AUNT LUCY’S SLAVIC PANCAKES (PODPLOMYKI)

Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

flat bread with honey and plum jam

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the slavic “pancakes”, a.k.a. “podłomyki”, are mentioned on the occasion of the side quest “Where the Cat and Wolf Play...”, which is a continuation of the “The Beast of Honorton” quest. Geralt meets a girl in her path, little Millie, who thanks to the Witcher help, reaches the village of Oreton. There lives her relative, Aunt Lucy, who specializes in kneading delicious pancakes - "podpłomyki".

This snack is one of the oldest forms of bread usually made on stones heated up in a fire. Bearing in mind the Slavic roots to which the game refers, it is very easy to identify the ingredients needed for this recipe. To prepare the dough for genuine Slavic pancakes (podpłomyki), you should only use flour, salt and water. You can also add Slavic herbs and spices as black cumin (nigella seeds) or caraway. These are the ingredients that the innkeepers of those times often had access to. Podpłomyki can be served both as a standalone snack, but also in the company of an appropriate addition - honey or thick plum jam. You can just simply spread them or eat bread by dipping the detached small pieces in your favourite dip.

SERVING: 5 portions

In a small saucepan, bring water with salt to a boil, turn off the heat (if you decide to add herbs and spices, add them to the water at this point) and set aside to slightly cool off (it should be warm, but not steaming hot).

Sieve the flour into a bowl. Pour the hot water into the flour in portions, and knead the dough (add as much water as it needs to become elastic). This process should take a few minutes, and you should obtain elastic, smooth dough.

If using the oven, preheat it to 392°F/200°C

Form very thin, oval pancakes with your hands, transfer them on a previously greased baking tray and put in the prehetaed oven. Bake until browned (about 6-10 minutes). You can also prepare them on the pan - fry them on a dry non-stock pan on both sides for a couple of mintues, until browned.

PLUM JAM
Wash plums, halve them, remove and discard seeds. Then slowly fry them on a low heat in a saucepan for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to scrape up the bottom. Jam is ready when it "peels off "from the spoon in batches (it should be very thick). Add sugar at the end, if needed and cook for 5 more minutes.