Czesia's Donuts

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Only recently I have been preparing for the arrival of my daughter, sketching plans for the year off and all the possibilities and all the travel I was going to do. It went by so fast because I was at home not only with my newborn, but my three year old as well. She is about to turn four and start Kindergarten this September. How crazy is that? From the care-free 20 year old something, who thought the world was her oyster, suddenly I am a responsible mother of two, with a mortgage and bills to pay, too much post pregnancy weight and very little time to myself. Even at nights my little one still wakes up, so I am lucky to watch a 40 minute TV show without being interrupted.

However, no matter how crazy and busy my schedule is or will be, I will always find time to cook fresh and delicious meals for my family. At the dinner table is where we bond, we set rules for table appropriate manners and at the moment, we are doing more of nagging and putting fires off than relaxing. As crazy as it seems, the meal finds its way to the table, somehow. In the midst of one million questions from my 4 year old, which mostly are- "Can I have...?", every two minutes, and my little one crawling around, grabbing my legs because she wants to be with mommy, somehow I cook those meals most days. Some days it is just creative leftovers which we we eat straight out of containers. Once in a while we buy take-out ramen or schwarma. And then there are days of pure bliss, of meals cooked from scratch such as Mexican salsa, guacamole, chicken tinga or carnitas, shepherd's pie or beef stews. Days of coffee cake and muffins, waffles, pancakes. I hope one day we will sit with my girls at the same dinner table and we will be able to hold a conversation about everything and nothing, and remember the craziness of messy floor, spilled drinks, food on the floor, dancing in the kitchen, the laughter and the popcorn we eat late at night when some of us do not want to sleep, and that would not be the adults around here.


I was fortunate to have this beautiful year off with my girls which will never come back. Even though it was tough at times to wrap my head around what to do first, clean or read stories, eat fast or eat slow, or maybe I should just lock myself in the washroom now and hide for a quiet moment. It was hard work but hard work always pays off. I was also able to travel to Poland where I spend a month with my family.

Sometimes I cannot help but think where is this cooking gene from. Both my mom and my dad are good cooks. My grandmother as well. She especially loved baking. She always made cakes, sponge cakes with jello and marshmallow topping, poppy seed rolls, cheesecake, sweet buns and chrusciki (polish type of buenelos) She used to work as a cook at weddings. 

One of the best memories of my childhood is waking up on a Sunday morning and instead of having breakfast, heading straight into the cold room with a large plate and a knife to try as many types of cakes as I could. My grandmother always brought leftover food from those parties she worked at, which included large pieces of different types of cakes. If you have ever been to a Polish wedding you will know what I am talking about. And no one ever nagged me about eating it! It was the best meal ever, always. 

There was very little my grandmother could not make as far as baking is concerned, but there was one thing she never made - donuts. The reason? Her sister made the best donuts in the neighbourhood. Everyone knows about her donuts. We were so lucky, because she lives next door, and even today she brings a large platter of fresh donuts every time she makes them. Still warm, with a beautiful homemade plum marmalade and a fresh glaze. I still have that taste in my mouth. The taste that no krispy creme donut can even aspire to. The best donuts that exist. Made from the heart.

Czesia's Donuts

1 kg all purpose flour
pinch of salt

120 g fresh yeast ( to be found at any Polish store)

8 eggs- 6 yolks and 2 whole eggs

3/4 cups sugar

half a glass of vegetable oil, such as canola

2 glasses of 2% milk

100 g butter, unsalted

canola oil for frying

Place the eggs with the sugar in a slightly warm bowl and beat until fluffy. Place the milk in a small pot and warm slightly. Add the fresh yeast and dissolve- transfer to a mixer. Add the oil and start adding the flour (add a pinch of salt to the flour) and start adding the egg mixture slowly. Mix until fluffy and springy. Leave to double in size covered with a towel in a warm place for about 1 hour. Now add the butter and a spalsh of alcohol, such as vodka or more concentrated spirit. The alcohol helps with less oil absorption while frying.

Prepare your work space. Place some flour on a large surface. Take a piece of the dough, with a large spoon, place a teaspoon of marmalade in the middle and close up.

Heat oil in a large cast iron pot, then reduce to medium. Test by throwing a bit of the dough to see how fast it will brown.

Drop the donuts, fry until brown and flip so it browns evenly on each side. Place each donut on a paper towel, wait until it cools down and dip in the icing of your choice. 


Enjoy!