Pączki & Buttercream Donuts
Wait a minute! Last I knew it was Christmas and here we are two weeks from Pączki day. You know what that means however, this Saturday, February 6th is Pączki Practice Day! It gives us a chance to hone our skills and get ready for the big day, Because we are practicing, we offer our Pączki at half price, $.75 because you will be helping us get it right. Besides that, it’s a fun tradition.
As you likely already know, we call ours Church Basement Pączki because they are the style that the babushki make in the church basement kitchen. They are a delicate, eggy, rum-flavored dough with a moderate amount of filling and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Traditional fillings tend to be apricot and prune. We also offer chocolate, rum custard, lemon custard, raspberry, blueberry, and cherry.
One more thing, February is our anniversary month. On the 25th we will have been in business for 43 years! Our recent tradition is that we make buttercream donuts during the month of February for all those who have been missing them over the years, and of course, to introduce them to new folks.
On Saturday, February 25, 1978, Ken and I exhausted ourselves making a grand total of four loaves of white bread, four loaves of whole wheat bread, four loaves of oatmeal bread, and 12 baguettes. Added to that we had maybe 48 donuts, and a couple of dozen Danish tarts. It was just after a Kalamazoo blizzard the week before so it was icy and cold. We managed to sell $21.64 worth of baked goods. Sixteen of those dollars were sold to my college roommate, Bridget Stover, and at 1978 prices that was most of what we made. In the ensuing years, the people in this town have nurtured us through many crises and helped us stand up back on our feet. Possibly any town would do so but in real life, Kalamazoo did and does. Thank you.
One last note, I'm too much of a wuss to brave the cold and snow and so I will not be at the Bank Street Market on Saturday. I'll see you at the bakery.
Sending courage and patience to everyone
Judy