Obwarzanek krakowski

Appearance & taste

The Obwarzanek krakowski is usually oval with an opening in the middle, less often exactly circular. Its surface is formed by strands of dough twisted around each other in a spiral; the dough cord is 2 to 4 cm thick, the ring 12 to 17 cm across and 80 to 120 g in weight. The colour ranges from light to dark golden yellow to light brown, with a distinct sheen. The crust is fairly firm and crisp, smooth or slightly rough, and the crumb inside is pale, soft and slightly moist.

Crust and crumb taste slightly sweet, as is typical of baked goods whose dough is scalded before baking. The taste is also shaped by the topping, for example salt, sesame, poppy seeds, nigella, herbs, a spicy mixture of paprika, caraway and pepper, or cheese and onions; other toppings are also allowed. According to the specification, it also differs from other baked goods in that it stays fresh for only a few hours.

Production

For 100 kg of wheat flour, of which up to 30 % may be replaced by rye flour, there are 2 to 3 kg of fat, 2 to 4 kg of sugar, 1 to 2 kg of yeast, 1 to 1.5 kg of salt and 40 to 48 l of water. All the ingredients are mixed at once into a yeast dough, which rests for a few minutes in summer and up to an hour in winter, depending on the temperature. It is then divided into pieces, rolled out and cut into strands. Two to three strands are twisted around each other in a spiral; the baker wraps the cord around his hand and joins the ends with a twisting movement, pressing against the table. Because they are shaped by hand, every ring looks slightly different.

After a further rest on a board or net, the raw rings are dipped into water at least 90 °C hot, to which a little honey may be added as needed, until they rise to the surface by themselves. They are then sprinkled with the topping and baked. All steps from the dough to baking take place in the area. The baked goods may only be wrapped individually once they have cooled, because otherwise they lose their crispness and become chewy. If they are sold unwrapped, the point of sale is labelled “Obwarzanek krakowski”.

Origin & history

The area covers the city of Kraków and the districts of Kraków and Wieliczka in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The name comes from the Polish verb “obwarzać”, to scald. The first mention is an invoice from the court of King Władysław Jagiełło and Queen Jadwiga dated 2 March 1394: “Obrzanky” rings for the queen for 1 grosz.

Bakers are recorded in Kraków from the 13th century; in 1458 their guild received a charter. A privilege of King John Albert from 1496 forbade anyone outside the city to bake white bread, and thus also the obwarzanek; the kings confirmed it until the 17th century. Originally only bakers chosen by the guild were allowed to bake the ring, and only during Lent. In 1802 the right to bake it was assigned to bakers by lot; after 1849 the sources say nothing more about it, and today every baker may bake it daily.

The ring used to be sold at bread stalls that opened before 6 a.m., and as late as the 1950s straight from wicker baskets. Today it is available in shops and bakeries and from the typical small vending carts, according to the specification around 170 to 180 in Kraków. According to the specification, almost 150,000 are sold on Kraków’s Main Market Square on an ordinary working day. The city uses the bread as a symbol in its tourism promotion.