[Sca-cooks] On Nattes

[Ursula Georges]

On 6/23/2010 8:59 PM, wheezul at canby.com wrote:

> The next question is about wafers - ablaten/oblaten in this case.  I know
> that they refer to unleavened communion wafers and are still available for
> baking German lebkuchen.  It's used a with a little variation in Wecker,
> so I'm not sure they are always these and medievally appeared to mean some
> sort of baked good (outside of a communion host).  However, Anna Wecker
> also says that they are made from round flat irons and implies that one
> may "find them" rather than "make them".  Further, a recipe in another
> cookbook for filled oblaten specified that one should take care to make
> sure that it stayed white before frying them.  So I'm leaning toward the
> white wafer concept.  Does anyone have a period recipe for a communion
> wafer?

I have lots of period recipes for non-communion wafers!  Markham even 
mentions white vs. brown color:

***

To make the best Wafers, take the finest wheat-flowers you can get, and 
mix it with Cream, the yelks of Eggs, Rose-water, Sugar, and Cinamon, 
till it be a little thicker than Pancake-batter, and then warming your 
Wafter Irons on a charcoal-fire, anoint them first with sweet Butter, 
and than lay on your batter, and press it, and bake it white or brown at 
your pleasure.

***

(I have a handout on wafers from a class I taught at Caid's Collegium, 
if you're interested.)

I make wafers using a krumkake iron which I bought on e-bay.  It has a 
little ring which supports it over a burner; the handles are too short 
for a fire, I think.  You can see some pictures here:

http://ursula.dreamwidth.org/101402.html?#cutid1

I could bring wafers or their makings to An Tir/ West, if you like.

Ursula Georges.