Photo Essay: Fat Tuesday in Ann Arbor

Paczki-making at Zingerman's Bakehouse

Editor’s note: It’s Fat Tuesday, when thoughts turn to paczki – those dense but irresistible Polish pastries that mark the last hurrah before Lent. This year, for the first time in their 18-year history, Zingerman’s Bakehouse staff got up well before dawn to make their own version, and local photographer Anne Savage was there to catch the action. She’s sharing some of her work with Chronicle readers – you can find many more photos on her new food blog, The Savage Feast. Enjoy!

Nina Huey at Zingerman's Bakehouse

Nina Huey sprinkles powdered sugar on a tray of paczki at Zingerman's Bakehouse Tuesday morning. Ingredients for the dough include bit of Spiritus, a Polish grain alcohol.

Randy Brown at Zingerman's Bakehouse

Randy Brown fries paczki at Zingerman's Bakehouse on Fat Tuesday.

A rack of paczki at Zingerman's Bakehouse

Racks of raspberry-filled paczki at Zingerman's Bakehouse. Other traditional fillings included powidla, a stewed plum jam, and rosehip jam, made from the buds of rose bushes.

Devonie Townsend at Zingerman's Bakehouse

Devonie Townsend glazes a tray of paczki.

glazed, plum filled paczki

A tray of glazed, plum-filled paczki.

Check out more paczki photos at The Savage Feast, local photographer Anne Savage’s new food blog.

3 Comments

  1. March 8, 2011 at 12:01 pm | permalink

    Thanks for posting this — I’ve been enjoying the other photos and stories on Anne’s blog, too.

  2. March 8, 2011 at 12:25 pm | permalink

    I have to say when I first heard of “plum paczki”, I thought “eeewwwww”.

    Boy was I ever wrong!

  3. By Judy Wickersham
    March 9, 2011 at 8:39 am | permalink

    My fingers felt sticky just looking at the photos. Delightful!