Bakers prepare dozens of Paczki ahead of Fat Tuesday

BROWN DEER, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Bakers around Southeastern Wisconsin are preparing to celebrate Paczki Day on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Paczki Day always lands on the Tuesday before Lent, commonly known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. 

Paczki are Polish doughnuts filled with fruit or cream and topped with sugar. They're typically more rich than normal doughnuts. 

Brian Kennedy, the owner of Kurt Schulz Deli and Pastry Shoppe in Brown Deer, spends the entire Monday before Paczki Day preparing to fill dozens of orders.

"This is one of my favorite days of the year because it's just so great to be able to make 50 dozen donuts," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said the process includes preparing the dough, allowing it to proof, frying each one, then filling them with different flavors and tossing them in powdered sugar. 

"We're the epitome of a ma and pop bakery. I do everything by hand. I touch every piece," Kennedy said.

The popular Polish pastry fools nearly everyone with its name. 

"Everybody wants one. Nobody knows what it is," Kennedy said.

Or rather how to pronounce it. Dictionary.com shows the pronunciation as (pawnch-kee).

Paczki will be available bright and early Tuesday morning at Kurt Schulz Deli and Pastry Shoppe.

They're on sale, one for $2 or a dozen for $22.