Wolf Bakery is rolling out the paczki. The venerable Wolf’s Bakery has been deep-frying dough for Fat Tuesday since 1939. Wolf’s is offering paczki (pronounced “ponchkey”)

Short answer: no. Think of the paczek as the jelly doughnut’s lavish cousin. While a good jelly doughnut is light and airy, a paczek is denser and more brioche-lik, thanks to more eggs in the dough.

News photo The bakery team at Super One Foods in Iron Mountain was busy Monday making about 8,000 paczki for Fat Tuesday in preparation for the Lenten season. The traditional deep-fried, rich pastries are still made from scratch at the local store.

In Metro Detroit, the focus is on Polish paczki, and bakeries from all backgrounds roll out the lard and sugar for fruit- and custard-filled confections. Polish bakeries are well-stocked, of course, but even the area's many Italian bakeries get in on the fun with the now-popular and expected cannoli paczki.

Fat Tuesday is a staple of every culinary calendar, but you may have a harder time getting your hands on a tasty paczki this year. (Feb. 28, 2025)

Bakeries across Metro Detroit are getting ready for a rush of paczki shoppers next week looking for a Fat Tuesday treat. Why it matters: Fat Tuesday is the day before Lent — 40 days of pre-Easter prayer and reflection when Christians traditionally forgo indulgences like sweets.