Oven-baked faworki: A lighter twist on carnival classics
Carnival sweets look so tempting that it's hard to resist them. For those who find doughnuts too much, they turn to recipes for other, lighter pastries, like faworki. Unfortunately, these deep-fried treats aren't diet-friendly either. In the spirit of the carnival, one might ease up on calorie counting. However, a much better solution is to prepare a lighter version of faworki, which doesn't need to be limited.
Nutritionists warn that deep-fried foods are harmful to health. However, the power of tradition is enormous. Especially during the carnival, which is full of sweets, it's hard to deny yourself a single faworek, doughnut, or pączek. How can you reduce the unhealthy aspect of these sweet delights? The solution could be baking faworki in the oven.
Healthier variants of carnival sweets
You can also bake traditional doughnuts in the oven to avoid them being soaked in oil or lard. Whole grain flour and honey or agave syrup substitutes will provide a slightly different texture but equally wonderful taste. Baked doughnuts are definitely less caloric than those fried in oil, and the addition of healthy ingredients makes them more nutritious.
Fruit smoothies and light, colourful desserts based on yogurt or skyr can be wonderful complements to the carnival table. Fresh fruits combined with natural yogurt, granola, or nuts are tasty alternatives for those who want to enjoy sweets without guilt.
The secret to perfect faworki
The dough for faworki should be "beaten" with a rolling pin. How do you do this? Once you've kneaded the ingredients into a ball, hit the dough with the rolling pin until it becomes flat. Then fold it several times and beat it again with the rolling pin.
You can safely let out your emotions—the more you beat the dough, the better. Wrap the finished dough into a ball and allow it to rest in the fridge. You too could use a break. Brew yourself a cup of aromatic tea, and after the break, return to preparing the faworki.
Recipe for oven-baked faworki
These faworki won't be deep-fried, so you don't need to add spirits to the dough.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour,
- 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar,
- 50 grams of butter,
- 3 egg yolks,
- 100 millilitres of 18% sour cream,
- a pinch of salt.
Instructions:
- Sift the flour onto a board, adding powdered sugar and chopped cold butter.
- Form into a cone, making a well in the centre. Add the egg yolks, sour cream, and a pinch of salt.
- Knead the dough into a ball, then beat it with a rolling pin.
- Knead into a ball again, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a floured board into a very thin sheet.
- Using a knife or pastry wheel, cut strips about 4 centimetres wide, then cut into approximately 8-centimetre lengths.
- Make a small incision in the middle of each. Pull one end of the faworki through.
- Place the prepared faworki on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put them in an oven preheated to 160 degrees Celsius with fan circulation. Bake for 8–10 minutes.
- Remove when the faworki turns golden.
- You can sprinkle baked faworki with powdered sugar sifted through a fine sieve.
