Faworki Polish Chrusciki Recipes

FAWORKI RECIPE (POLISH ANGEL WINGS/CHRUSTY/CHRUśCIKI)

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk the egg yolks with vanilla and sour cream, add all the other ingredients, and knead a smooth dough. It will take about 7 minutes with a stand mixer (fitted with a dough hook attachment) or about 12 minutes by hand. The dough should be very smooth.
• 'Beat' the dough: Roll out the dough slightly (into roughly 8-inch/20cm round/square), fold in half, then fold in half again. Repeat it 4 times. Beat the dough with the rolling pin while you try to roll it out - this will make these crunchy air bubbles on the faworki. You can roll it out with a pasta machine, I usually don't do that - you should beat it with a rolling pin as much as you can. Note: beating the dough is not completely necessary but it will result in a very crispy, delicate dough.
• Let it rest: Wrap the dough in plastic foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes (it will be easier to roll out).
• Roll out the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough as thinly as you can (you should see through the dough). I love to use a silicone rolling mat for rolling out any dough. The dough will be rather tough to roll out.
• Cut and shape the faworki: Cut the dough into 1.5-inch (4cm) wide strips (you can use a ravioli cutter wheel or pizza knife). Cut each strip into 5-inch (13cm) long slices (you can cut them parallel to the previous cuts or at an angle, like on the photos). Cut a small slit in the middle of each strip. Twist and pull one end through the slit. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel so it won't dry out.
• Fry the dough: Heat 3-4 cups of frying oil to 355°F (180°C) in a shallow pot or a frying pan. You should have about 2 inches of fat in the pot. Fry the faworki in batches until golden on both sides (using two forks, turn them on the other side). Don't go away from the pot, they cook fast - about 1-2 minutes per batch. Don't add too many at once or the temperature of the oil will drop too much and they will soak up the fat. The temperature of the oil should always be between 347°F-365°F(175°C-185°C) - it's best to check it with a candy/grill thermometer.
• Dust with powdered sugar: Transfer each batch of faworki to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat. When they are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a second plate and dust them generously with powdered sugar (they should be dusted in sugar while still warm).
• Enjoy!

CHRUśCIKI (CHRUSTY OR FAWORKI)

Steps:

• On a work surface, mix the baking powder, sugar and flour.
• Make a well in the center and add the eggs, cream, salt, butter, and alcohol.
• Knead until reaching a smooth and homogeneous dough, about 10 minutes.
• Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough vigorously (incorporate 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour if the dough sticks too much) and roll it with a rolling pin to a thickness of ⅛ inch (6mm) (or thinner for crispier chruściki).
• Using a pastry wheel or knife, cut rectangles of about 2x1 inch (5 x 2,5 cm) and make an incision in the center of each rectangle. Take each rectangle and spread the incision to move one of its two smaller sides in this incision.
• Here is a video that will help you.
• Deep fry in a oil preheated at 350 F / 170 c, turning chruściki halfway through cooking until very golden brown about 1 minute per side. Fry a few pieces at a time without overcrowding.
• Drain and place on a plate covered with paper towels. Roll in powdered sugar or sugar.

CHRUSCIKI I

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, salt, vanilla, and whiskey. Stir in 2 cups of the flour. If dough is sticky, add the rest of the flour. Knead dough for 5 minutes; divide into three parts. Keep dough pieces covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Or, alternately, melt 2 pounds lard(see Editor's Note). Oil should be about 1 inch deep.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough until it's paper-thin. Cut into parallelogram (long diamond) shapes, and use a sharp paring knife to cut a slot in the centers. Pull one point of the diamond through the slot; set aside and repeat with remaining pieces.
• Fry 2 to 4 pieces at a time, depending on the size of your pan, about 5 to 10 seconds on each side. The cookies should not be browned. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels; dust with confectioners' sugar when cool. Store any remaining cookies in an airtight container.

CHRUSCIKI WITH MRS. KOSTYRA

Steps:

• Put melted butter, eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, sour cream, salt, extracts, vinegar, and rum in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until mixture is pale, about 3 minutes. With mixer running, add zests. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add up to 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a fairly stiff dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead, dusting with flour if it seems sticky, until dough becomes smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Halve dough, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Let dough rest at room temperature, 30 minutes.
• Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until very thin (about 1/16 inch thick). Using a straightedge as a guide, cut the dough into 5-by-1 1/4-inch strips. Trim ends on the diagonal.
• Lay dough strips vertically in front of you, and cut a 1 1/4-inch-long opening through the middle of each strip. Working with one strip at a time, push one end through the cut, then pull through to make a bow-tie shape. Transfer formed chrusciki to a large parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Repeat process with remaining dough.
• Heat shortening in a large (6-quart) pot over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Working in small batches of about 7, fry chrusciki, turning once with a slotted spoon, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer fried chrusciki with slotted spoon to two paper-towel-lined baking sheets to drain. (Adjust heat between batches as necessary to keep oil at a steady temperature.)
• Just before serving, dust chrusciki with confectioners' sugar.

CHRUśCIKI, CHRUSTY, FAWORKI: POLISH-STYLE ANGEL WINGS

Steps:

• Sift flour, caster sugar and salt into a bowl. Add egg yolks, vodka and sour cream.
• Knead together by hand (grease your hands first!), or use a stand mixer with a dough hook. Form a smooth dough ball.Pro tip: Some recipes suggest placing a dough ball into a bowl, covering it with a cloth (or cling film) and resting it for 45-60 minutes in the refrigerator. By some accounts, the resting time improves dough plasticity. That said, this recipe was tested without resting, and it worked out just fine.
• Move the dough onto the worktop. Begin folding the dough over itself, giving a quarter-turn of the dough between each fold.
• "Beat up" the dough on each side with a rolling pin, the more violent you are - the better. As you do this, you will feel the dough become pliable and and easier to work with. Traditional recipes call for at least 20 minutes of such treatment, but let's be realistic here - try to do as much as you can.Pro tip: Do you own a meat grinder? Push the dough through 3 times, using the largest holes. Anecdotally, this process allows to skip the whole "dough beating" described above.
• Lightly dust the worktop with flour. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal parts, and roll one of them out - as thinly as possible. If you own a pasta maker, it will provide very useful here. Cover the remaining dough parts with a cloth, to prevent it from drying out.
• Using a knife or a pizza/pasta cutter wheel, cut out long strips, approx. 1.2-1.5'' (3-4 cm) wide. Then, cut them into shorter pieces - around 3.5-4'' (9-10 cm) long - cut straight or diagonally at the ends.
• Make a 0.8'' (2 cm) incision in the middle of each strip. Then pull one end through that hole to form a bow. Grab the ends, shake and pull them gently and set aside. Continue until you're out of strips.
• In a wide cooking pot or a large, deep skillet, heat up lard or neutral cooking oil. If you own a kitchen thermometer, aim for 350-355°F (180°C). If you don't, throw in a small piece of dough - if it rises and flows, that means it's hot enough.
• Fry only a few chruściki at a time, until they turn lightly golden - around 30-60 seconds per side. Watch them like a hawk, they're fried very quickly.
• Retrieve faworki with a slotted spoon and onto a paper towel. Dust them generously with icing sugar, as soon as possible. Don't wait for them to cool completely, sugar tends to stick better to warm pastries.

POLISH ANGEL WINGS-CHRUSCIKI

Steps:

• Beat eggs until thick.
• Add salt slowly while stirring.
• Add sugar and vanilla, beat well.
• Add cream and flour, alternating until blended. You may need more than the flour listed above depending on how humid it is that day.
• Turn onto a floured board.
• Cover with a cloth for 10 minutes.
• Knead until dough blisters.
• Roll very thin.
• Cut into 1 inch by 4 inch rectangles.
• Cut a gash in the middle of the rectangle and pull one end through so it looks like a twist.
• Fry in 375 degree oil until golden brown.
• Drain on a rack for 3 minutes then roll into powdered sugar.