Fig, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt Challah from Smitten Kitchen

This is just a review.  I didn't make this challah.  In fact, for the first time in my adult life, I followed the recipe faithfully.  Usually when a recipe says "use one clove of garlic," I'll use three.  Or "use 1/4 tsp of cinnamon," I'll use 3/4.  But I have wanted to try this recipe for a while, and it seemed like the perfect option for last week's Shabbat which coincided with Tu Bishvat. 

Why figs for Tu Bishvat?  From about.com...

1) Unusual among fruit trees, the fig can produce fruit over a long season, from Shavuot to Sukkot (late May to early October).

a) You cannot pick all the figs at once, but only gradually, over a long season. Similarly, you cannot learn the whole Torah at once, but only gradually, little by little, over an entire lifetime. (Midrash Numbers Rabba 12,9; 21,15)

b) Whenever you go to the fig tree, you are likely to find ripe fruit to eat. Similarly, whenever you go to the Torah, you will find nourishment for the spirit. (Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 54a, b)

2) Most fruits have inedible parts: dates have pits, grapes have seeds, pomegranates have skins. But every part of the fig can be eaten. Similarly, no part of the Torah is without value; all parts of it provide sustenance. (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, Joshua 2)

So, why NOT figs for Tu Bishvat?

Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite food blogs.  So when I saw the Fig, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt Challah this past fall, I immediately knew that I had to try it.  The recipe is pretty straightforward.  The dough has a much higher quantity of honey that what I normally put in my own challah, however the sweetness balances the aromatic olive oil and the sea salt.

To be honest, I nearly messed up the fig puree by adding too much orange juice. I ended up pouring out all the liquids and starting over. Oh well. I ended up slightly short on fig puree for my second challah (which I made a standard long braid in stead of a round... but even though it was Rosh Hashanah, we did enjoy the round for Shabbat).

The verdict: We liked it, but we didn't love it. It didn't get finished before it became stale. That said, I would definitely make this for a crowd. The dough is very lightly salty, but aromatic from the olive oil. The orange juice really came through in my fig puree. And the challah simply baked up in such a lovely way.

Bagels!

We got a new oven right before Pesah!  It was really, really, really, really, really exciting.  (Did I mention I was excited about my oven?)  Our old oven was AWFUL.  It turned off regularly whenever programmed between 350 to 375 degrees... not helpful for a challah baker, right?  The temperatures were consistently uneven and the oven just didn't hold it's heat.

But our NEW oven came right before Pesah which meant... nooooo kashering!  What a relief that amongst preparing for a seder for 18 and deciding where to do my Ph.D. (!) I did not have to also kasher an oven.  Our new baby is pretty standard, nothing terribly fancy and really modest price-wise.  But it does have a continuous grate and FIVE (count 'em!) burners which is really handy.

 

So can I tell you how excited I was post Passover for our first bread baking!  Bagels!!!!

I can't take credit of this recipe.  It came straight off the back of a bag of King Arthur Sir Lancelot High Gluten Flour.  Here's a link to the recipe, and here are my adventures in making it! 

 

The dough is very tough. It almost feels too tough. But I just told myself to trust the recipe. Since I wasn't experimenting, it was my only option. This was one of the first times we actually used instant yeast as written... just mixed it in right at the beginning. I've been proofing my instant yeast for challah (basically just treating it like active dry). Anyone have any thoughts? 

The dough went around on the dough hook pretty well, and held together easily. I did take it off the dough hook perhaps a bit early. I had to knead a bit by hand, but the texture came out pretty smooth.  

There are several methods out there for making bagels. Most include rolling out long strands and pinching them together. I've done this before, but my bagels almost ALWAYS come apart in the boiling process. I like King Arthur's method better... roll out "rolls" and let rest for a half hour. 

When the half hour is nearly up, I put the water with sugar and malt powder on to boil (love my power boil on the new stove!). Then I poked holes into each of the bagels (carefully!) and let rest another ten minutes. 

The boiling process is fun, but a bit scary. I also found it very interesting to see the variety of all the different boiling times. Some recipes say 30 seconds per side. Others 2 minutes each side. This recipe said 2 minutes on side one and 1 minute on side two. That's what I did. 

 

We topped with cinnamon sugar (yum!), sesame seeds, and onion flakes. The onion flakes got a bit burnt, so I'm not sure if powder might have been a better option. We would definitely do poppy seeds in the future, but we were out this time. Also, sea salt or parmesan cheese are great options! 

 

It was hard to keep The Hazz from eating the entire plate. 

 

What did YOU do to celebrate the return of Hametz to your Post-Passover selves? 

Guest Post: Root Beer Challah

It's The Hazz's first guest post!  Who is the Hazz, you might ask?  Well, he's my dashing husband, kneading expert, and challah-tasting-critic (although he tends to say "This might be the best challah you've ever made" every week). 

With Amanda out of town for the weekend staffing a Kadima convention, The Hazz decided to experiment with a new recipe: Root Beer Challah! After searching for several recipes for root beer bread online, I decided on the one found on root-beer.org. In addition to root beer, it also includes whole wheat flour (a little less than half), shortening* {see footnote} and molasses. Using these added ingredients, I meticulously estimated the proper amount of each to fit the proportions of Amanda's half-batch recipe.

Using my favorite brand of root beer: Sprecher, I mixed exactly (more or less) two thirds of the bottle with the shortening and heated the mixture in the microwave to precisely the approximate temperature Amanda recommends. I added the salt which created a nice sparkling effect when it hit the root beer--those who enjoyed kitchen chemistry experiments as children will appreciate this--followed by the molasses which, true the cliché, is rather slow. Next came the yeast, the oil, the flour, the stand-mixing and the kneading.

I let the dough rise twice, just because I had heard it would have a nice effect. I made one loaf into a three braid and then attempted several times to make a four braid, failing each time even more than the last (not for any lack of proper instruction from the challah blog, just my own ineptness) before settling for two three braids. I placed the loaves in the oven and baked them at 350 for about 45 minutes precisely.

The result was rather tasty. There was only a modest taste of root beer but distinct nonetheless. The softness also lasted several days which was nice.


If I were to try this recipe again, I might do a few things differently:

1. In using Amanda's half-batch recipe, I accidently used the amount of oil from the full batch. This wasn't so bad except that I had to use a lot more flour to compensate for the extra moisture which may have diluted the root beer flavor.  {Note from The Mrs: We weren't paid anything and did not receive anything from Sprecher to make this challah.  We just really love our local brewer.}
2. I used Sprecher root beer since it is both my favorite and a local delicacy. It's one downside is that it uses an additive sweetener which we try to avoid in our cooking/baking. Next time I might use an all natural brand.
3. Amanda recommends not mixing the salt and yeast directly together as it can kill the yeast. This was not a problem with this batch but I would hold off on the salt until later to be safe.

NEXT UP: Coffee Milk {the Official State Drink of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations} Challah!


*{Footnote}* The recipe also lists lard as an option but given the difficulty in finding kosher lard, I went the vegetable shortening.

Guest Post: Sufganiyah Challah

This is a guest post from Leigh Ann, one of my favorite ladies and an awesome rabbi, author, blogger, mom of almost 4, and overall great woman (in no particular order).  You can find her over at The Naptime Novelist or reader her other guest post here, Blueberry Challah.


Thanks for letting me guest-post, Amanda! Delighted to be here.

I love filled challah because I can call it "breakfast" on Shabbos morning, when the last thing I want to do is trudge into the kitchen to get cereal or bagels or muffins for my apparently STARVING children.

On Friday night, I just throw one of these suckers on the coffee table in the living room, so that immediately upon waking, my littles can fall upon this breakfast like the vultures zombies Shabbos sweeties they are.

Ahem.

It occurred to me that I should probably start thinking about Chanukah-themed challah, because, well, that's how I roll. I spied a can of raspberry pastry filling in my cupboard leftover from Hamantaschen-making, and sufganiyah-style challah was born.

Use your regular challah dough recipe. You might want to make it a tad sweeter, so you can add more sugar...I came across this odd little bottle of flavoring, added 2 tsp to a regular batch of dough, and it was just a little butterier and sweeter.  (Note from The Mrs.: I used a similar buttery sweet dough enhancer from King Arthur Flour in my Caramel Chocolate Challah.)


When you're ready to braid, flatten your strands as much as possible. The challah dough is surprisingly tough and elastic, so I've found that rolling strands as usual and then just taking a rolling pin to those suckers


Brush the whole strand with beaten egg white. Just enough to act as "glue."


Drag a thin-ish line of filling down the middle - you don't have as much room as you think in there. Trust me.

Pull up the sides and pinch them together. Don't try to fold one side over the other like you would swaddle a baby - this filling is too liquid for that.

(Yes, I did get some schmutzies on my fingers. So what? It's going in the oven.)

As with any stuffed or filled challah, when you braid, try your best to keep the seam on the INSIDE. That way, when (not "if," WHEN) that filling leaks, it'll just leak onto more challah and you won't lose it to the pan. Also it's WAY less ugly with the seam on the inside.


Now, snug your challot up together in a well-greased, walled pan - I used a 9" square for  two medium-sized challot. Same principle as braiding with seams in - You don't want to lose any of that filling. Better sticky on the outside than crusty-burned onto a pan.

It's okay if there's a gap in the middle - between the second rise and the baking, they'll end up touching.

(See? They always leak.)

Let it do a second proof and bake it as usual - mine took the same temp and time as a typical challah.

Aaaand.....Here it is!


Okay, okay, I know. Not so impressive looking, huh? At this rate, you might end up feeding it to the dog (or the squirrels, I understand, if you live in Virginia) at the end of your Chanukah party. Let's pretty it up a little, huh?

Go ahead and brush it with a syrupy-thin mixture of confectioner's sugar and water....


Dust it with confectioner's sugar, and.....ooooh! Now, THERE's a sufganiyah-style challah.



Chag Urim Sameach, you guys - and don't forget! When someone compliments you on this challah, it was VERY DIFFICULT to make, and you're completely exhausted, and probably someone else should clean up the kitchen while you take a load off.

Review: Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Challah

Friends, Pinterest is a dangerous, dangerous thing. I can spend hours just looking at delicious, darling, hipster, beautiful, amazing recipes, fashion, and home ideas. But I looooove Pinterest.


I pinned this recipe quite some time ago and have been anxious to try it. It's a Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Challah from the LA Times. However, since I was trying it, and I didn't have a ton of ricotta, I halved the recipe. Then, well into the process, I realized I didn't have any basil. Enter improvisation.

Here are my modifications on the original. While this recipe gives a challah dough recipe, I really think that you can use whatever you want. I just used my own recipe (with fresh yeast because I love it so much).

about 3 large handfuls of fresh spinach {the original recipe uses frozen which is easier, but I have a hard time finding it kosher}
1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme {I still have these herbs from my garden}
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 heaping tbsp cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry frying pan
1 cups ricotta cheese
2 heaping tbsp cornmeal or flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

So, here's the deal. There should also be about 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped to truly be the original recipe's ricotta/pesto blend. I sprinkled a little dried basil but a REALLY little bit and that flavor didn't come through.

For the spinach, I just put all the leaves in a microwave safe bowl with a bit of water and let them go on high for about 1 minute, checking periodically after 45 seconds. After they were cool enough to handle, I squeeze the water out and chopped.

The linked recipe doesn't show you how to do the filled braid, but I've seen tutorials elsewhere. Here's how I did it. Make sure to tuck in those ends!






You could also do a filled challah, which is one of our favorite methods.


The Verdict: It's okay. I made this is as a Tuesday experiment, and we decided that on Thursday it tasted it's best. The flavors had kind of mellowed out. But, really, it's just okay. The ricotta is salty so the whole thing is a bit aggressive. I think I prefer mozzarella or parmesan in my challah if I'm doing a savory, cheese-y loaf.

That said, it was a fun experiment, and I do like the "braiding" technique.

Chaverim Challah

Here are two lovely challot shots from friends of mine. The first is from my friend Lea, my Episcopalian twin, who was inspired by all the talk of challah on facebook. Lovely, no?


The second is a pair of Citrus, Honey, Apple, Raisin Challah from my professor, Gillian. She wrote out the recipe on facebook, so I'll share it with you as soon as I have permission.


Did YOU make any special challot for Rosh HaShanah?