Happy Challah-days!

      About a month ago, my friend Debbie convinced me to take a Jewish cooking class, called "Culinary Shabbat." She assured me that it wouldn't be a big deal that I wasn't Jewish, and that it would be a lot of fun to take the class together. I was a little unsure when I showed up at the Chabad House to find that the class was being taught by the orthodox rabbi's wife... I was even more unsure when the girl next to me started talking about the first time she went to Israel. That said, it was a lot of fun to learn about Jewish culture, tradition and food, even though I felt a little bit like I had to keep my Christian heritage a secret. I think the girls in the class must have thought my parents were the worst Jews in the world- they gave me a Roman name, didn't teach me any of the traditions and I'd never even had gefilte- fish before (not that I was missing out on that one)! One of the best recipes from the whole month was the challah (a soft, eggy bread).

The recipe below makes 2 huge loaves! They were about 12"x6".

    It is traditional for challah to be consumed during Shabbat dinners and holidays, but it is delicious during any time of year. A tradition that was new to me was the dividing of the challah, which is usually done by women. It involves removing a small piece of the challah dough prior to braiding it, saying a blessing and burning or throwing the small piece of dough away. The passage describing the ritual cam be found in Numbers 15:17-21. While I did this in the class, I can't bring myself to throw away any of the dough when I make it at home :). 

Challah

bread dough:

2 c warm water

2 packages (or 2 Tbs) dry yeast

1 Tbs salt

1 egg, beaten
1/2 c sugar

1/2 c olive or vegetable oil

7 c flour

egg wash:

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp vanilla

pinch of sugar (optional)

- To make bread dough, add the yeast and a sprinkle of sugar to the warm water, and allow the yeast to activate for about 5 minutes. It will appear slightly foamy. If you don't see this, throw out the yeast and start over. Be careful not to have the water too hot, as this will kill the yeast. 

-Add the sugar, salt and 1/2 of the flour (3 1/2 cups). Mix well.
-Add the egg and oil and mix thoroughly.

-Then slowly knead in extra flour a half cup at a time. The dough will become smooth and elastic, resembling the consistency of a stress ball. Stop adding flour at this point, even if you haven't added all 7 cups. Too much flour will make the dough (and bread) tough.
-Coat the dough with a thin layer of oil, cover with a towel and place in a warm place to allow the dough to raise.
-Allow dough to rise for 2-3 hours until it has doubled in size:

-Divide the dough in half. Then divide each 1/2 in 4 pieces and create 3 ropes of dough. Place them parallel to one another and braid them as shown below. Start in the middle, passing the rope of dough over the first, under the second and over the third. Repeat, going left to right. When there is no dough left, fold the end underneath the loaf. Repeat with the other side.

-Mix the egg glaze, and spread generously over the top of the bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or sesame seeds, if desired. 

 -Bake at 375 F for approximately 30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Hope you enjoy! My plan is to make some challah with olive oil and rosemary for post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches :-).

One Smart Cookie

      Cookies have to be one of my favorite deserts to make and eat. They are generally pretty simple to throw together, and I've met very few that I didn't like. It's also very easy to change the recipes without totally screwing it up- you can add chocolate chips or other add ins, or change the flavoring from vanilla to almond and give an old favorite a totally different personality. Also, they bring back a lot of memories of baking with my family, particularly my mom and sister. Baking cookies was a favorite rainy day activity, although they didn't always turn out perfect- once I added twice the flour to a batch because I used the wrong measuring cup and ended up with chocolate rock cookies!

     This recipe for Anzac biscuits is a personal favorite of mine, both because it is simple and absolutely delicious. I inherited this recipe from my mom,but I'm not sure where she got the original recipe from. They are names after Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), which was established during the first world war. It is claimed that they were a commonly made cookie during this era because they had a long shelf life and could be sent to soldiers overseas during the war. Although the traditional version are thicker, I like to flatten them till they are very thin prior to baking- it makes the edges caramelize, making them taste even better. I also typically use corn syrup instead of Lyle's can syrup because it's easier to find and less expensive.

They may have a long shelf life, but they won't last long!

Anzac Biscuits

-2 c all-purpose flour

-2 c rolled oats

-1 c unsweetened coconut 

-1 c sugar

-1 c brown sugar

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 c butter

-2 Tbs corn syrup (or Lyle's Golden Syrup)

-3/4 tsp baking soda

-1/3 c hot water

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 c toasted pecans, walnuts or almonds (I typically use pecans,  but used walnuts this time)

-mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, oats, coconut and salt in a large bowl.

-melt butter, mix with corn syrup, baking soda, hot water and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix.

-scoop dough a tablespoon at a time onto cookie sheets and flatten with the palm of your hand.

-bake for 8-9 minutes at 350 F. Allow them to cool a little before removing from the tray- they are thin and fragile when warm.

More Pumpkin Treats

 Here are the rest of the recipes from making the pumpkin pie, as promised! I don't have too much to say about them, except that the pumpkin seeds were so delicious, they were gone before I even had a change to take a picture of them. Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds (adapted from Martha Stewart)

-seeds from 1 medium pumpkin, any variety

-5 tablespoons sugar

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

-Pinch of pepper flakes

-1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil

-Rinse seeds well, removing all pulp. Spread thin on a cookie sheet and allow them to dry overnight or in an oven at 250 F for 1 hour.

-Mix 3 Tb of sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper flakes in a medium bowl

-Heat the oil in a small frying pan, add sugar and stir until it starts to caramelize. Add the pumpkin seeds until they are toasted and coated with the sugar mixture.

-Pour the seed mixture into the dry ingredients immediately and mix well. 

Pumpkin Butter  (improvised)

-1-2 c fresh sugar pumpkin puree

-1/2 c brown sugar

-1-2 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp nutmeg

-1/2 tsp ginger

-1/2 tsp salt

-Heat pumpkin puree in a saucepan over low heat, add sugar and other ingredients. Add more or less of the sugar and spices based on taste, this is just a guideline. In the end, it should taste like pumpkin pie, but less sweet.

-Serve one a thick slice of whole wheat bread,  mixed in plain or vanilla yogurt or just eat it with a spoon!