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Oblátky
Christmas wafers with honey
Oblátky: Slovak Christmas Eve wafers eaten with honey and garlic
In Slovakia the Christmas Eve supper (Štedrá večera) opens with oblátky: large, paper-thin wafers stamped with a nativity pattern. The head of the household marks each person's forehead with a cross of honey, and everyone eats a wafer spread with honey, often with a sliver of garlic for health, before the cabbage soup. Families buy them from the church or bake them on a patterned wafer iron; this recipe also gives a pan method for thin, crisp wafers. Chef's tip: the batter must be thin like single cream, as a thicker batter gives a soft pancake instead of a wafer.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the wafers
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 oz cornflour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oilplus extra for the iron
To serve
- 6 tbsp runny honey
- 1 garlic clove (optional)thinly sliced, optional
- 1 ⅜ oz walnuts (optional)chopped, optional
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 oz cornflour, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 1 cup milk, ½ cup water and 2 tbsp sunflower oil to a very smooth, thin batter. Rest for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Heat a wafer iron or a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat and wipe with a little oil.
Step 3: If using an iron, pour in 2 tablespoons of batter, close and bake for 1–2 minutes until crisp and pale gold. In a pan, swirl in 2 tablespoons of batter to a very thin layer, cook for 2 minutes, then flip and press flat with a spatula for 1–2 minutes more.
40 minStep 4: Dry the wafers on a rack in an oven at 250°F for 5 minutes, until crisp right through. A common mistake is stacking them warm: they steam and go soft.
5 minStep 5: At the table, spread each wafer with 6 tbsp runny honey and scatter with 1 ⅜ oz walnuts, with a slice of 1 garlic clove for those who keep the old custom.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does oblátky take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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 cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
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Perfect for:Christmas