Category:

Homemade Bagels

4/5/2022

It's been a looong time since I made homemade bagels, but I have a new book coming out titled Breakfast Breads and Sweet Treats (coming in September from Reedy Press) and my publisher insisted that bagels had to be in it. But I've never been entirely satisfied with my bagel recipe and technique, so I did a lot more research and experimentation to create the recipe that follows.

A few important points

If you want chewy, dense bagels, bread flour is best, which has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour.
Be careful not to allow the balls of dough to over-rise before the shaping and boiling process, or the result will be somewhat flattened bagels with a wrinkled surface.
Some recipes direct you to add your toppings as soon as the bagels come out of the boiling water, but I find that using an egg wash makes the toppings stick better and makes for a shiny, golden brown crust.
In addition to toppings, you can add just about anything to this dough: onion flakes, granulated garlic, cinnamon and raisins, mini chocolate chips, etc. My personal preference is for plain bagels, toasted, with flavored cream cheese or compound butters.

Homemade
Bagels

Dough
1 ½ cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast
2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3½ cups bread flour (see note)

Boiling Process
Water
3 tablespoons of honey

Baking
Egg wash
Toppings like poppy seed, sesame seed, onion flakes, etc.

Place the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium mixing bowl and add the yeast and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve and allow to develop for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the salt, then add the flour, about one cup at a time, with the mixer on medium, using the dough hook. When all the flour is fully incorporated, knead it for about 10 minutes in the mixer, 15 minutes if you knead it by hand. The dough will be very stiff. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter top and divide into six equal piece for large bagels or eight pieces for slightly smaller ones. Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape each portion of dough into a round ball and then place them at least 3” apart on the baking sheets. Cover the pans with cling wrap. Don’t use a dish towel because the stiff dough tends to dry out. You can also place a couple of small bowls of warm water under the plastic (see ph0to). Place the pans in a warm place and let the dough balls rise for an hour or until nearly doubled. Do not allow them to over-rise, or the bagels will be misshapen and wrinkly—I know this from experience!

After the dough balls have risen, take your forefinger and make a hole in the center of each ball. Spread the hole out carefully to shape the bagel shapes (the hole should be about 1½” across). Cover the pans again with cling wrap while you get the water boiling. Preheat your oven to 375° F.

Fill a wide pot about 2/3 of the way with water (I use a stock pot), add the honey and bring to a medium boil. Use a spatula to gently drop the bagels into the boiling water one at a time. Boil for 90 seconds, flip over and boil for another 90 seconds. Remove and set on a clean, dry cloth or towel to drain briefly (do NOT use paper towels) and then place them back on the baking sheets. Once they are all boiled, brush the tops of the bagels with whole egg wash and add toppings if desired.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. If you use an instant read thermometer, the interior temp should be above 200 ° F. Let bagels cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

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Four Corner Danish Pastries

2/3/2022

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In my last post I gave the recipe for Danish Pastry dough. Here's a good beginner's recipe to make some modestly-sized treats for family and friends.

Four Corner Danish Pastries
1 batch of Danish Pastry Dough
Preserves, pie filling, chutney, etc.

Prepare a 9” x 13” baking sheet with parchment or vegetable cooking spray. Divide dough in half. Leave half, wrapped, in the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll portion of dough into a 9” x 9” rectangle. When you roll out the dough it’s almost impossible to get the edges perfectly straight, so roll it out 10” x 10” and trim it as needed. Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, divide dough into 9 squares. I often use a vintage 3” x 3” cookie cutter I found in a monastery junk drawer.

On each square, bring the corners to the center and press down with your fingers to make an indentation about the size of a quarter. Add a tablespoon of filling to the center and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with second portion of dough or use to make some other pastry.

You can use the trimmings to make spiral pastries as shown here. Knead the dough scraps together, divide and roll into ropes, flatten each one slightly and shape as shown. Place on the baking sheet and add the filling. I like this better than trying to roll the leftovers out to cut more squares. Besides, they make nice samples for the kitchen help!

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover the baking sheet with a clean dry towel and allow pastries to rise for 30 to 45 minutes or until nearly doubled. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Drizzle with powdered sugar icing.

There are a lot of different ways to shape Danish pastries. Here's a couple of ideas from Craftsy (where I just happen to have a couple of online classes!) I'll be posting some additional ideas in the days ahead. But right now, I think I'll have a little breakfast.

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Baking Mix Recipes

5/4/2020

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With Breadheads and newbie bakers alike finding it hard to locate yeast during the quarantine, I thought I would offer instruction on how to create a "no yeast" multigrain baking mix which can be used for quick breads like muffins, biscuits, waffles and the like. Here is the short video I made with instructions. The recipe follows.

Multigrain Baking Mix and how to use it

If you already use baking mixes, you might be surprised to see that this version requires refrigeration, but you might be equally surprised to discover that the package on the commercial versions also recommends that you refrigerate their product after opening. But most baking mixes use shortening and have a number of preservatives and therefore are more “shelf-stable” as they say in the food biz. My version has no preservatives and uses butter (far fewer trans fats), which with the addition of whole grains makes it a healthier alternative. (If you’re going low-fat, use only one stick of butter.) You can use it one-to-one in any recipe that calls for baking mix.

Multigrain Baking Mix
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup quick cooking oatmeal
½ cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup milled flaxseed
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into slices

Place dry ingredients into food processor and process until thoroughly mixed. Add butter and pulse until well blended. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 6 weeks (depending upon how fresh your butter is). If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe by ½ teaspoon.

Pancakes
2 cups baking mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
N.B.: This is the classic recipe, but I think these are better with 1¼ cup of milk and only one egg. I can't imagine you need anything more than the ingredients!

Waffles
2 cups baking mix
1 1/3 cups milk
2 eggs
Separate the eggs, then beat the milk and yolks Add milk mixture to baking mix and stir until just combined. Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks appear and fold gently into batter. Use in waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
NOTE:
If you like a waffle with a crisp exterior, leave the waffle iron closed until the steaming stops.

(OK, the picture here isn't blueberry muffins--those are chocolate and butterscotch chips---but you get the idea!)
Blueberry Muffins
2 cups baking mix
1⁄3 cup sugar
2⁄3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
3⁄4 cup frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees and coat muffin pan with cooking spray. Combine sugar, milk, oil and egg in a small bowl and beat well. Place baking mix in a medium bowl and add liquid, stir until just moistened. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly in 9 muffin cups.
Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Baked Cinnamon Donuts with Chai Glaze
Donuts
1¾ cup of baking mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ cup 2% milk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375° F. and lightly grease a donut pan. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and whisk thoroughly to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg and oil. Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Divide batter into pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for five minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack; frost while warm.

Chai Frosting
Make one cup of sweetened chai tea. In a small sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Reduce to about ¼ cup of thick syrup. Immediately add 1 cup of powder sugar and a pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. While mixture is still warm, use to lightly glaze donuts.

Pumpkin Spice Donuts
2 cups baking mix
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2 eggs
3/4 cup liquid pumpkin spice creamer (or 1/2 cup milk)
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two donut pans (12 donuts total, or 24 mini donuts) with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium size bowl, whisk together baking mix and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, creamer/milk, sugar and oil. Add the flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until nearly smooth—do not overbeat. Allow to sit for 5 or ten minutes while the whole grains absorb the liquid, which takes longer than with all-purpose flour.

Transfer the batter to a large ziploc bag and expel excess air before sealing. Snip one corner of the bag and pipe batter into donut pans---each section will be slightly more than half full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until donuts are lightly browned and spring back when touched. Allow donuts to rest about five minutes in pan before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Glaze or frost as desired, or toss in cinnamon sugar.

Welsh Cakes
2 cups baking mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
½ cup currants or raisins
1 large egg
1/4 cup cold milk
Butter for the pan

Combine baking mix, sugar and spices in a medium-size bowl and whisk to blend. Stir in the currants. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg with the milk; stir into mixture to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly, 8 to 10 strokes. Lightly flour the board, then roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a fluted cookie cutter (2½” or 3”size). Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat (or use an electric skillet set to 350° F). Brush the surface of the pan lightly with butter and cook the cakes for about 3 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown. (I usually test one first to make sure I have the temperature correct--they should come out soft in the middle but not at all doughy). Remove to a wire rack and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Serve warm.

The photo shows the version with a strawberry cake filling, but any way you make this coffeecake it's delish!
Quick Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Streusel
2/3 cup baking mix
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter

Coffee Cake
2 cups baking mix
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 egg

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Combine 2/3 cup baking mix, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter using pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

In medium bowl, combined baking mix, baking soda, and sugar and whisk until blended. In a separate bowl, beat sour cream, vanilla and egg until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients until combined. Spread about 1 cup of the batter in pan. Sprinkle with about 3/4 cup of the streusel. Drop remaining batter evenly over top of streusel and sprinkle remaining streusel over top.

Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pan and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Variations
Add another tablespoon of butter to the streusel. Peel and core two medium baking apples and slice them thinly. After you put half of the batter in the pan, arrange apple slices on top and sprinkle with half the streusel. Add the second layer of batter and the remaining streusel. Bake as directed—may need up to 25 minutes in the oven. You can do the same with fresh or even canned peaches, but cut them into small pieces.

Make only half of the streusel. After you put half the batter in the pan, add a layer of cake and pastry filling or pie filling. If you use cherry filling, use almond extract instead of vanilla, and add some slivered almonds to the top streusel.

Omit the cinnamon from the streusel recipe, and use 1½ to 2 cups of fresh strawberries as the filling. You can use half brown and half white sugar for the streusel.

Whole Grain Nutty Shortcake with Tart Apple Topping
3 cups of multigrain baking mix
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 egg
¾ cup of milk

APPLE TOPPING
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups apple cider or apple juice
5 cups tart apple pieces (peeled, cored, quartered and sliced)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Combine baking mix, brown sugar, nutmeg and nuts in a medium size bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until blended; beat for one minute. Divide dough in half and into two greased 9-inch pie pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly firm to the touch.

While the shortcake is baking, make the topping. Combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in a large saucepan. Stir in the cider and cook over medium high heat until the sauce is clear and thickened. Turn the heat down to medium, then add the apples. Cover and let simmer until the apples are tender. Spoon half of the apple mixture over each shortcake layer (you may serve them individually or stacked.) Serve warm with whipped cream and toasted pecans for a garnish.

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Welsh Cakes

6/11/2019

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Please forgive my long hiatus from the Bread blog! I can honestly say I have no idea how or why I got so neglectful, but I'm resolved to make it up to my loyal Breadheads.

One of my most popular bread demos in recent years has been one using a multigrain baking mix I developed. It's used in the same way as BisquickTM but has more whole grains and fiber, plus it uses unsalted butter instead of shortening. My first blog about it is HERE along with the recipe. It will also be featured in an upcoming book, along with several quick and tasty recipes. I use it most often for waffles, but I also keep it on hand for pancakes, muffins, biscuits and more unconventional recipes, like Welsh Cakes.

Welsh Cakes are like a cross between pancakes and English muffins, all of these being small breads cooked in a skillet. Welsh cakes are thicker and heartier than pancakes, but not as dense and chewy as English muffins. With a baking mix, they take little time to prepare, and with the addition of spices and dried fruit of various kinds, you can produce a variety of flavor profiles, one of which is sure to become a favorite. Traditionally one uses cinnamon and nutmeg along with raisins or currants, but I like using Chinese five spice for the light licorice flavor of the anise and the light kick from the pepper in the blend. This spice blend is now available in most grocery stores, usually in the baking aisle, but sometimes with the Asian foods. In case you don't have it in your area, you can find a recipe for it HERE

Welsh Cakes

2 cups baking mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup currants or raisins
1 large egg
1/4 cup cold milk
Butter for the pan

Combine baking mix, sugar and spices in a medium-size bowl and whisk to blend. Stir in the currants. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg with the milk; stir into mixture to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly, 8 to 10 strokes. Lightly flour the board, then roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a fluted cookie cutter (2½” or 3”size). If you don't have a fluted cutter, use an ordinary biscuit cutter, but one that has sharp enough edges to cut through the raisins/currents.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat (or use an electric skillet set to 350° F). Brush the surface of the pan lightly with butter and cook the cakes for about 3 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown. (I usually test one first to make sure I have the temperature correct--they should come out soft in the middle but not at all doughy). Remove to a wire rack and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Serve warm.

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Coffee Cake to warm a snowy winter's day

2/11/2018

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Source: www.slate.com

As most of you Breadheads know by now, my baking is most often inspired by leftovers: most often by mashed potatoes, but occasionally by expired Halloween candy, a picked-over cheese tray, a cup of creamed corn, or some other food item that has seen better days. This time, two cartons of sour cream made me tie on an apron. Evidently the admissions office of our high school had some kind of Mexican food delivered for a meeting, because the fridge had several containers of salsa, guac dip and the like, along with the aforementioned sour cream. I had spent the past week teaching a theatre camp for 16 Chinese students on their winter break (and you thought monastic life was dull, didn't you?) and hadn't had time to bake. My campers were off on a Chicago field trip with some other faculty members, and I was itching to try out a pair of small Bundt pans I had recently acquired ($2.49 each) at the local Salvation Army, so I thought a sour cream coffee cake was in order.

The 12 cup and 6 cup versions of a Bundt pan..

Bundt pans weren't very common in the United States until 1966, when someone entered their "Tunnel of Fudge Cake" in the 17th Pillsbury Bake-Off. It took second place, and spurred sales of the fluted aluminum pan with the center post until nearly 70 million household kitchens have one today. They come in 12, 9 and 6 cup increments, the latter being my most recent purchase.

So I mixed up a sour cream coffeecake recipe called "Coffee Cake Exceptionale" which I have written about in a previous post and shared the recipe. It had been snowing all weekend, so warming up the kitchen with the aroma of a cinnamon-flavored cake made the whole first floor seem cozier. The recipe was the perfect size to make two coffee cakes in the six cup pans---one for the brethren and one to share with a friend who spent the weekend plowing snow for 12 hours a day. If you need a treat to reward someone who shoveled your walk or to cheer up a friend with the winter blahs, this coffee cake is a great choice. If you are one of the few people without a Bundt pan, a 9" x 13" cake pan will do just as well.

NOTE: If you use the small Bundt pans you will have to reduce the baking time by half, more or less---keep a close eye on the oven and use the "toothpick test".

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"Creamed Corn" Cornbread

7/17/2017

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Yesterday (July 16) was National Corn Fritter Day, and I posted a link on Facebook to a previous post on The Cornbread Book by Jeremy Jackson. I didn't make corn fritters yesterday, mainly because my blood sugar was trending a bit high. But we had corn (off the cob, frozen) for supper last night, and I thought someone out to do something about the leftovers, so I decided to make cornbread, adapting a recipe in the aforementioned book (which you really should buy---it's a gem!) His original recipe uses creamed corn, something we rarely serve here at the abbey, so I adapted it by simply sending the whole kernels through the food processor and then adding them to the liquids. The resulting bread has a more intense corn flavor and doesn't suffer from the "Dry Crumblies" as some cornbread does. Here's my version:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole corn kernels, finely chopped in food processor
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F., and grease an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray. Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl and stir until well-combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together corn, milk, egg, and oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Don't overbeat, but be sure to use a rubber spatula to make sure there are no pockets of dry ingredients along the sides or bottom of the bowl. Pour batter into pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top begins turn golden brown and the bread pulls away from the sides of the pan slightly. The top of the loaf should spring back when pressed with a fingertip.

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Do you want to bake a snowman?

7/9/2017

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Regular readers of this blog know that I am an incurable shopper at thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets. I have found a number of genuine treasures for myself (my most recent being a Wusthoff chef's knife for 50 cents!) but mostly I'm shopping for vintage or unusual kitchen items to give away as door prizes at my bread demos. At a recent pizza demo I gave away three pizza stones and a brand new pasta machine imported from Italy, and I spent less than a total of $20 for them. When I know I'm going to demonstrate particular breads or techniques, I keep an eye out for items that will go with that theme.

Twice last month I gave a presentation on homemade multigrain baking mix and I'll be doing the same demo later in the year, so I've been on the lookout for vintage biscuit cutters, rolling pins and gently used-waffle irons. You might be surprised how many of the latter show up at Goodwill and Salvation Army (almost as often as those canape molds from Pampered Chef) and last week I came across a Frozen-themed waffle iron that makes waffles in the shape of Olaf the Snowman. It was a whopping $4.99, so I bought it eagerly, well aware that often times these sort of trendy kitchen implements and appliances are heavy on licensing and light on actual usefulness.

However, I was delighted to discover that this waffle iron worked pretty well. Even before I got it back to my kitchen I realized that it would be difficult to clean, so I picked up a color-coordinated scrub brush at the Dollar Store on the way home. I also knew that it would be easier to dispense the waffle batter using a squeeze bottle, so I got one out from the storage room. I made a quick batch of waffle batter and put it in the squeeze bottle, heated up the iron, and then got to work. As you can see, the waffle iron makes all the parts of Olaf individually, so you can assemble him on the plate. A batch of batter with two cups of Bisquick makes EIGHT of these waffles, so you might consider dividing the recipe in half unless you have a large family or run a daycare. The surface of the iron is completely non-stick, but the waffles are hard to remove if you don't let them cook long enough. I wait until the steam stops coming out of the sides---the blue snowflake indicator light just tells you that the iron is on, not when it's hot enough. It's best to fill the sections from largest to smallest (lower body, head, middle body, stick arms) so the arms don't over cook.

There are surprising number of novelty waffle designs out there: Mickey Mouse, Captain America's shield, Hello Kitty, the Star Wars death star, even one that makes a wide waffle shaped like a computer keyboard. If any of them show up at a local flea market or yard sale, I'll probably bring it home and give it a try. But I'm especially looking forward to a future bread demo when I can give this treasure to a mom with Frozen-obsessed daughters---I'll throw in the squeeze bottle and the scrub brush, too. Sometimes people express surprise that I can give away such wonderful kitchen items at my appearances, but when you're a monk who is supposed to remain unattached to material possessions, it's best just to "Let It Go."

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Multigrain baking mix

10/8/2016

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Although my mother had pancake mix and instant potatoes in the cupboard when I was growing up, I don’t recall her keeping Bisquick or Jiffy baking mix around. I must confess I have never used a baking mix until just a few weeks ago when I was finishing up my next book project (Baking Secrets from the Bread Monk) and decided to include a recipe for a homemade version of a homemade “Bisquick-like-baking-mix”. Since then I’ve used it for pancakes, cheddar drop biscuits and shortcake with excellent results. The one in the book uses all-purpose flour alone, but here I’ve added some whole grains, mostly because that’s how I like my waffles!

If you already use baking mixes, you might be surprised to see that this version requires refrigeration, but you might be equally surprised to discover that the Bisquick package also recommends that you refrigerate their product after opening. But most baking mixes use shortening and have a number of preservatives and therefore are more “shelf-stable” as they say in the food biz. My version has no preservatives and uses butter (far fewer trans fats), which with the addition of whole grains makes it a healthier alternative. You can use it one-to-one in any recipe that calls for baking mix. Six cups of total of the different flours may seem like a lot, but you'll go through it in no time, since you can use it for pancakes, waffles, muffins, coffeecakes, biscuits and even scones. Recipes abound on the internet, so mix up a batch of multigrain goodness and try a few out.

Multigrain Baking Mix
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup quick cooking oatmeal
½ cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup milled flaxseed
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into slices

Place dry ingredients into food processor and process until thoroughly mixed. Add butter and pulse until well blended. You can also cut in the butter with a handheld pastry blender, although that takes a while longer. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 6 weeks (depending upon how fresh your butter is). If you use salted butter because that's all you have, reduce the salt in the recipe by a half teaspoon,

ADDENDUM 10/13/16
Since making my most recent batch of this baking mix, I have made muffins and biscuits with ordinary recipes off the website of Betty Crocker (the manufacturer of Bisquick) and got lovely results.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter chips give this sweet treat its flavor.

Some of the faculty at my lunch table got to sample these with butter and honey.

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Food Holidays

9/12/2016

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September celebrates Whole Grains, Honey, and Raisins---as does this bread!

I’ve been researching food holidays for an upcoming book, and based on what I could find online, there are an astonishing number of food-related “holidays” in the course of a calendar year, celebrating everything from dietary fiber to decadent desserts. It seems as though every fruit, vegetable, bread group and protein has a special day. Which prompts one to ask: How are such days established?

The President of the United States of course has the authority to declare a commemorative event or day by proclamation---so can state legislatures and local mayors, for more regional celebrations. But in the end, like most things political, it’s all about lobbying. Petitions are usually introduced by trade associations or public relations firms hired by the portion of the food industry responsible for a particular food’s sale and distribution. ‘Twas ever thus.

But let’s not be too cynical about how the holidays got put on the calendar. I would be happy to enjoy cream puffs (January 2), Oatmeal Nut Waffles (March 11) or falafels (June 12) on any day of the year without any inspiration beyond my own love for baked goods. So in honor of September’s position as both National Honey Month and Whole Grains Month, plus National Raisin Day on the 30th, I’m sharing a recipe for Raisin Walnut Bread which uses stone ground rye flour in the dough and honey as the sweetener.

Raisin Walnut Bread
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 cup lukewarm water
2 pkg. active dry yeast
2 Tbs. dark honey
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 cups stone ground rye flour, divided
3 to 3¼ cups bread flour
2 cups raisins (I like the mixed colors)
1 cup walnuts, medium chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, mix milk, water, honey, yeast, and one cup of rye flour. Allow yeast to develop for five minutes. Then add oil and salt; mix well. Stir in the remainder of the rye flour and allow dough to rest for 10 minutes as the rye flour absorbs moisture. Add 3 cups of the bread flour, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly each time. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead vigorously for 8 to 10 minutes, adding enough of the remaining bread flour to make a firm (but not stiff) dough that is slightly sticky. Rinse out the bowl. Lightly oil the surface of the dough and place it back in the bowl; cover with a towel. Allow to rise in a warm area free for drafts for 60 to 75 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down dough and knead briefly to work out the larger air bubbles. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about ½”. Sprinkle nuts and raisins on top of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough toward the center and knead for a few to distribute the raisins and nuts evenly. (At first it will be messy and seem to be falling apart, but be patient; it will all come together.) Divide the dough in two and shape into loaves. Place loaves in lightly greased loaf pans (8” x 4” x 2”) and cover with towel. Let rise for 40 minutes or until nearly doubled in bulk. Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool on racks.

Notes---The rye requires some extra gluten—hence the use of bread flour. You could use all-purpose flour but then I’d recommend adding a tablespoon of gluten powder.
---This bread is at its best toasted and used for a chicken salad sandwich.

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Challah Babka

8/19/2016

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Chocolate Babka. Photo by Craftsy.com

Most people only know about babka because of the episode on Seinfeld in which Jerry and Elaine miss out on the last chocolate babka and have to settle for cinnamon version, which Elaine thinks of as “the lesser babka.” Both are excellent, and I'm partial to the cinnamon variety, but the chocolate kind is what I made for my Craftsy class, so here's a description and recipe.

The word babka means “grandmother” in Polish, and may have been applied to the pastry because it was often made in a tall, fluted cylindrical pan that produced a cake shaped like a pleated skirt. Some people make it in a loaf pan or as a wreath on a sheet tray. When I make babka, I like to use a Bundt pan so the resulting loaf has a decorative shape and some height.

Challah featured prominently in my Craftsy Class---the last three lessons, actually---with "Half-Pipe Chocolate Babka" being the crown of my instruction. For my class I used a Holiday Challah dough recipe that makes a HUGE batch and has to be kneaded by hand unless you have a larger stand mixture that can manage the equivalent of three loaves of bread. Here's the recipe for a simpler dough you can make in an ordinary KitchenAid.

3¼ to 3½ cups of all-purpose flour, divided
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons of salt
1 pkg. instant yeast
¾ cup warm water
2 eggs, room temp
1 egg yolk (save egg white for the glaze)
¼ cup neutrally flavored oil (canola or a very light olive oil),

Place 3 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a medium size bowl and whisk them together. Place water, eggs and egg yolk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend with a paddle attachment, then add flour mixture a small scoop at a time, with the mixer on medium speed. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated thoroughly, beat in oil at a slightly higher speed into smooth.

Switch to a dough hook attachment. The remaining flour is added gradually until you have a mass of dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl. Knead with hook for 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic and a little bit sticky. Remove dough hook and cover bowl with a clean dry towel. Allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes---a richer dough usually means a slower rise.

Lightly grease a Bundt cake pan. Roll dough out to 20” x 24”. Spread filling (recipe below) evenly over the surface, leaving the top wide edge 1” uncovered. Brush top edge lightly with water. Roll up from bottom wide edge and pinch to seal. Place the roll on a cutting board seam side up and cut down the middle with a large sharp knife or large pizza cutter. (Photo below.) Turn halves with the filling side facing upwards. Starting from the middle, twist the two side together towards one end. Repeat with other side. Carefully lift the twist into the prepared pan and arrange so it’s even. Cover and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes or until nearly doubled. Bake in a preheated 350 F. oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Interior temp of the bread should 190 F. on an instant read thermometer.

Filling
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
⅓ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
⅓ cup cocoa powder

In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat and whisk in chocolate chips. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into the pan and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat.

Chocolate babka slice. Photo: Fr. Dominic

This has to be served on the nicest china cake plate you have, preferably one from your grandma. Seasonally decorated plates are nice, too. Some people add a little chocolate drizzle to dress it up or a light dusting of powdered sugar. But once you cut the first wedge, the interior is so beautiful you won’t care about the loaf’s surface, and the tender crumb and sweet filling don't need any additional sugar.

The filing in this oicture is almond, and you're supposed to cut all the way through at the top, but you get this idea.

I make two other versions of babka, one with a sugar and spice filling, and the other as the pinnacle of sweet bread decadence: Nutella salted caramel babka. For the spice variety, I spread melted butter over the surface of the dough, and then sprinkle on a half-cup mixture of equal parts white and brown sugar with a teaspoon of Chinese five spice (you could use just cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice, too). In my opinion, no need for streusel, just butter and hot coffee.

For the richer version, I heat a 13 oz. jar of Nutella in the microwave for about 10 seconds, and then spread it over the rolled out dough using an offset spatula or plastic bench knife. Then I sprinkle on 5 or 6 oz. of Kraft Premium Caramel Bits (about half an 11-oz. package) and then 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt. Roll it up and continue as directed--the result is below.