Challah - Jewish Egg Bread

 For Rosh Hashanah, I'm reposting this challah recipe, along with a photo of my braided round challah from last year.  Directions can be found on numerous youtube videos, but I like the one that I'm embedding in the recipe, because the chef isn't annoying and I love her finishing technique of twisting the small ends and tucking them under.  Skip the beginning of the video, which is for a 6-strand braid, and watch the 4-strand braid, which is easier and prettier, I think. 

Or you can make a simple spiral round challah (directions included).  

Challah makes wonderful bread pudding and great French toast. It can be made in a bread machine or with a mixer but is best baked in the oven, so it can develop its distinguishing crust.  Braiding contributes to both taste and texture and is an essential characteristic of Challah.     The dough can also be made into nice dinner rolls.  Directions for a traditional 6-strand loaf will also follow.

Challah is a very personal thing - some like it very eggy, some very sweet, some like it cakey and some more like bread.  My recipe is of the "bready" variety.  If you like it cakey, you can add more oil  and eggs.  Just adjust the amount of water correspondingly.  If you like it more tender, you can use milk instead of water. 

Makes 1 or 2 loaves or 20-30 rolls

For Mixer
1-1/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup oil
1/4-1/3 cup honey
2 large eggs, room temperature (place them in their shells into warm water for 2 minutes to bring them to room temperature

5-1/2 cups (608 grams and 135 grams, divided) bread flour
1 tablespoon rapid-rise, quick-rising or instant yeast ( I buy mine in bulk from King Arthur Flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup raisins, optional

1 large egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water, for glazing
Poppy seeds for sprinkling

To make the bread in a mixer:
Place the water, oil, honey, and eggs in the mixer bowl and beat to blend everything together.

Measuring the oil before the honey will allow the honey to flow out of the cup, instead of sticking.

Add all but 1 cup of flour (608 grams), the yeast and salt to the egg mixture. Beat, on low speed, with a flat beater attachment, until the dough starts to clump together.


Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium-low speed, adding the remaining flour, ¼ cup at the beginning and then 1 tablespoon at a time, as the dough progresses.   Add only enough flour to make the dough tacky, but not overly sticky.  It's okay if it sticks to the bottom of the bowl, but should not be very sticky when you pinch the dough. Continue machine kneading for 8 - 12 minutes. The dough should be moist and supple.  The final kneading will be done by hand. 


 When you take it out of the bowl, it will still be very rough looking.  Knead it,  adding a very little bit of flour if necessary to keep it from sticking to the board. 




Here's how to knead:

Press down on the dough with the heels of your hands (use both hands).
Then roll the dough towards you.





so that it folds up on itself.  Press again with the heels of your hands.  Roll and press the dough a few times and then turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat the whole process. Continue until the dough forms a smooth and elastic ball.


 Pinch out a small piece of the dough, and continue pinching and flattening. If the dough is done, it should be able to be pressed and pulled until you can just see your fingers through the dough.

Oil a bowl, add the dough, and turn it over in the bowl so that all sides of the dough are oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to rise until doubled in volume (about 1 hour).

To test if the dough has doubled, flour a finger and gently poke the dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen sufficiently.

In the picture on the left, the dough wasn't risen enough, and the  hole started to fill back up.
The picture on the right shows the dough risen enough.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface. The recipe will make either 1 or 2, depending on how large you like them. Place the half that you aren't working with back in the bowl and cover it until ready to use.

Shaping
For a 4-strand round braid, you can make 2 medium-size loaves or 1 large.  Divide the dough into either 8 strands or 4, as desired. If using raisins, flour them lightly and press them into each piece of dough, and then roll the dough up to enclose the raisins.

When rolling each piece into a rope, it's important that the board be unfloured.  Roll each piece into a rope (the length will vary depending on whether you are making one or two loaves.

To roll the dough into ropes:


Start in the middle with both hands lightly pressing on the dough.  Roll forward and back moving your hands from the center of the dough towards the edges, until you have the size rope you want.

Then follow these directions to shape the loaf: http://toriavey.com/images/2012/09/How-to-Braid-a-Four-Strand-Round-Challah.pdf  OR watch this video (skip the 6-braid instructions at the beginning):

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=JI20CxzWs-c&u=/watch%3Fv%3Du7D8PSBsy1M%26feature%3Dem-share_video_user

Transfer the completed bread to a greased and floured cookie sheet, cover with a non-linting towel, and  let rise for about 45 minutes until it has doubled in size. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. with a rack in the middle of the oven. 

To see if it has doubled, flour a finger and gently poke the bread.  The indentation should not stay, but should pop back out.  

Mix the egg with 1 teaspoon water to make a glaze. Brush the glaze over the bread and sprinkle with poppy seeds. An easy way to make sure that the seeds are sprinkled evenly, is to hold the seeds in the palm of your hand and turn your palm up with your fingers closed. Shake your hand side to side and the seeds will just come out of the the little opening at the pinky side of your hand.

Set the dough into the middle of the oven and bake 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. (If you like your challah less brown and more golden, cook on the higher temperature for only 5 minutes).  Brush the bread again with the glaze and continue to bake 15 - 20 minutes more, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom (the internal temperature should be 190 - 200 degrees F.). Place the bread on a cooling rack. Do not cut the bread until completely cooled.

To make Rosh Hashanah spiral loaves: Roll the dough into a fat rope, about 1-1/4-inches in diameter (make 2 if using the mixer batch). Coil each piece into a loose round, and then proceed, as above.

To make challah rolls:
Divide the dough into 20 pieces, if using the bread machine recipe and about 36-40 if using the mixer method. Roll each piece into a rope, about 6-inches long. Shape the dough as if you were going to tie it in a knot, but instead of pulling it tight, leave one end sticking up through the center. Tuck the other end under the roll. Let the rolls rise until doubled, glaze and sprinkle with seeds and bake for a total of 15-20 minutes, until the rolls sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

To make a standard 6-braid challah, roll the dough into ropes, as above.



Once all of the dough has been rolled into ropes, they should be sprinkled liberally with flour, so that they won't stick while you work with them, and so that the braiding will be more delineated in the final bread.

Braid, using this pattern: 2-1-5-6

As follows:

Attach six ropes together. Move strand #2 up past #6





Re-number the stands from left to right.

Move strand #1 between #3 and #4

Re-number the strands.



Move #5 up to the #1 position.

Re-number the strands.



Move #6 between #3 and #4.

Repeat these steps until you reach the end of the braid. Pinch the ends together.




Each  picture below shows how the bread shaping progresses after each  2-1-5-6 pattern.

Rise and bake, as above.

To make the challah in a bread machine, divide the recipe ingredients in half.  Add the wet ingredients ( water, oil, honey and eggs) to the machine bowl.  Add the flour, yeast and salt.  Use the dough cycle. After the dough has doubled (about 1 hour), proceed with the shaping instructions, as above, making either 1 loaf or 15-20 rolls.

Fresh Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Vegetables

I posted this in July, last year, but there have been some changes, so I thought I would post it again since it's that time again when produce is at its very best.  

I must have been Italian in another lifetime.  How else can one explain my daily trips to the grocery store or my obsession with making things like fresh ricotta ; ) 

If you're like me,  summer is just the best time for food - farmer's markets abound, and fresh food is the order of the day.  

With local farmer's markets, you never know what you'll be able to get on the day you visit, but I was lucky to find that one of my favorite vendors had eggplant, zucchini, peppers and some of the best looking heirloom tomatoes you've ever seen.  

Here's some of the produce from  The Specialty Farmer (Waxhaw, NC) 

  

To make simple roasted vegetables,  preheat the oven to between 400 and 425 degrees F.  Line 1 or 2 rimmed cookie sheets with heavy-duty foil, and then lay on a sheet of non-stick foil.  Using the non-stick foil allows you to roast the vegetables with a minimum of oil.  

Pare and cut vegetables to the size you desire (quicker cooking vegetables should be cut larger and longer cooking smaller so that everything will be done at the same time).  I usually cut my veggies about 1/8-inch thick and 3/4-inch in diameter, but any size is fine, so long as you keep an eye out, so that the veggies don't overbrown or burn.  For each pound of vegetables, use 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons fruity olive oil. Toss in a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (I like one of the specialty balsamics, especially chocolate balsamic- that I get at Olive This, near Trader Joe's in Piper Glen, Charlotte) and a little mustard, if desired.  Lightly sprinkle with salt and some chopped herbs of your choice.  Make sure the veggies are all in one layer and not overlapping.  Cook for 20-30 minutes, turning halfway through, until the veggies are brown, but not dry.

I roasted one of those large round eggplants that you see in the picture (sliced as described), and it was just the most perfect vegetable - creamy and sweet, not like so many store-bought eggplants that are bitter.

The Specialty Farmer also carries the most magnificent "yellow" zucchini.  They taste great roasted but are so sweet and the texture so nice that we actually love to eat them raw, diced and put into salads.

Roasted vegetables are wonderful as an accompaniment to any grilled meats, in pasta or on crostini, as in the opening picture.  On the crostini pictured, the lower left one has homemade herbed ricotta, roasted eggplant and an oven-dried tomato.  The upper left has the herbed ricotta, diced fresh heirloom tomatoes, and mozzarella.  The upper right has ricotta, roasted tomatoes, parmesan and fresh basil, and the lower right has roasted yellow zucchini, roasted mushrooms and the oven roasted tomatoes.  There's no limit to the combinations you can do on the crostini.  I served them last week with the ricotta, roasted veggies, fresh heirloom tomatoes and a drizzle of chocolate balsamic vinegar.  Oh my!!  More on vinegar later.

To make crostini, line a sheet with foil, and turn the oven on to high broil, with the oven rack at its highest setting.  Buy a very good quality, crusty baguette (none of that white bready stuff, please!).  I bought mine at the farmers' market from Breadsmith.  

Slice the baguette on the diagonal into 1/8 inch or slightly thicker slices.  Brush the slices lightly with olive oil (I used basil-scented oil - recipe follows), and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Broil the bread until nicely browned - watching carefully as it only takes 10-20 seconds.  In my oven, at 30 seconds the bread caught fire!

Remove the tray, turn the slices, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and toast the second side.  Put on the toppings of your choice, break out a great bottle of wine, relax and think of Italy! 

To make roasted tomatoes, please see my post: Slow Roasted Tomatoes.

To make basil oil heat 1/2 cup fruity olive oil on medium heat just until warm.  Add 20 basil leaves.  Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes to several hours.  The flavor intensifies as the mixture sits.  If you're going to use it for dipping, where there are few competing flavors, 30 minutes is plenty.  

Fresh Ricotta

Fresh ricotta is easy to make but the recipe isn't precise.  That is, the amount of curdling agent is variable and you have to fiddle with the recipe to get the curds to form.  There are lots  of recipes on the Web for  ricotta.  It's basically a question of curdling milk, and then straining out the curds and flavoring them.   (and here we are talking about fresh milk ricotta, not whey ricotta). The recipes  are very similar, with the curdling agent being lemon juice, distilled white vinegar or buttermilk.  The first time I made it, I used buttermilk.  It worked beautifully and we loved the fresh, creamy and sweet taste.  After reading several posts online, I decided to try some of the other agents.   Using vinegar was the most intriguing recipe, so for my second attempt, that's what I used.  I made it 3 different ways - by adding the vinegar after the milk had been heated, by adding the vinegar to the milk and then heating the whole concoction, and by pouring the curds and whey through the strainer, rather than lifting the curds out of the whey and placing them into the strainer.  I really disliked the version made by adding the vinegar after the milk was heated, as the ricotta had a distinct vinegar taste.  Adding it  before, resulted in only a minor vinegar taste, but reduced volume.  When I poured all of the contents into the strainer, the texture was much more dense.  It was very good - just had a different texture, and that is a matter of personal taste.  

The mound in the front right was poured through the strainer.

For my final tries, I used lemon juice.  I must have tried this 6 times, but the only way I could get the milk to curdle was to add so much lemon juice that the ricotta tasted way too tart and lemony.  Needless to say, I would not recommend using lemon juice to curdle the milk.

You'll see a lot of discussion about whether you can make ricotta with ultra-pasteurized milk.  And the answer is YES.  In fact the trials I did with pasteurized milk (not ultra) did not work as well as the ultra pasteurized milk.  This was probably due to the kind of acid I used and the temperature I cooked it to, though.

The last issue is exactly what temperature the mixture needs to be heated to.  You'll see recipes that call for heating the milk anywhere between 160 degrees F. and 190 degrees F.  Although curds did form at 160 degrees,  the best results I got were with heating the milk to about 180 degrees but not much higher. When I let the mixture get up to 190 degrees, the ricotta was a little tough and stringy - not the creamy deliciousness that came from the buttermilk mixture heated to 180.

Fresh Milk Ricotta

1/2 gallon whole milk (I used organic ultra-pasteurized)

2-1/3 cups buttermilk, divided

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

For herbed ricotta

2 tablespoons fresh minced herbs ( I used basil, thyme and sage)

1-1/2 teaspoons fruity olive oil, or basil oil

1 tablespoon  whole milk, if eating the ricotta after it has been chilled

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, optional

You'll need the following equipment:

5 quart pot

2 layers of cheesecloth lining a colander, set over a large pot or bowl

instant read or candy/oil thermometer

wooden spoon

slotted spoon

Wet the interior of the pot you are using (5 quart works well).  Add the whole milk. Heat on medium heat, stirring often until the temperature reaches 180 degrees F. (If using a candy/oil thermometer  leave it  in the pot, and if using an instant read thermometer stick it in periodically to test).  At this temperature the mixture will be starting to simmer.

Here's my whole setup:

When the mixture reaches 180 degrees F. add 2 cups of the buttermilk in a slow, steady stream, and the salt.  The mixture should be starting to curdle.  If not, add the remaining buttermilk in 2 tablespoon increments  until the mixture starts to curdle.  Do not stir, once you add the buttermilk.  You can gently move the curds to the center of the pot. Continue heating to bring the mixture back up to 180 degrees.  When the temperature is obtained, remove the pot from the heat and let the curds sit, undisturbed, for 15-30 minutes.  

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the cheesecloth-lined colander.  Once the majority of the curds have been transferred, pour the entire contents through the cheesecloth to capture the smaller curds.  let the curds drain for 15- 60 minutes, depending on how firm you want the ricotta to be.  If eating the ricotta cold, it will firm up dramatically upon refrigeration.

This ricotta has drained for about 25 minutes:

If making the herbed ricotta, add the oil, herbs and milk (if using) while the ricotta is  warm.  The ricotta is at its very best when freshly made and still warm.  Store the ricotta in the refrigerator, but bring it to room temperature before serving. 

Did I mention balsamic vinegar? I've been buying mine, locally from Olive This, in Charlotte, NC near Trader Joe's in Piper Glen. They don't have mail-order yet, but it's coming.  Another really good one comes from a small store in West Hartford, Connecticut.  You can find them at bellagustaoils.com.  I particularly like the Dark Chocolate and the Espresso Balsamic Vinegars, and find that these work great with desserts and savories alike. 

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce, and More Ways to Use Ricotta

I guess until summer ends I'll still be in my Italian phase.  I just can't resist those fabulous heirloom tomatoes and wonderful fresh herbs.  Here is my fresh tomato sauce served over stuffed shells (with my homemade ricotta, but a good packaged ricotta works fine, too), but I also also love it spooned over angel hair or other pasta.    At the end of the recipes, I'll also have some more ideas for using homemade (or not) ricotta and tomatoes.

When I say fresh tomato sauce, I'm not talking about spaghetti sauce - you know the long-cooked type that you find in a jar.  No, this is a barely cooked sauce that tastes like fresh tomatoes.  To start, I use heirloom tomatoes (the big purply ones) that I buy from the Specialty Farmer at Cedar Walk Farmer's Market.  If you've been reading my blog, you know that I love their produce and buy from them all the time.

My friend thought they looked "dicey" - all purply and cracked.  Yup.  They do.  It's because the Specialty Farmer leaves them on the vine until they're practically bursting,  and picks them just before coming to market.  Do not be fooled by the looks.  This results in the most flavorful tomatoes that I've ever eaten in this country.  Head over there if you live in Charlotte!  It's open on Tuesdays from 4-7.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
The first time I made this sauce, I cooked the tomatoes for 10 minutes, as I had seen in so many recipes.  But heirloom tomatoes, especially these cherokee purples should not be cooked that long, unless you want a very mushy, watery sauce.  By grating half of the tomatoes, and leaving half diced and not cooked, you end up with the most flavorful and best textured fresh sauce.

3 pounds heirloom tomatoes (preferably cherokee purples)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil, or more to taste
garlic or diced shallots, optional
2 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (your choice - oregano, thyme, sage, lavender)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Cut off a slice from the bottom of half of the tomatoes.  Use your fingers to pull out the seeds from the little pockets in the tomato.

Using a box grater on the coarse side, gently grate the tomatoes into a colander, set over a bowl.  Grate until you get to the cracked upper part of the tomato, and then discard the rest.

 The remaining tomatoes need to be skinned.   If the tomatoes are not very ripe, you'll want to make an X- cut in the bottom of the tomato.  Very ripe and cracked ones don't need to be cut.

Boil a pot of water and immerse a few tomatoes at a time for 10-15 seconds.  Immediately dip them in cold water to stop the cooking.  The skins will now peel off easily.

Cut off the craggy top of the tomato, remove the seeds and cut out any hard core, and then dice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch dice.  Add the chopped tomatoes to the grated ones in the colander.  If there are any hardish bits of tomato,  add these to the juice in the pot under the colander.  Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt over the chopped tomatoes and let them drain for 15 minutes.  You'll now have a potful of chopped tomatoes and a rather large quantity of tomato juice.

If you like garlic or onions in your sauce, add the olive oil to a pot and saute the onions until soft, or the garlic for a minute (I never use either in this sauce).  If not using the garlic and onions, pour the juice and hard bits of tomato into the pot along with the olive oil, wine, vinegar and chopped mixed herbs.  Heat the juice on medium-high heat until simmering.  Cook until the juice is reduced and thickened to a puree-type thickness (a matter of taste as to how thick it should be, but when you add the chopped tomatoes the sauce is going to get thinner as the tomatoes lose some of their liquid), about 10-15 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and add the chopped tomatoes.  Stir in sugar and remaining salt.  Taste, and adjust the sugar, salt and vinegar to get the taste you like.  Stir in the chopped basil (or you can add the chopped basil directly to the pasta).  Use immediately over pasta.

For Stuffed Shells
Makes 16 shells

16 large pasta shells
2 cups homemade or Polly-o Full-Fat Ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, or a mixture of Parmesan, Asiago and Romano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs
1 large egg
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking dish with heavy-duty foil, and then place a sheet of nonstick foil in the bottom (NO Cleanup!).

Put a very large pot of water up to boil, mixing in 1 teaspoon of salt.
Add the pasta shells and cook for 1-2 minutes less than the box calls for.  Immediately rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking.  Sprinkle on a little oil to keep them from sticking.

While the shells are cooking, combine all of the filling, except for 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, in a bowl, and stir to mix well.

Spoon 1 well-rounded tablespoonful of filling into each shell.

When all of the shells have been filled, spoon on the sauce, and top with the remaining mozzarella.

You can leave the shells uncovered, or cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, just until the filling is hot.  If the shells were covered, you might want to low-broil them briefly to slightly brown the cheese.  Watch carefully, however.  If you don't like any part of the pasta crusty, don't broil at all.

Tip
Fresh herbs are really hard to cut when they're wet.  I like to chop them first, then put them in a small strainer, wash them and then dump them onto a paper towel to dry thoroughly before adding to my dish.

Heirloom Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti and Mixed Italian Cheeses