Romanian Doughnuts – Papanasi Recipe
User Reviews
4.6
Romanian Doughnuts – Papanasi Recipe
Description
These Romanian doughnuts, known as Papanasi, begin by draining excess water from fresh cottage cheese before mixing with eggs, vanilla sugar, and granulated sugar. A few drops of rum aroma can be used for added fragrance. The mixture is blended just enough to create a rough paste, maintaining some texture in the cheese. Baking soda and flour are then incorporated carefully, with the dough kneaded lightly to maintain slight stickiness, which ensures tenderness after frying.
The dough is shaped and fried in enough vegetable oil to be submerged about 4 inches, resulting in golden, slightly crisp doughnuts with a soft interior. Papanasi are finished by serving with a generous dollop of smetana or crème fraîche and topped with a runny, whole-fruit jam such as sour cherry or blackberry, enhancing the mild sweetness of the doughnuts with tartness and freshness.
This recipe emphasizes gentle blending and careful handling of the dough, with attention to flour quantity to avoid dryness. Using a runny jam with fruit pieces is customary to best balance with the creamy dairy toppings.
Ingredients
- 500 g cottage cheese 1.1 lbs/ 2 ¼ cups
- 2 egg
- a few drops rum aroma optional
- 75 g granulated sugar ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar Note 1
- 230-250 g all-purpose flour 8 – 9 oz / about 2 cups, Note 2
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- vegetable oil for frying the doughnuts, Note 3
- 250 g smetana or crème fraiche to serve, 1 cup
- blueberry jam to serve, Note 4, whole fruit, runny
Instructions
- Drain the excess water from the cottage cheese. 500 g cottage cheese/ 1.1 lb/ 2¼ cup
- Blend: Place the cottage cheese in a bowl. Add the eggs and the rum aroma, the granulated, and vanilla sugar. With an immersion blender, blend the ingredients until you obtain a rough paste. The cottage cheese should not be turned into a smooth paste, just blended a little bit to make the cheese balls a little more delicate.2 eggs + a few drops rum aroma + 75 g granulated sugar/ ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
- Dough: Mix about 230 g/ 8 oz of the flour and baking soda. Add them to the cheese mixture. Mix with a spoon. Flour the working surface and your hands generously. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and knead it lightly to form a ball. The dough should still be somewhat sticky yet manageable. Add the remaining flour only if absolutely necessary, only if the dough sticks so much that you cannot work with it at all.230-250 g all-purpose flour/ 8 – 9 oz / about 2 cups + 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Form donuts: Divide the dough into 9 balls. Roll 8 of the balls into thick sausages and unite the sausage ends to get a circle with a hole in the middle. Use the last ball to make 8 little balls, which will be used to top the papanasi.
- Heat oil: In the meantime, heat the oil in a pot. Use enough oil to have about 10 cm/ 4 inches of it in the pot. To check if the oil has reached the right temperature, insert a toothpick in the oil; if blisters are forming around the toothpick, you can start frying the papanasi.vegetable oil
- Fry: Only fry two or three papanasi at a time, depending on the size of your pan, do not overcrowd the pan; the papanasi should be able to move around freely. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Turn the doughnuts with a slotted spoon a few times in between and fry until the papanasi are golden brown. It took me about 5 to 7 minutes for one batch, but keep a close look and take them out as soon as they have a nice golden color. Or leave them longer if necessary. The little balls will need less time, about 3-4 minutes or so.
- Remove excess oil: Place them on plates lined with paper towels and dry them to absorb some excess fat.
- Serve warm topped with smetana and blueberry jam. Place the little balls on top and top them with a bit of smetana and jam as well.250 g smetana + whole fruit runny blueberry jam
Notes
- Use enough oil (about 4 inches deep) to fully submerge the doughnuts when frying for even cooking.
- Select a runny jam with whole berries or chopped fruit such as sour cherry or blackberry for authentic flavor contrast.
- If unavailable, substitute vanilla sugar with vanilla extract carefully to taste.
- Use a digital scale for precise measurements to maintain dough consistency.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 304 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1papanas | |
| Calories | 304kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 43g | 14% |
| Protein | 13g | 26% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 4g | 24% |
| Cholesterol | 59mg | 20% |
| Sodium | 425mg | 18% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 12g | 24% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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