My Wife's Father and family all came from the old Cxech nation. She used to bake a Czech cookie called "puzzles". The dough was cut into ribbons, tied into a bow and deep fat fried. Now one of my grandaughters is interested. She wants to know what is the history, what is the meaning, and what does the cookie represent? Can anybody tell me about them? When were they served? What do they signify?
Hi, the dough, which is used for "puzzle", is same as dough for kobliha (doughnut). Czech name for this is pletýnka, I am not sure that right name in English is "puzzle". I hear it first time in my life. It doesn´t have any meaning or history. I think, it was made from rest of dough, which cannot be used for doughnut. The rest of dough contains to much flour and doughnut with jam doesn´t keep together, jam drips out of doughnut.
The description also fits "milosti" - I don't know the precise recipe, just that the dough is unlike any other , the thing is fried and then covered with sugar.
I agree with Halef - I think "puzzle" is the same as "boží milosti", i.e. God´s grace. The dough calls for 1 cup of cake flour, 2 egg yolks, 2 tbsp rum, 1 tbsp confectioner´s sugar, 2 tbsp milk and a 1/4 tsp baking powder. All is blended together, rolled flat, cut and deep fried. Warm pastry is covered with confectioner´s sugar with vanilla. Together with doughnuts, it used to be traditional pastry for Mardi Gras, or "masopustní úterý" in my grandmother´s house.
Dears, I am affraid, that cookies named "Boží milosti" is absolutely different kind of that which dstat wrote about. So called "pletýnky" are from proving dough (with yeast), "Boží milosti" are plain dough without yeast. That's true, both cookies are fried. Boží milosti are prepared mainly at Easter, but no special meaning for pletýnky if I know.
Dstat only says "The dough was cut into ribbons, tied into a bow and deep fat fried." Not much information and no yeast mentioned - it can be any of those two, or even something else.
I agree with Halef - the first thought that came to me was "bozi milosti". My grandma made them by cutting the thin dough into rectangles about 1 inch wide and 3" long, with a slit lengthwise. She would pull one end through the slit, forming a loose knot, then fried the batch and covered it with vanilla sugar. My God, they were heavenly - just melting on the tongue! As an interesting footnote: the French have a similar pastry which they call "nun's farts" (pets-de-nonne) because they are so delicate and sweet smelling. Don't let that spoil your taste! :lol:
I remember this cookie from my grandmother, native of Sovakia. Her pronunciation was similiar but I do not speak Czeck, unfortunatly. Does anyone have a recipe fro bozi milosti? I have been using a recipe from an Italian cook book. Thanks in advance.
