SC - Re: A question of re-creation

[Lee-Gwen Booth]

Drake replied to me: 
> >> If you can get your hands on a wafer iron, I have a great "coeliac friendly"
> >> saffron wafer recipe.
> >
> >Please post this! I'd love to have another wafer recipe. Is this, even
> >better, a period recipe? The only other "saffron" wafer recipe I have
> >is from the Polish cookbook discussed here recently. And I never got
> >it to stick together in one piece. Lots of crumbly, good tasting, pretty
> >fragments. But a pain to clean off the wafer iron and not exactly 
> >a "wafer".
> 
> Um, O dear.  That was the recipe I used!!!  I just modified it so it used Rice
> flour instead. Spank me for being naughty and modifying a period recipe for my
> nefarious purposes. I found the wafers crumbly too but the recipe is skewed
> wrong so it ends up with the wrong consistancy.  Wafer batter should be stiff
> like waffle batter.  I can look at the recipe tonight if you wish...

Well, apparently the recipes in that book are not recreations of any particular
period recipe. So I don't see doing some modification as a problem. However,
I'm not experienced enough to know how to modify the given recipe. While I
might have solved the problem with some more trial and error, I was short
of time. It was easier just to use Adamantius' and another's recipe since
they, at least, came out crisp.

I would love to see your recipe. Maybe I can make this version work
after all. Did you vary the sugar/flour proportions? I think the one
in the book was about 1:1 while the others that worked had a smaller
proportion of sugar.
 
> Did you lightly brush the iron with butter?

Yes, or olive oil. I can't remember which. But the iron has a teflon
coating anyway. Actually adding the oil to the batter, which is called
for in the recipe, should take care of the need to lubricate the iron.
 
> I also found that no matter how little a dollop I put in the middle, I also got
> mixture squirting out the side and I noticed that there are two ways of cooking
> the wafer.

Yes, I sometimes had that problem. I thought I could become expert enough
to drop just the exact size dollop of batter in just the exact spot on
the wafer iron to prevent the overflow. I never did.
 
> 1) Put a dollop of batter on and press down really quick and hard.  Makes a
> very thin wafer.
> 2) Put a dollop of batter on, wait 20-30 secs and press down slowly for a
> thicker wafer (and not so much shooting out the side). Works for looser
> batters.

Interesting idea. I'll have to consider trying these two and see how it
works. I was afraid to let it sit too long and usually closed it as soon
as I got a good dollop on each wafer area.
 
> What kind of wafer maker do you have?  I have one of the swedish cast iron ones
> with a scroll pattern.  I produces a 4-in diameter circular wafer.  My pelican
> has about 3, handed down to her from her Norwegian Mother.

It's an electric one ordered my mail order. It was only a little more 
expensive than the simple iron one. (~$55 vs. ~$45) and I thought the
heat would be a little more controllable or at least repeatable.

It is a Prego brand unit and makes the four inch diameter wafers.
 
> Cheers,
> 
> Drake.
> 
> ps.  Anyone else out there have a wafer iron and some funky wafer recipes.  How
>      common was it to serve wafers at a feast?

Apparently it has not been uncommon in the East Kingdom. I don't know if
it has
ever been done at an Ansteorran feast. And I have only done it for a
Yule pot
luck local feast and for the Royalty and entourage at a small luncheon.
I'd like
to spread the idea around some in Ansteorra. It was apparently fairly common
at some period feasts.

I never got the savory recipe to work either. If anyone has a recipe for a
savory (ie: with cheese) wafer recipe that has worked for them, I'd like to
get it.
 
> pps. At Lochac's Midwinter, I spent all Sunday morning cranking out Rosewater
>      wafers.  They were a huge hit.  We actually had 6 year old, in total gales
>      of tears.  When asked by two ladies, he said 'I didn't get a pancake'. 
>      After being regaled of this story as we were cleaning up, I cranked out a
>      small batch of batter and made him a couple.  Never seen a set of eyes
>      light up when he was presnted with 3 'pancakes' just for him.  A magical
>      moment (which are rare for me in the SCA these days).

Very nice. I'm afraid such moments have been rather rare for me in the
SCA for awhile, too.

- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
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