Challah
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When I’ve gone down to my parents’ house lately, they’ve had the best challah in their bread drawer to nosh on. I suppose I should note here that there are two types of challah eaters: the ones who slice challah and the ones that pull it apart. My family is pull-aparters, so it’s important that the challah have the right texture because inevitably, the innards will be eaten first.
So, a few days before Yom Kippur, I decided I wanted to give another challah recipe a whirl. This time however, instead of looking at the ingredients, I looked at the photos. I wanted bread where the end result looked doughy, soft, and elastic. This photo in this recipe met all of those criteria.
I’m happy to report I have a new favorite challah recipe, and my sister can attest to the amazing texture. This challah is delicious, and the recipe makes two, so you can easily eat one now and freeze the other for later. Plus, only one rise is required, so it’s super easy!
Photos of the process.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup warm water, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
6 cups flour — either all white or half white whole wheat
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup mild honey, plus an extra tablespoon for eggwash, if desired
2/3 cup flavorless vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs, plus one yolk for eggwash, if desired
1 pinch ground cardamom, optional
Preparation
Put 1 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar, sprinkle the yeast over top, swirl the bowl just to combine, and leave it to proof for five minutes.
While yeast is proofing, mix flour, salt, 1/4 cup of sugar and cardamom, if using, in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) Stir to incorporate or blend on low speed.
In a medium bowl, mix remaining water, honey, oil, and eggs.
When yeast has finished proofing, add it to the flour, immediately followed by wet ingredients. Mix with a large wooden spoon or on medium-low speed in the mixer, just until combined, about 30 seconds.
Switch to dough hook and begin to knead on low speed, making sure to incorporate what’s at the bottom of the bowl if the dough hook misses it. If kneading by hand, stir using spoon until dough becomes to thick to stir. Empty dough onto well-floured surface and knead by hand. Knead dough until smooth and no longer sticky, adding flour with a light hand as needed, 7-10 minutes.
Split the dough into two equal pieces. Set each in a large oiled bowl, cover both bowls with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size. If using white flour, this should take about 2-2.5 hours. If using white whole wheat, it will take closer to 3.5 or 4. Feel free to let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight instead; if you do this, be sure to set out the dough in plenty of time before shaping, so it can come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375.
After the rise, the dough should be soft and pliable. Separate each mound of dough into three equal balls, for a total of six. Roll each ball into a log almost 1-foot long. Braid the logs together to create your loaf. For the nicest-looking braid, do not pinch the top edges of your logs together before braiding; simply place one log over the next and braid until you reach the bottom, then pinch those edges together. Then, flip the unfinished loaf the long way, so that the unfinished edge is now at the bottom and the loaf has been flipped over and upside down. Finish braiding and pinch these edges together. This way, both ends look identical. Tuck the very tips beneath the loaf when braiding is finished. Repeat with second loaf.
Put each loaf on its own silpat-lined baking sheet. If using eggwash, mix yolk with a 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon honey. Brush over loaves.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes, until challot are golden and baked through.
Recipe from Food 52.
Confetti Cookies
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Last month, I was lucky enough to go to NYC for work (and some play). Unlike last year’s trip where I didn’t get to eat anywhere fun, this year I ate more than my fair share.
And I finally got to visit Momofuku Milk Bar! As well as Levain Bakery, Bouchon, and Jacques Torres (chocolate covered Cheerios anyone?). And oh yeah, I also ate lots of carbs at A Voce, Trattoria Dell’Arte (fried artichokes, mmm, thank you Elana!), and Bistro Milano. And while I did not make it to the Halal cart even though it was right across the street from my hotel, it’s fair to say I did not go hungry during my trip.
I may have fallen in love with Momofuku Milk Bar. I came back to LA and told everyone how awesome the bakery is, gushing about the peanut butter pretzel caramel pie, and about their amazing cookbook. Then a few weeks later, the cookbook was MINE. I poured over the pages and immediately decided I had to make the Confetti Cookies because really, what’s better than fun and colorful cookies to bring into the office the first day back after a long weekend?
Right out of the oven, these cookies reminded me of the sugar cookies my sister and I used to make with our mom when we were kids. But the next day, they grew on me. They’re chewy inside, with a slight crunch on the outside, and the pieces of the birthday cake crumbs are delicious. While not my favorite cookie ever, they’re fun and were a huge hit at the office.
Side note: this cookbook has weight measurements which are AWESOME. Less dishes to wash and more accurate measurements. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, get one now!
Birthday Cake Crumb Ingredients
100 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
25 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons) packed light brown sugar
90 grams (3/4 cup) cake flour
2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) baking powder
2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt
20 grams (2 tablespoons) rainbow sprinkles
40 grams (1/4 cup) grapeseed oil
12 grams (1 tablespoon) clear vanilla extract
Cookie Ingredients
225 grams (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
300 grams (1 1/2 cups) sugar
50 grams (2 tablespoons) glucose or 25 grams (1 tablespoon) corn syrup
2 eggs
8 grams (2 teaspoons) clear vanilla extract (I found this at Michaels)
400 grams (2 1/2 cups) flour
50 grams (2/3 cup) milk powder
9 grams (2 teaspoons) cream of tartar
6 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda
5 grams (1 1/4 teaspoons) kosher salt
40 grams (1/4 cup) rainbow sprinkles
1/2 recipe Birthday Cake Crumbs
Birthday Cake Crumb Preparation
Heat the oven to 300°F.
Combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until well combined.
Add the oil and vanilla and paddle again to distribute. The wet ingredients will act as glue to help the dry ingredients form small clusters; continue paddling until that happens.
Spread the clusters on a parchment or Silpat lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally. The crumbs should still be slightly moist to the touch; they will dry and harden as they cool.
Let the crumbs cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, the crumbs will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.
Confetti Cookies Preparation
Combine the butter, sugar, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and rainbow sprinkles. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Still on low speed, add the birthday cake crumbs and mix in for 30 seconds—-just until they are incorporated.
Using a 2 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature–they will not bake properly.
Heat the oven to 350°F.
Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment or Silpat lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very lightly browned on the edges (golden brown on the bottom). The centers will show just the beginning signs of color. Leave the cookies in the oven for an additional minute or so if the colors don’t match and the cookies still seem pale and doughy on the surface.
Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
Recipe from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook.
