Masala Challah

Last week, The Hazz and I were invited to have dinner with a couple from our congregation.  The wife and her mother (who is NINETY-NINE years old) are from the Jewish community of India.  They were sweet enough to prepare for us an amazing dinner of curries, dal, and sent me home with my very own  masala mixture.

Normally, masala has cumin in it.  But last year, I became incredibly allergic to cumin (it's not a fun allergy to have, by the way).  My masala contained... cinnamon stick pieces (it's a more flat bark), cloves, star anise, nutmeg, and cardamom. My hostesses gave me instructions to bake briefly or sautee in dry frying pan to bring out flavors.  Then, smash a bit with a mortar and pestle and then use a spice grinder. I just used a really clean coffee grinder.

I added 1 tsp of the masala with the flour and mixed throughout.  I used my REALLY small batch recipe for this challah.  For a 3 cup recipe, I would use 1 1/2 tsp, for 6 cup recipe, not much more than 2 tsp.

The result is... well, it's stunning. It smells VERY strong, but the taste is mild. It's so unexpected... our Ashkenazic, sweet doughy challah meets Indian spices. I'm very pleased.

Shabbat Shalom from our bayit to yours!

Sukkot 5772: Pumpkin Challah Revisited

Revising Pumpkin Challah has been a great pleasure.  I've been working (via Facebook) with Leigh Ann, who has made a few suggestions, and I think we've reached a much more successful product.  Here's an updated ingredient list.  The method is the same as the original recipe.  Changes to the original are in red.

3/4 c water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 egg (Leigh Ann used medium, I used large) plus vegetable oil reaching a total of 1/4 c
3/4 c canned pumpkin
3-4 c flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
2-3 tsp pumpkin pie spice (Leigh Ann = 2, I used closer to 3)



Hag Sukkot Same'ah!

Rosh HaShanah Test Kitchen: iChallah - Apple through and through

So, I think this might be my new favorite, master recipe for Rosh Hashanah. In contrast to Stuffed Apple, this challah has apple mixed right into the dough. Use any type of challah you like (though I would recommend white over whole wheat flour). I used my Half Batch. Just before braiding mix together...

Roll-sized. :)

1 apple, peeled, and diced into small pieces (about 1/4 inch) - I used Fuji
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon (depending on your preference)
pinch of nutmeg

Now, unlike the stuffed apple challah, you're going to knead this right into the dough, a la chocolate chips. It's sticky, somewhat messy business, so have some extra flour on hand to knead in as necessary. What I love about this method is that the apples get incorporated throughout, so each bite has one. Plus, the whole dough becomes cinnamon scented, which is absolutely wonderful. Egg wash and top with cinnamon sugar if you like. Bake as normal.

Talk about a sweet new year :)

Rosh HaShanah Test Kitchen: Stuffed Apple Challah

We've made Apple Cinnamon Challah before, but the method has never been completely finalized. This past Shabbat, I experimented with two different methods for apples-in-challah. This version uses my stuff-and-roll method which we've also used for Almond Cinnamon Sugar Challah. It's definitely a bit tougher with apples because there's a lot more air to be squished out. I asked The Hazz about this while rolling, and he said he usually tries to get most of the air out as possible. With this method, don't try to be perfect. One thing I love about challah is that it's perfect no matter what so if the apples leak out a bit during baking, who cares? It just means more oozy goodness for you.

Use any type of challah you like (though I would recommend white over whole wheat flour). I used my Half Batch. Just before braiding/coiling (this method works better with coil that braids, so that's why we usually save it for Rosh Hashanah) mix together...

1 apple, peeled, and diced into small pieces (about 1/4 inch) - I used Fuji
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon (depending on your preference)
pinch of nutmeg

Using a rolling pin, roll a long flat, somewhat narrow (about 6 inches wide by a good foot and a half long) piece.  Fill with apples as below.


Bonus points to anyone who can name the movie I was watching while doing this... best. movie. ever.

After filling, roll together and seal, adding extra flour if necessary. Coil from one side around. Egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if you like. Bake as normal, keeping in mind you may need a bit of extra time with some foil on top of the loaves to prevent too much browning while the gooey center gets completely baked. I needed about 8 extra minutes, but your oven may vary so check every 3-5. Happy baking.

Rosh Hashanah Test Kitchen: Pumpkin Challah

Make sure to read the updated version of Pumpkin Challah here! 

We've actually made pumpkin challah before, though I've never blogged about it because we hadn't quite finalized the recipe. I'm in a fall mood with cool, tights-wearing weather, spicy foods, and the first of the early turning leaves. This past Friday, I had no commitments, so what better than a Rosh Hashanah Test Kitchen. Three families (plus us!) were the lucky winners of "Take some of my challah off my hands!

And now, I bring you Pumpkin Challah. I'm thinking this more of a Sukkot food, but heck, it seems great for Rosh Hashanah as well, especially with squash soups and herby chicken.

3/4 c water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c canned pumpkin
3-4 c flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon* *see note in recipe
pinch cloves
pinch nutmeg
(make sure you check the updated ingredient list!)

Mix water together with yeast and honey. Allow to rest for around 10 minutes or until yeast creates little eruptions. Add oil and pumpkin to yeast mixture and stir gently. Add flour and spices. (Note: Honestly, this challah was great, but I think it could stand a bit more sweetness. My friends who reviewed the loaves liked it, but they added jam on Shabbat morning. If you're planning on eating it plain, I would double the cinnamon content or perhaps add more honey/sugar. Knead by hand or with a stand mixer. Let dough rest in an oiled bowl until doubled in bulk


Punch down. Braid and let rest for additional half hour. Egg wash (I sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on with the egg wash). This recipe yielded two smallish 5-strand braids and one round braid. (I'll post a how-to on the round braid next week.)

Bake at 350 for around 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180-200 degrees.

Lemon Saffron Challah

I am sooo excited about tonight's challah!

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I found here. Since the linked recipe has milk, and I wanted a pareve version that I could serve with tonight's kebabs and couscous (sooo excited for meat!), I improved and made my own recipe. It's quite a lovely thing! The aroma is amazing. I'm a bit disappointed in how it looks, however. It sort of deflated in the oven. I had a hard time telling if it was done for whatever reason, so my loaf has a whole bunch of poke holes. But it was a first try, so I'm pretty please. Here's what I did...

3/4 c very warm (but not hot) water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp saffron
2 eggs plus 1 more for egg wash
4 tbsp olive oil plus vegetable oil to to the top 1/4 c
1 tbsp lemon juice plus 1 tsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
3 c flour (I used 2 c all purpose and 1 c "Better for Bread" flour) 
1 1/4 tsp salt

Mix water together with yeast, 2 tbsp sugar, and saffron.  Allow to rest for around 10 minutes or until yeast creates little eruptions.

Add eggs and oils and mix lightly.  Add lemon juice.  Mix in rest of sugar, salt, and flour.  I ultimately needed to add more flour, about a 1/2 c.  Knead by hand or with a stand mixer and proceed as your normally would.  I let my dough rise for about three hours until it had doubled in bulk.


Braid and egg wash.  Sprinkle with poppyseeds and drizzle with about 1 tsp lemon juice. Allow to rest another 30 minutes.  Bake at 350 for around 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180-200 degrees.  I always cover my challot with aluminum foil at about 25 minutes if the top begins to get too brown.

(Post Eating Update: Shavua Tov everyone!  So this challah is really delicious and moist even on Saturday morning.  However, it's not very lemony AT ALL.  So, I'm recommending a few ideas until I get a finalized version... more lemon juice, the zest of the lemon -- either on top or in the bread itself -- and perhaps a little less saffron.  Maybe more like just a healthy pinch.  I might mortar and pestle it next time too.)

Shabbat Shalom for The Hazz and The Mrs. to you!
'
(You can see all my thermometer stab wounds here, but also the lovely yellow color.)