Paczki aplenty

HAMTRAMCK -- Fat Tuesday is here and David Monikean is ready now that he's bought four dozen paczki from his favorite bakery.

Like many Metro Detroiters who have fond, sugar-filled memories of these treats, the Port Huron man makes an annual trip to this Polish enclave, which helped usher the pastries into stardom.

"You can buy paczki (pronounced POONCH-key) anywhere, but in Hamtramck, it's a big party," said Suzy Ognanovich, whose husband's family has owned New Palace Bakery for more than 30 years.

If you want to partake in Paczki Day, here are some things to know about these sugar-coated pastries that are bursting with filling:

Paczki pack a lot of punch

They contain, "lots of butter, sugar, eggs, flour and a lot of labor of love," said Sandy Bakic, a second-generation baker at New Martha Washington Bakery.

A typical 5-ounce paczek (say POON-chek) contains about 420 calories and 25 or more grams of fat. It's loaded with refined carbohydrates. The good news? They're cooked in vegetable oil, not lard as they once were.

To burn off a single paczek, you'll need to run for 30-47 minutes or ride a bicycle for 40-60 minutes. It'll take up to two hours to walk it off, says Beaumont Hospital.

Don't call 'em jelly doughnuts

While the two may look similar, Bakic says that's like comparing a cake to a torte.

Paczki are made with richer dough and have a more rounded shape, like a baseball. They call for more sugar, butter and eggs than a regular jelly doughnut and bakers need to let paczki dough rise three separate times before they can be fried.

The result is richer and spongier than a doughnut.

Bakers don't get much sleep

Just cat naps on folding chairs, Bakic said. New Martha Washington Bakery opened at 5 a.m. Monday and won't close until at least 7 p.m. today. Friends, husbands and children are put to work during this hectic time.

Prep time is brutal, too

In the days leading up to the Paczki Day, workers put together hundreds of the bakery boxes. "Our hands get raw," Bakic said, standing in front of a tower of premade boxes. "The more work we have done ahead of time, the more time we have with customers."

Flavors go beyond prune

When Bakic's parents took over New Martha Washington Bakery in 1973, they sold custard, raspberry and prune paczki. Later, media started covering this Polish tradition and Paczki Day took off -- along with the variety.

Now local Polish bakeries offer about a dozen flavors, including apple, lemon, strawberry and apricot.

After Sept. 11, the New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck launched the United Paczki to show red, white and blue patriotism. It has three flavors: strawberry, custard and blueberry. In 1997, the bakery debuted the strawberry/custard paczki to commemorate Hamtramck's 75th anniversary with Polish flag colors.

The largest paczek in Hamtramck weighs in at 3 pounds, 7 ounces

It's on display in the window of New Martha Washington Bakery. Is it really the biggest? "Prove me wrong," says a confident Bakic, whose parents own the bakery. Had it been actually filled, the macho paczek made in recent days would weigh in at a whopping 7 pounds, Bakic said.

Bakic's father and his grandson made six of the large confections -- five of which were donated to a silent auction to benefit the Hamtramck Goodfellows, Bakic said. This huge paczek in the window, however, isn't for sale. Bakic will preserve it with shellac.

Paczki eating: A competitive endeavor

Joe Menchetti, regular competitive eater, is the current champion of one of the tougher paczki eating competitions in the nation, eating 11 3/4 paczki in five minutes.

He expects to defend his title again today at the competition in Ansonia, Conn.

Compared to his many other eating competitions, paczki "are usually very tasty," said Menchetti, who admits he isn't a fan of the prune flavor.

Locally, the Hamtramck Knights of Columbus will hold their paczki eating contest today where contestants will have 15 minutes to stuff their faces. Last year's winner ate 15.

You can reach Marisa Schultz at (313) 222-2310 or mschultz@detnews.com">mschultz@detnews.com.