It's paczki time!

BELLEVUE — Powdered sugar is flying with paczki season in full swing. Paczki are different from regular doughnuts. They originated in Poland and are made from a rich butter, egg-bread dough. Paczki are deep fried, jam-packed with different fillings and rolled in powdered sugar. Because they have more fat, the dough is richer and fluffier — one can make for a full treat. The tradition of paczki is to indulge in one on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, both taking place next week. Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season when Christians fast for 40 days. "Back in the old days, people would take their extra good stuff — butters and sugars — and make the richest, fattest dough you could think of to use up all their rations while they fasted during Lent," said Megan Ramos, who is a barista, cook and baker at Copper Top Bake Shop in Bellevue. Ramos' parents, Ray and Amy Tea, own Copper Top Bake Shop. Ramos said several family members were raised Catholic, so Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent are important times. A lot of the community is the same way, she added. "It's something that's seasonal, and it's big for a lot of older folks in town," Ramos said. Paczki have been made at Copper Top Bake Shop for about 10 years. When the shop made paczki for the first time, workers were shocked by how passionate people got for the season. Ramos appreciates the historical significance of paczki and loves being able to create different flavor combinations. They sell thousands of paczki each season. Copper Top Bake Shop has about 20 flavors of paczki. Some classic fillings include Bavarian and raspberry, but the locally owned business also makes specialty flavors like cookies and cream, peanut butter and various fruit fillings. They start making paczki a couple of weeks before Fat Tuesday and keep them available through the Saturday after Fat Tuesday. They're made fresh each day. "Anybody can have a paczki. They're a treat." Ramos said. "They're doughnuts on steroids." How do you say "paczki"? People say paczki a few different ways. Some pronunciations include "POONCH-key," "POWNCH-key" or "PAUNCH-key."