Once upon a time, every house smelled of donuts that were fried by mom or dad. This year, it is worth reaching for family recipes and preparing donuts yourself. If you are afraid that they may turn out unpalatable due to the excess fat they absorb during frying, follow our tips to avoid mistakes.
Homemade donuts for Fat Thursday. Add this ingredient and they won’t “drink” fat
To prevent the donuts from absorbing too much fat while frying, it is worth adding a little vodka, spirit, vinegar or potato starch to the dough. Adding a small amount of alcohol to the dough can help reduce fat absorption. Alcohol causes the proteins in the dough to coagulate, which makes the dough more compact and less porous. This makes it more difficult for fat to access the inside of the donut. Moreover, the alcohol evaporates during frying, which helps to quickly close the surface of the donut and makes it absorb less fat. Adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the dough will work similarly. Vinegar affects the gluten structure in the dough, which makes the donuts fluffier and absorbs fat less. However, potato flour has thickening properties, which makes the dough more compact and less porous. This gives the donuts less surface area through which fat can penetrate. Moreover, starch absorbs moisture well, which helps maintain the appropriate consistency of the dough. Less moist dough absorbs less fat during frying. For each kg of wheat flour, add 4 tablespoons of potato flour.
Why do donuts absorb fat when frying? Don’t make these mistakes
One of the basic mistakes when frying donuts is too low oil temperature. When the oil is too cold, the dough absorbs more fat before it has time to fry properly. In turn, too hot oil may cause the donuts to quickly burn on the outside and remain raw inside, which also helps absorb fat. Maintain the oil temperature at 175-180°C. Use a kitchen thermometer to monitor the temperature. The appropriate temperature allows the donut surface to quickly close, which prevents excessive fat absorption. Another mistake is too loose dough. Thin fat “drinks” fat much faster and stronger. Therefore, make sure that the dough has the right consistency – it cannot be too loose or too thick. A well-kneaded dough should be elastic and smooth. Let the dough rise properly before frying. Well-risen dough is more resistant to absorbing fat. After frying the donuts, place them on paper towels to drain excess fat. You can also use a baking rack to allow the donuts to drip freely.
When is Fat Thursday 2025? The history of Fat Thursday
The origins of Fat Thursday date back to paganism. On this day, the end of winter and the arrival of spring were celebrated. Spring was welcomed with feasts full of wine, where no one skipped fatty foods, especially meat. The snack was donuts made of bread dough and stuffed with bacon. In Lesser Poland, Fat Thursday was once called Combrowe Thursday. At least that’s what the legend explaining the origins of this holiday says. Apparently it took its name from Combra – the mayor of Krakow who lived in the 17th century. He is remembered by the inhabitants as a man who fought against vendors selling at the Krakow market. He was apparently extremely harsh and even unfair, and whenever he found an opportunity, he imposed high fines on traders for minor transgressions. According to reports, the evil mayor died on Thursday. When the news of his death spread throughout the city, the traders began to celebrate loudly. From then on, this day was called Combrowy Thursday in Krakow.
Fat Thursday begins Shrove Tuesday, the last week of carnival, which lasts until Ash Wednesday. The date of this tradition is flexible and depends on when we celebrate Easter. In 2025, according to tradition, we will eat donuts on Thursday, February 27. The main custom on Fat Thursday is, of course, eating sweets. An interesting description of the celebration of this holiday can be found in Zygmunt Gloger’s book “The Polish Year in Life, Tradition and Song”. The author describes this day as one when you can do things that you couldn’t do on other days. It was a holiday filled with alcohol, during which not only donuts were eaten, but also “chrust, i.e. faworki, chruścik, and among the people, reczucha, pampuchy”. In addition, there were processions on Fat Thursday, intended to bring happiness and prosperity to the participants. During such a march, loud music was played, and at the head were figures known from caroling rituals: a chanterelle, a turtle, a goat, a bear, a stork, a crane, and a horse. In the Greater Poland Voivodeship, popular customs included the so-called pomyjka. It was believed that serving at the table and cooking on Fat Thursday ensures prosperity, prosperity and good health. Therefore, during the Fat Thursday dinner, everyone served each other and helped the lady of the house in preparing sumptuous dishes. Most of the customs associated with this holiday are now forgotten, but donuts and faworki are still eaten throughout Poland on Fat Thursday. If we are superstitious, then according to popular tradition, we should eat at least one donut on Fat Thursday to ensure good luck for the next year.
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