favorites. Also available: apricot, blueberry, booze-less custard (topped with chocolate glaze), raspberry, rose, and fresh strawberry with either custard or whipped cream (shown below left). Breakfast this morning was coffee and the strawberry paczek (hey, strawberries are fruit, after all). It was a light, fluffy, eggy treat, like a cross between cake and challah, so delicate that cream squirted out with every bite. Heavenly!
Oak Mill Bakery, 8012 N. Milwaukee, Niles; (847) 318-6400
Oak Mill has one of the biggest flavor selections in the area; I ordered the prune (shown below) but they also have advocaat (eggnog custard); apricot; blueberry; chocolate custard; lemon; poppyseed; raspberry; rose; strawberry; blueberry, cherry, or fresh strawberry with whipped cream; fresh strawberry with cream cheese, unfilled rolled in granulated sugar; and minis, which I’m told by staff are “two bites” and filled with all the “normal” fillings such as raspberry and apricot. The prune was quite tasty, reminiscent of raisins, and though there was not quite as much jelly as I like and it was a bit less rich than Delightful’s, it was still a mighty fine paczek. Buyer beware: a few of Oak Mill’s have nuts sprinkled on top (I believe the apricot was sprinkled with pistachios?) so take a peek if you know someone with allergies.
There are many other places that sell paczki; pretty much any grocery or bakery that specializes in Polish goodies will have their own version. Here are some fantastic sources to try (all are in Chicago unless otherwise noted):
5442 N. Milwaukee Ave.
(773) 631-7304
100 Davis St.
Evanston
(847) 328-9434
Bridgeport Bakery
2907 S. Archer Ave.
(773) 523-1121
Oven Fresh
7210 W. Foster Ave.
(773) 631-7000
