Racuchy z Jablkami (Polish Apple Pancakes)
Crispy on the outside, sweet and fluffy on the inside, these Polish Apple Pancakes are sure to become a favorite fall treat!
Polish Apple Pancakes: Racuchy z jabłkami
When we first stepped off the plane in Poland, we were hit with a major language shock.
I know French and Tim knows enough German to get us by. So, in any Latin or German-based languages, we're at least comfortable enough with the sounds and can do a decent job making our way around.
Poland was another story.
The letters looked (mostly) familiar, but the way they were put together and the sounds that we heard turned our idea of pronunciations on its head.
By the end of our few weeks in Poland, we were just starting to wrap our minds around some of the sounds and letter combos.
So, let's get this pronunciation thing out of the way first.
Racuchy = (RAH-tzoo-hee) = pancakes
Jabłkami = (jabw-KAH-mee) = apple
Racuchy z jabłkami = (RAH-tzook-eh ZEE jabw-KAH-mee) = pancakes with apples
I think jabłkami is quite a fun word to say. But for now, we'll just call these little pillows of apple delight Polish Apple Pancakes.
Polish pancakes with yeast
It is quite unusual to see a pancake recipe that uses yeast.
And, you will find many variations of apple pancakes in Poland that don't use yeast at all. Those versions quite closely resemble what we would think of in the States as "apple pancakes."
However, we were intrigued that some versions called for yeast, and we wanted to give this unique (to us) take on pancakes a try.
The yeast in this recipe creates a super thick pancake, that is almost like a cross between a super fluffy pancake and a fritter.
The yeast also adds a wonderful depth of flavor that, when paired with the apples, makes these pancakes so flavorful you don't really need a topping!
Apple pancakes for dinner
Since these yeast-raised pancakes do need a little bit of rising time, they don't make the best early-morning breakfast food.
Plus, breakfast in Poland is more on the savory side: bread, cheese, cold cuts, etc.
So, we weren't surprised when we found out that it is quite common for racuchy z jabłkami to be served for dinner or as a snack.
We're all about pancakes for dinner or as an afternoon snack!
These pancakes do make the perfect snack.
They're best eaten hot and crispy, nearly right out of the pan.
Not a lot of ceremony or meal-time pomp and circumstance, these guys shine all on their own. Give them a little dusting of powdered sugar, and that's all the topping you need.
We're pretty sure your family will be clamoring for Polish apple pancake dinners all the time!
(For another Polish apple dish that we absolutely love, check out our version of Polish Apple Pie!)
More pancake recipes from around the world
Nearly every culture loves pancakes in one form or another. Try these other pancakes from around the world!
Racuchy z Jablkami (Polish Apple Pancakes)
Crispy on the outside, sweet and fluffy on the inside, these Polish Apple Pancakes are sure to become a favorite fall treat!
The batter for these yeast-raised pancakes need to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 - 1 ½ hours before making your pancakes.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ c unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ c milk, warmed to 80-90⁰F
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large apples, (Gala or Fugi work well)
- ½ c canola oil, (for frying)
- Powdered sugar, (to serve)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the warm milk, egg, and melted butter. Mix until the mixture is moistened; your batter will be thick. Cover the batter and place it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 - 1 ½ hours.
- Near the end of the rising time, peel, core, and dice the apples. Once the dough has risen, mix in the diced apples.
- Add enough oil to barely coat the bottom of 12” sauté pan (roughly 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. Heat the oil over medium high heat, until the oil sizzles when small bit of batter dropped in. Drop the batter by large spoonful into the hot oil, spreading it out as thin as possible with the thick chunks of apples until you have a roughly 3 inch pancake. Fry the pancakes for 2-3 minutes over medium to medium high heat, until the bottom is golden and the top is just starting to dry out. Then, flip the pancakes and cook on the second side for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Remove the pancakes from the pan to a paper towel lined plate.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough, adding more oil as necessary. (You can keep the finished pancakes on a plate in a 200⁰F oven to stay warm while you cook the rest. But, the pancakes are best crisp and fresh from the pan. So if you can serve them straight from the pan, do so.)
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
5Serving Size:
4 pancakesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 662
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
5 stars! I love this recipe so much, I really enjoyed these pancakes once my mom made them. Thank you for this recipe!
We're so glad you loved the pancakes Mandi!
If you want yeast pancakes for breakfast, make the batter before bedtime and place in the refrigerator.
Great tip! Thanks!
I did not remember these until I saw your link. I grew up with Polish Immigrants as parents. In an Ethnic neighborhood. I miss so much about that. Its all gone now. I used to speak A little Polish and I can Polka. Thank you so much for this recipe!
So glad you found us!
being Italian I must add, delicioso to the mix---just delicious, thanks for the recipe
Grazie!
I am Polish and racuchy sound like ra-tzoo-hee but you were close with z jabłkami- zee jabw-kah-mee, no one says ya-bil-kah-mee in common Polish as letter ł is pronounced as English letter W not L. I am making that tomorrow for my half Polish half American kids! 🙂
Thanks so much for your help with the pronunciation Marlena! Hope you enjoy!
I grew up speaking Polish and my mother would make these. However, your pronunciation of racuchy is incorrect. "CH" makes an "H" sound in polish. The word sounds more like Rah-TZOO-hee. (Accent on the 2nd syllable.)
And the word for apple is more like ya-bil-KAH-mee.
Thanks for that clarification!
Did you know that Ozimek is a Polish surname?
Did you enjoy zapiekanki?
Hi Dan. Yes, my husband's paternal great-grandparents were from Poland. And we most definitely enjoy zapiekanki!
Thank you for posting this recipe! I am Polish and think it's one of the best I've tried (and I've tried ones written in Polish). This is my second time using this recipe and it's definitely become my go to.
So glad you’re enjoying these Polish pancakes!
This looks fantastic! Thanks for the recipe.
But I have to warn you... you're a little off on your pronunciation of "jabłkami." There's definitely no "boo" sound in there (although I can see how you'd think so). 😉 However... as someone who speaks Polish (weakly), I know that saying a "b" sound next to a "w" sound (you gotta say that w sound for the ł!) next to a "k" sound is NOT an easy one to pull off for English speakers. We want our vowels!!!
Thanks Patricia and thanks for you input on the pronunciation. Polish pronunciations can be tricky to spell out phonetically in a way that people will understand.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I made a half batch following the recipe exactly, the only difference being that I fried them in a nonstick pan with just a tiny amount of butter to cut oil/calories, and they are amazing! They taste like fresh apple bread crossed with an apple fritter. What a fun dish - I will definitely be making these again! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the apple pancakes!
My grandfather always made these for us and your recipe copies his to a tee. So a big thank you to you. Can you tell me please to double the amount, is it enough to simply double the recipe or does it require reducing or adding one thing or the other. My daughter has about 5 college students coming over to visit and I know one batch will not cut it. lol
Hi Yvonne, Simple doubling the recipe as written should work for you. Enjoy!
HI, thanks for the recipe. I live in Poland and was looking for a recipe for racuchy in English. I have just made them and they worked well. If I may make a suggestion though, when cooked in oil they can be pretty stodgy. I cooked them with just a smear of butter with a pastry brush in a non-stick pan. My husband (who is Polish and so has eaten his fair share in his lifetime) said they were the best he had ever had.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing! We'll have to dry them this way next time!
What does one do with the butter?
Hi Alexander. We did miss the butter in the instructions. Thank you for catching that! It gets added to the batter with the milk and eggs. (We have updated the recipe.) Enjoy!
I'd be delighted with these apple pancakes for dinner or a snack!!! As long as I don't have to pronounce them in Polish 😉
Thanks Liz! Whatever you call them, the're still delicious!!