Real Pączki is the pączki counter of Ideal Bakery, a family-run Polish-American bakery serving the Chicago area since 1928.
Ideal Bakery is a family-run business deeply passionate about creating exceptional European breads, pastries, cakes and a variety of other delights. Rooted in heritage, we take pride in bringing authentic flavors to our local community.
The Kowal family immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1995, carrying the values that still run the bakery: hard work, family, faith and craftsmanship. Kazimierz Kowal wanted to build something that would outlast him and support the generations behind him. In 2006 he and his daughter Mariola bought their first bakery, and the family has been baking ever since.
Today the business is run by the Kowal and Klimek families together, with the children, their spouses and extended family in the bakeries every week. Ideal Bakery became the name over the whole operation in 2015, and it is the name on the pączki box.
From one shop on the edge of Chicago to a production bakery and a family of neighborhood counters.
The Kowal family immigrates to the United States, bringing recipes, technique and the intention to build a bakery that lasts.
Kazimierz and his daughter Mariola purchase Signature Breads, the cornerstone of everything that followed.
Mariola and her brother Chris open a Polish and Eastern European deli in Romeoville, deepening the family’s ties to the community.
The family acquires Ideal Bakery. The name becomes the banner for the whole operation and the symbol of its commitment to tradition.
Another neighborhood bakery joins the family, still run the same hands-on way.
A state-of-the-art facility opens in August, letting the bakery grow without changing how anything is made. Jarosch Bakery joins the family in May of the same year.
The family acquires Oak Mill Bakery and opens a new Jarosch retail location.
At Ideal Bakery we believe every bite should tell a story. Our gourmet pączki are handcrafted using an authentic old-world Polish recipe, brought to life right here in the USA by the Kowal family, a proud Polish-American family with generations of baking expertise.
These are not just pastries. They are a taste of heritage, filled with love, tradition, and only the finest ingredients. Whether you are Polish or just passionate about great flavor, one bite and you will understand why we say: smacznego.
One is a pączek. More than one, which is the normal situation, are pączki. It sounds roughly like POANCH-kee, and the little hook under the a is a real letter, not decoration.
A pączek is not a jelly doughnut. The dough is far richer: whole milk, eggs and extra yolks, real butter, sugar. It fries up dense and slightly chewy rather than light and crumbly, it has no hole, and it is filled generously and closed. In Poland the classic fillings are wild rose petal jam and powidła, a thick stewed plum butter. In Chicago the list has grown to raspberry, strawberry, apricot, prune, cherry, blueberry, cream cheese, lemon and Bavarian cream.
Our mission is simple: to provide you with the highest quality products and ingredients, and we guarantee your complete satisfaction. We invite you to rethink your bakery and experience the difference.
Boxes of four, dozens and catering trays are all available through the Ideal Bakery shop, with pickup across the Chicago area.
