Yesterday, I made two loaves of challah. It felt like a funny activity for a Sunday, I’ll admit. (I usually make challah in a flurried rush on Friday afternoon.) But I’d had a culinary brain flash the other day, that I felt compelled to try out: apple cider challah.

The idea was originally inspired by a beautiful loaf of apple honey challah my friend Ariela over at Baking and Books made last year. Lying in bed a few Sunday mornings ago, still heavy with dreams and sleep, I’d suddenly remembered that beautiful loaf of bread Ariela had made, which twisted the flavors of Rosh Hashanah into braided loaves. My thoughts then drifted to another favorite fall treat, apple cider - the one drink that manages to capture all of the sweet, spicy secrets of autumn.

Despite not being fully awake yet, my brain somehow managed to fuse these two thoughts together Sesame Street style: Cider………Challah Cider….Challah. Cider.Challah. Eureka! All of a sudden, I could hardly imagine a world without apple cider challah. (According to Google, only one other person has thought of it before.) So yesterday, I set about making my dream bread into a reality. It was such a treat to knead the loaves and let them rise on the counter without the pressure of the setting sun at my back. And as I bit into a warm slice, spread with a dollop of amber-colored apricot jam, I felt (almost) okay with the fact that fall is just around the corner.

Question to the Jewish text-perts out there: If you make challah that is not meant for Shabbat, do you still need to remove some of the dough as the Challah offering?

Find the recipe below the jump.

Read more »

I’ve been working on a few bread projects lately: sourdough starter, and the no-knead focaccia-style bread recipe from the NY Times last year. Today, I completed a successful merger and the result? Only half a loaf left, after my parents & I were through with it at dinner.

The no-knead recipe goes something like this: wet dough + long time to rise = big air bubbles. Home-bakers tend to be more familiar with the opposite kind of bread, that is, a very elastic, kneadable dough, that rises for 2-3 hours, and gives a dense, fine-crumb loaf. You could come home from work at 4 and still have challah for shabbos at 8 kind of thing. But the air bubbles intrigued me — who doesn’t love french bread! and so I’ve been experimenting.
Read more »

See Original Post

Homemade Challah

1-1/4 c. warm water (a little warmer than lukewarm)
3 T. yeast (or 3 packets)mix together until foamy - about 10 min.

1 capful of cinnamon (for whole wheat only)
2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. oil
2/3 c. sugar
5 large eggs 3 cups of whole wheat flour and then add white until doughy (probably 5-6 cups total, but check the consistancy as you go).

Knead for couple minutes. Oil the bowl that you’re letting it rise in, so the dough won’t stick to the sides. Let it rise until it’s double the size. (Tip for rising: if it’s not rising fast enough, turn on the oven to 200 degrees. Once it’s hot enough, turn off the oven and put the dough in. This will make it rise faster, but make sure it’s not hot enough to bake it!) Punch it down and take challah. Make into loaves and let them rise until they are double the size. Bake on 350 for about 25 mintues.

See Original Post

Kezach Bread of Wonder (not to be mistaken with Wonder Bread)

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 package of dry yeast

1 (heaping) tbs. brown sugar

1.5 cups wheat semolina

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbs. olive oil

3 tbs. black cumin

1 tbs. kosher salt

Preparation:

1. Combine water (warm it up first), brown sugar, and yeast in mixing bowl. Let sit for five minutes or until all yeast is dissolved and there is a foamy coating on the surface.
2. Add wheat semolina, whole wheat flour, and cumin seeds. Mix well.
3. Cover with damp dishtowel and let rise for one hour.
4. Uncover after an hour and knead dough (if it is too gooey, add some extra whole wheat flour). Return it to bowl, cover, and let rise for 30 more minutes.
5. Uncover and knead again, this time shaping it into a log-like form that fits your bread pan.
6. Top with a sprinkling of kosher salt and cumin seeds, let rise for 30 more minutes while your oven heats up.
7. Bake in oven at about 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped.

Serve warm or cold, tastes great with butter, cottage, cream cheese, and more. Also great toasted.

See Original Post

Litvak Bagels, Duluth, Minnesota circa 1900

(yield 5 to 5 1/2 dozen - this recipe takes most of a day to complete)

15 cups white flour

1/2 cups kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 jumbo eggs (at room temperature, leave out overnight)

4 1/2 to 5 cups water

2 pkgs yeast

Method:

Pour flour into large dishpan. Add salt, sugar, oil. Add eggs, one by one. Dilute yeast in a little warm water (110 degrees) containing a drop of sugar, then add to mixture. Add 4 cups of the water and mix well by hand. Gradually add a little more water, until you have a stiff dough. Bagel dough is sitffer than bread dough. Knead very well.

Cover and keep warm until raised double in bulk. Punch down and let rise again until double in bulk.

Put a large roasting pan full of water on the stove over a high heat to boil.

Take a piece of dough two inches long and roll with your hands into a spindle shape. Join ends to make a circle. Place on a tray or table. Do not cover. After all the dough is formed, start with your first formed bagles, now having risen again (to twice their bulk).

Put a few, maybe 7, in the pan of boiling water at a rolling boil. When the water returns to a boil, tip over bagel to cook on opposite side. When water again returns to a boil, remove bagel ot a wet wooden board.

When board is covered with bagels not too close together, put in 450 degree oven on top rack. When bagel dries enough to hold its shape and can be picked up easily, place it on bare oven rack in lower part of oven. When the bottom is brown, turn over to brown on other side. Watch the baking as this is a qucik turnover and food can easily burn.

(reprinted from the Duluth Jewish Fellowship News, October 1983)

See Original Post

Bread Machine Whole-Wheat Challah Recipe

2/3 c. water
2 T. oil
2 eggs
2 T. honey
1 t. salt
2 1/4 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t. regular yeast

Put in bread machine in order it calls for. Mix on dough cycle. Remove, braid and cover. Let rise about 45 min. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with poppy, sesame seeds or hemp seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Makes 2 loaves.

See Original Post

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Loaf
from Crazy Plates, by Janet and Greta Podleski

Combine these items:
2- 1/2 C flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1- 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each cinnamon and baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Whisk together:
3 eggs ( or 3/4 C. fat free egg substitute)
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1/3 C vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

add:
2 C packed, grated zucchini

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones; add 1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Spread batter evenly into 2 - 8″ x 4″ loaf pans oiled or sprayed with non-stick spray

Bake 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to racks.

See Original Post

Apple-Honey Challah 

Ingredients: Makes 1 Loaf

• 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of warm milk (whole is best, low-fat is ok too)
• 2 eggs + 1 for the glaze
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze
• 3/4 tablespoon dark wildflower honey
• 1/2 cup diced organic dry apples

In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey - residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the apples, which should be added in handfuls. Switch to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time - just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on.

Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Braiding: There are several ways to braid your dough, using anywhere from 3 to 6 strands (or more!). It’s traditional for Rosh Hashanah loaves to be round, but challah is delicious regardless of shape so go with whatever shape feels right to you.

• Three strand braided challah. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, not quite touching. Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center - left over, right over, left over - until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly - you don’t want any gaps. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under.Once you have braided your dough in this fashion you can bake it as is, or twist the braid around itself, pinwheel fashion, thereby achieving the round challah look. Tuck the tail end of the braid underneath the coil and gently pinch the dough together to seal it closed. Another 3 braid option is to place the braided dough in a 9 x 12 inch loaf pan so that your bread has a rectangular bottom and a braided top.
• Woven round challah, which is what I did to the bread pictured in this post. To achieve this look divide your dough into 4 equal portions, then roll each out into smooth, thick strips about 15 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Arrange these ropes into a tic-tac-toe shape, with one pair of ropes perpendicular to the second pair. (You should have two ropes of dough running directly away from you, and two ropes running parallel to you.) Instead of just laying the top ropes on the bottom ones, weave them under/over: with the ropes running parallel to you, take the rope farthest away from you and weave it under the leftmost vertical rope, then over the rightmost vertical rope; take the parallel rope closest to you and weave it over the leftmost vertical rope, then under the rightmost vertical rope. Push the ropes together so that there isn’t any open space in the middle of your beginning weave.Now take the bottom of the rightmost vertical rope (probably the one directly in front of your right hand) and weave it over the rope next to it on the right (counter clockwise). Take the rope that was just woven over, and weave it over the rope next to it. Continue until you reach the first rope, then reverse the process and weave the ropes left, in a clockwise fashion. If you have enough dough, weave the ropes one more time right, counter clockwise. By this time you should have short stumps of dough sticking out - one by one, pull them clockwise and gently pinch them against the larger mass of already woven dough. Finally, using both hands, gently grab your woven dough and slowly flip it over. You’ve just created a woven challah. Yay!

  Helpful link: There is a useful tutorial on how to weave a round challah here.

• You can also bypass the entire braiding process by cutting your dough into four or five large chunks and stacking them side-by-side in a large loaf or bundt pan. This simple method also produces a beautiful loaf of bread!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes. If you are using a loaf pan, likewise loosely cover your dough with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. If you are using a loaf pan you can test your bread by covering the pan with a clean kitchen towel then, while wearing oven mitts, flipping the pan over so that the bread falls into the towel. Thump the bottom. If it does not sound hollow place the pan back on the bread, flip it over, and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

When your bread is done transfer it to a baking rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing - or at least wait until it’s warm, not hot - then enjoy!

See Original Post

Herbed Pizza Dough

*Recipe adapted from How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet

1 1/2 cups tepid water
1/4 oz packet yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together the water and yeast until dissolved. Add the salt and whisk again. Stir in the flour and herbs and knead dough for about three minutes. Set aside and let dough rise for 20 minutes in a warm, draft-free place. Knead again and if the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour. Let the dough rise for another 10-20 minutes (or longer). Roll out dough onto a pizza pan and prick all over with a fork before adding all your goodies! Bake 30-40 minutes.

See Original Post

Banana Cake

This cake is a great way to use up bananas that are over-ripe.

• 2.3 cups of flour
• 1 cup pecans (broken)
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup candied ginger
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• .5 tsp. baking soda
• .25 tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup mashed banana (about three bananas)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup buttermilk

mix flour, pecans, cranberries, candied ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt
in large bowl, mix sugar, banana, vanilla, eggs
add butter & buttermilk mix well.
add flour mix and mix well
butter and dust a non-stick 10″ bundt pan
bake at 350º for about an hour

 See Original Post

Banana Bread from Selma Zuckerman
I got many thumbs up for this banana bread, which I made lower fat and just as tasty by substituting half of the butter for applesauce, and using non-fat yogurt instead of buttermilk or sour cream.

Butter or vegetable cooking spray, for greasing the pan
3 cups flour, plus extra for flouring the pan (I used white wheat flour)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup applesauce
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
yolk of 1 large egg, at room temperature *save the white for breakfast!
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium-sized bananas) *I think I used two,
and it was just fine.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup yogurt
3/4 chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 raisins *I used chocolate chips.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a large 10 inch loaf pan.

2. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium-size bowl. Set it aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl down after each addition. Blend in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract.Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the yogurt and applesauce in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixtures. Stir in the
nuts and chocolate chips or raisins if using.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan and bake until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours (mine took less, so check often).

5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the loaf by running a knife around the edges, remove it from the pan, and transfer it to the rack to cool completely.