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Romanian

Papanași

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Fried Romanian doughnuts made with fresh curd cheese, each crowned with a small ball, served warm with sour cream and sour-cherry or blueberry jam.

Papanași is a Romanian dessert, ready in about 40 minutes and made with cottage cheese, sour cream and jam. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
20 min
Total
40 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
495

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mash the curd cheese with the eggs (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), lemon zest (opens in a new tab), vanilla (opens in a new tab), salt and baking soda (opens in a new tab). Mix in the flour gradually until you have a soft dough that just holds its shape.

    • 8 min
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    With floured hands shape 6 thick rings (about 8 cm) with a hole in the centre and 6 small balls.

    • 7 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 165 °C. Fry the rings and balls a few at a time, turning, until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

    Food safety: Keep the oil at a steady moderate temperature so the centres cook before the outside darkens; never leave hot oil unattended.

  4. Step 4

    Serve warm: a ring topped with sour cream (opens in a new tab) and jam (opens in a new tab), then a ball on top, dusted with icing sugar (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Romania · Well documentedAlso popular in MoldovaMore food from Romania
    Dish
    Dessert · Snack · Desserts · Pastries
    Cooking method
    Deep-fried
    Taste
    sweet, tangy, creamy, fruity
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Festive & celebration · Child-friendly
    Cook more with
    Cottage cheese · Sour cream · Jam · Egg · Sugar · Lemon zest
    Techniques
    Deep-frying

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom cottage cheese, sour cream
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    495 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 224 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 13%
    • Carbohydrate 49%
    • Fat 39%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy495 kcal221 kcal
    Protein16 g7.1 g
    Carbohydrate59.8 g26.7 g
    Net carbohydrate58.4 g26 g
    Sugars26.4 g11.8 g
    Added sugars——
    Fibre1.4 g0.6 g
    Fat21.1 g9.4 g
    Saturated fat6.8 g3 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol101 mg45 mg
    Sodium443 mg198 mg
    Salt equivalent1.1 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    226 mg
    Calcium
    134 mg
    Iron
    2.1 mg
    Magnesium
    22 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    109 µg
    Vitamin C
    5 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.4 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.6 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    121 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: icing sugar.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Common mistakes

    • Too much flour makes them heavy and dry — the dough should be soft.

    Storage

    • Best eaten freshly fried.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 4

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

      Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

    2. Bake · about 20 min

      Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

    3. Start to finish: about 35 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    If something goes wrong

    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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