Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (269 page)
Braiding a challah, then curving it and joining the two ends makes it into a beautiful braided crown or wreath. This one contains pecans and apricots and is sure to please. Prepare the dough by hand, by mixer, or by food processor (see recipe for
Basic Challah Dough
).
1
â
2
cup dried apricots
1
â
2
cup chopped pecans
1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt (for glaze)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional)
1.
Prepare dough. Then, put apricots in a bowl, add enough warm water to just cover, and soak 5 minutes. Drain well, put on paper towels, and pat dry. Chop apricots. Mix them with pecans. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2.
After dough has risen for second time, sprinkle about
1
â
2
of apricot mixture over dough and knead in lightly by slapping dough in bowl. Repeat with remaining apricot mixture. Turn dough out onto work surface. Knead thoroughly until apricots and pecans are well distributed.
3.
Cut dough into 3 equal parts. Knead each to distribute fruit evenly and to coat fruit with dough so that there are not many pieces of fruit on surface. Roll each piece of dough to rope about 25 inches long and about
5
â
8
-inch wide and tapered slightly at ends, lightly flouring surface only if dough sticks.
4.
To braid the dough, put the ropes side by side, with one end of each closer to you. Join the ends farther from you, covering the end of the rope on your right side with the end of the center rope, and on top of that, the end of the left rope. Press joined ends together. Bring the left rope over the center one. Then bring the right rope over what is now the center rope. Continue bringing the outer ropes alternately over the center one, braiding tightly. Pinch each end. Tuck ends underneath loaf.
5.
Set braided bread carefully on prepared baking sheet. Bring the 2 opposite ends of braid together, curving braid into a wreath, and pinch ends tightly together.
6.
Cover with a warm, slightly damp cloth and let rise about 1 hour 15 minutes or until nearly doubled. Preheat oven to 375°F.
7.
Brush risen loaf gently with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake 35 minutes or until top and bottom of bread are firm and bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool on a rack.
Sugar not only makes a challah sweeter. It also gives it a more cakelike texture and rises a bit less and a bit more slowly than a challah with little sugar. This challah is enhanced with dried pears, dates, and golden raisins. The dough is made quickly in a food processor. If you prefer, prepare it in a mixer or by hand (see recipe for
Basic Challah Dough
). Baking this challah in a loaf pan protects the sweet dough with fruit from burning because the dough stays slightly more moist in the pan.
3 large eggs
1
â
3
cup diced dried pears
1
â
3
cup diced dates
1
â
2
cup golden raisins
1
â
2
cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
About 2
3
â
4
cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1
1
â
2
teaspoons salt
1
â
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.
Set aside 1 egg and dried fruit. Using remaining ingredients above, prepare prepare
Basic Challah Dough
, prepared by food processor through step 4.
2.
Put diced pears, dates, and raisins in a bowl, add enough warm water to just cover them, and soak 5 minutes. Drain well, put on paper towels, and pat dry. Sprinkle about
1
â
3
of fruit mixture over dough and knead in lightly by slapping dough in bowl. Repeat with remaining fruit mixture in 2 batches. Turn out onto work surface. Knead thoroughly until fruit is well distributed. If dough is very sticky, knead in enough flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, so that it can be shaped into ropes.
3.
Cut dough into 3 equal parts. Knead each to distribute fruit evenly and to coat fruit with dough so that there are not many pieces of fruit on surface.
4.
Oil or grease 8 Ã 4-inch loaf pan. Knead dough lightly on a work surface, flouring lightly only if dough sticks. Shape dough into a rough cylinder. Cut cylinder into 3 equal parts.
5.
Knead 1 part briefly and shape it into a cylinder. Roll cylinder back and forth firmly on the work surface until it forms a smooth rope about 10 inches long and about
3
â
4
-inch wide; when rolling dough, press it with your hands held flat and elongate the cylinder from its center to its edges. Taper the rope slightly at its ends. Roll the other 2 parts into ropes in the same way.
6.
To braid the dough, put the ropes side by side, with one end of each closer to you. Join the ends farther from you, covering the end of the rope on right side with the end of the center rope, and on top of that, the end of the left rope. Press joined ends together. Bring the left rope over the center one. Then bring the right rope over what is now the center rope. Continue bringing the outer ropes alternately over the center one, braiding tightly. Pinch each end. Tuck ends underneath loaf. Slip loaf into prepared pan.
7.
Cover the challah with a warm, slightly damp towel and let rise about 1 hour or until nearly doubled. Preheat oven to 375°F.
8.
Beat remaining egg in a small bowl. Brush risen loaf gently with beaten egg. Bake loaf in center of oven 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake about 35 more minutes or until top and bottom of bread are firm and bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom; cover last 15 minutes so top doesn't brown too much. Run metal spatula or knife around bread to unmold it. Carefully transfer bread to a rack and let cool.
Toasted macadamia nuts, dried cranberries, and a touch of honey give this new challah a festive appearance and a scrumptious taste. You can make the dough in a mixer or by hand (see recipe for
Basic Challah Dough
), but I prefer the food processor to save time.
3 large eggs
2
â
3
cup dried cranberries
3
â
4
cup toasted macadamia nuts, unsalted or lightly salted
1
â
2
cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
About 2
3
â
4
cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1
1
â
2
teaspoons salt
1
â
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (liquid) honey
1.
Set aside 1 egg, cranberries, and nuts. Using remaining ingredients above, prepare
Basic Challah Dough
, prepared by food processor through step 4, adding honey after oil.
2.
If cranberries are dry, put them in a bowl, add enough warm water to just cover, and soak 5 minutes. Drain well, put on paper towels, and pat dry.
3.
Coarsely chop nuts evenly into small pieces but not into a powder. Mix nuts and cranberries. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
4.
After dough has risen for second time, sprinkle about
1
â
3
of cranberry mixture over dough and knead in lightly by slapping dough in bowl. Repeat with remaining cranberry mixture in 2 batches. Turn out onto work surface. Knead thoroughly until nuts and cranberries are well distributed. If dough is very sticky, knead in enough flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, so that it can be shaped into ropes.
5.
Cut dough into 3 equal parts. Knead each to distribute fruit evenly and to coat fruit with dough so that there are not many pieces of fruit on surface. Roll each piece of dough into rope about 15 inches long and about 1
1
â
4
-inches wide, lightly flouring surface only if dough sticks.
6.
To braid the dough, put the ropes side by side, with one end of each closer to you. Join the ends farther from you, covering the end of the rope on right side with the end of the center rope, and on top of that, the end of the left rope. Press joined ends together. Bring the left rope over the center one. Then bring the right rope over what is now the center rope. Continue bringing the outer ropes alternately over the center one, braiding tightly. Pinch each end. Tuck ends underneath loaf. Set the braided bread carefully on the oiled baking sheet.
7.
Cover with a warm, slightly damp cloth and let rise about 1 hour 15 minutes or until nearly doubled. Preheat oven to 375°F.
8.
Beat remaining egg with a pinch of salt. Brush risen loaf gently with beaten egg. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake about 25 more minutes or until top and bottom of bread are firm and bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool on a rack.
Walnuts are a favorite accent in Ashkenazic yeast doughs, and this rich challah contains plenty of them. Taste a few walnuts before using them in this bread to be sure they are fresh. The walnut oil really enhances the bread's flavor, but it will still taste great without it. A food processor whips up this dough in no time.
3 large eggs
1 to 1
1
â
2
cups walnut pieces, coarsely chopped
1
â
2
cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
1 tablespoon sugar
About 2
3
â
4
cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1
1
â
2
teaspoons salt
1
â
4
cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons walnut oil or additional vegetable oil
1.
Set aside 1 egg and walnuts. Using remaining ingredients above, prepare
Basic Challah Dough
, prepared by food processor through step 4.
2.
Grease a 9 Ã 5-inch loaf pan. After dough has risen for second time, pat out dough into a 9-inch square. Sprinkle evenly with all the walnuts. Press them into dough. Roll up tightly in a cylinder, pressing firmly. Pinch ends and seam tightly. Then roll cylinder again on work surface to press seam further. Place in pan seam-side down.