Polish · Authentic-ish Polish
Faworki Angel Wings
294 kcal a serving, against 554 for the traditional version. That is 260 kcal off, or 47%, with 15g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour plus resting.
What the traditional version is
Faworki are made from a stiff dough of plain flour, egg yolks, a splash of spirit vodka, soured cream and butter, rolled paper-thin, cut into ribbons, twisted and deep-fried until golden. A blizzard of icing sugar finishes them off. Light as a feather, rich as a bankers' bonus.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter out, cottage cheese in
Butter softens the dough and makes it friable, but cottage cheese bulks it up with protein and enough moisture to keep the dough from drying to masonry. It gives a touch of tang, a touch of chew and takes half the fat away. It does make the dough a bit more elastic and the pastry slightly less tender.
What it costs you. Nobody's going to mistake these for the real, buttery thing. The flavour's a bit more savoury and the pastry isn't as fragile, but you still get a satisfying snap.
Nearly all the soured cream for fat-free Greek yoghurt
Soured cream brings richness, but Greek yoghurt pulls in more protein and keeps it moist. You lose some of the depth, but make it up in smugness. Not that we're allowed smug here.
What it costs you. They're a touch more cake than cloud, but it stays in the realm of 'party pudding', not 'dad's forgotten crackers'.
Bake instead of fry
Deep-frying is what makes a good faworek. Oil works its way between layers, and the blisters are the point. Baking lets you eat twice as many without feeling like you've just mopped the kitchen with your trousers. Still, you'll never get the same shatter.
What it costs you. If you want that feather-light shatter, you can't have it here. Baked faworki have more chew and a browned, rather than golden, finish. It's only a shadow of the real thing. But it's still a good excuse for making a mess with icing sugar.
Add a scoop of whey protein in place of some flour
Nobody's eating angel wings for their macros, but if you swap a chunk of flour for whey protein, you turn a plate of air and starch into something vaguely sustaining. It doesn't hurt the dough, though don't expect it to fool anyone.
What it costs you. There's a hint of milkiness and the faworki brown a hair quicker. If anything, you get a bit more snap, so it's practically a gift.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 554 | 294 |
| Protein | 9.3g | 15g |
| Fat | 28.6g | 4.7g |
| Saturated fat | 9.8g | 1.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 61.4g | 44.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.7g | 5.1g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Polish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
There's no getting round it: baked faworki aren't the original. The texture is more like a sweet cracker than a real angel wing, and you forfeit those glorious bubbles of fried pastry. The yoghurt and cottage cheese do their best, but it's not fooling any grandmother. Still, you get plenty of snap, a good sweet finish and you don't smell like a chip shop after. If you want the real deal, get out the thermometer and oil. For most days, these are a crunchy, happy mess and nobody minds dusting off icing sugar.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Polish, along with 56 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.