I cannot resist them—delicate, light as a feather and dusted with powdered sugar: faworki. A brilliantly simple and delicious treat from the oven. And if you make them the way I do, they will also be healthier. Because these are oven-baked faworki.

As delicious as those fried in deep fat, crispy, not too sweet and significantly lower in calories. My grandmother was the undisputed master of faworki. On long January and February afternoons, when there was considerably less work on the farm, she would conjure up carnival treats for us. And of course, she fried them in deep fat.

It is not known for certain where faworki came from or how they found their way onto Polish tables. One version claims that they are as old as the customs of French knights. Favor meant bows made from ribbon, which women gave to knights as a sign of favor. And these delicate, crisp carnival pastries do indeed resemble such ribbons.

There is also a Polish legend popular among the residents of Wielkopolska. Faworki were supposedly created by accident by confectioners at the Fawor confectionery in Poznań. A thin piece of dough accidentally fell into the vat where doughnuts were being fried, dropped by a novice confectioner. The master confectioner was furious, but when he took the dough out of the fat, it turned out to be delicious. It quickly became a permanent item on the confectionery’s menu.

Faworki z piekarnikaFaworki z piekarnika • platebykate.com

Lighter and healthier oven-baked faworki

The best faworki are light, crisp and crackle between your teeth. My beloved grandmother calls them chruściki, as do many people who associate them with dry twigs. Whatever their name, they are delicious and, unfortunately, very calorific. Unless, that is, instead of deep-frying, you prepare oven-baked faworki.

The recipe is simpler than you might think. What is more, making faworki is an excellent way to relieve stress. First, mix all the ingredients and quickly knead the dough. I do this in a food processor. Second, once the ball of dough is ready, you need to beat it thoroughly. The faworki will be perfect if you give the dough a good thrashing with a rolling pin. This way, plenty of air gets inside the dough, making the faworki ultra-crisp.

Roll out the dough very thinly, cut it into rectangles, make a slit and pull it through the opening to form the faworki. They are ready after 8–10 minutes in the oven. Before baking, you can lightly spray them with oil spray. You can, but you do not have to. After baking, dust the faworki with powdered sugar and they are ready.

P.S. If you are looking for interesting and simple recipes, check out my other recipes for carnival treats. You will find them at www.platebykate.com.

I would be delighted if you liked my Facebook page @platebykate and followed my profile @plateby.kate on Instagram.

Enjoy!

Faworki z piekarnikaFaworki z piekarnika • platebykate.com

OVEN-BAKED FAWORKI

Preparation: 20 min
plus baking: 20 min.

Ingredients

  • 300 g flour,
  • 50 g butter,
  • 5 egg yolks,
  • 5 tablespoons 30% sour cream,
  • 1 teaspoon sugar,
  • a pinch of salt,
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder,
  • 1 tablespoon spirit, rum or
  • rapeseed oil spray, optional.

FOR DUSTING

  • powdered sugar for dusting.

Method

  1. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar. Add the sour cream, chopped butter, egg yolks and spirit. Mix with a fork, knead the dough and then shape it into a ball. You can also knead the dough using a mixer, food processor or blender.
  2. Beat the prepared dough with a rolling pin—when it becomes flat, fold it like a letter and beat it along the shorter side. I do this for about 10 minutes. The longer you beat the dough with the rolling pin, the crisper the faworki will be. When you get tired, you can also roll out and fold the dough.
  3. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part out into a thin sheet. Using a pastry wheel, cut it into strips about 2 centimetres wide, then divide them into pieces about 10 centimetres long.
  4. Make a slit in the middle of each rectangle of dough, then, holding the piece by one end, pull the other end through the opening.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Arrange the faworki on a baking tray lined with baking paper. You can spray the faworki with rapeseed or coconut oil spray. Bake the faworki for about 8–10 minutes, checking the oven frequently—you need to watch them closely because the dough is very thin and can burn quickly.
  6. Once cooled, dust the faworki with powdered sugar.
Faworki z piekarnikaFaworki z piekarnika • platebykate.com