Faworki
Faworki (chruściki): thin twisted ribbons of crisp fried dough dusted with icing sugar
PolishOn Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent, Polish queues for pączki are matched only by the piles of faworki, also called chruściki, sold by the bag. They are paper-thin strips of rich egg-yolk and sour-cream dough, each pulled through a slit to make a twist, fried for seconds until they blister and puff into shattering, bubbly shards. Many families add a spoon of spirit to the dough to make them extra crisp; vinegar does the same job alcohol-free and is used here. Where most people go wrong is rolling the dough too thick, which gives chewy biscuits rather than glass-thin crisps. Chef's tip: beat the dough with a rolling pin for 5 minutes before rolling; the air you trap makes the bubbles.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 9 oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
- 4 tbsp sour cream18% fat
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp icing sugarfor the dough
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil or rapeseed oilfor deep frying
- 4 tbsp icing sugarfor dusting
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour, 1 tbsp icing sugar and 1 pinch salt on a worktop. Add 4 egg yolks, 4 tbsp sour cream and 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and knead for 5 minutes into a firm, smooth dough.
6 minStep 2: Beat the dough with a rolling pin for 5 minutes, folding it over every few strokes, until it is silky and small air bubbles appear when you cut it. Wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Roll a quarter of the dough on a floured worktop as thin as you can, about 1 mm, so you can almost see the worktop through it. Cut into strips 3 × 10 cm and make a 3 cm slit in the centre of each.
10 minStep 4: Pull one end of each strip through its slit to make a twist.
6 minStep 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil or rapeseed oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry the twists a few at a time for 20–30 seconds per side, until pale golden and covered in blisters. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
18 minStep 6: Dust generously with 4 tbsp icing sugar when cool. They stay crisp for 2 days in a tin.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does faworki take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sour cream?
- Greek yoghurt, same amount.
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