KNEADING INSTRUCTIONS

BUTTER: COLD / SOFTENED / MELTED

Often in a recipe, it will specify at what temperature the butter or margarine should be. This is important, as it will change the way the butter works in that recipe. Cold butter: If the recipe says to use cold butter, keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

Softened butter: Take the butter out of the fridge when you're gathering up all your ingredients. Then it will be warmed up and easier to incorporate into the rest of the recipe.

Melted butter: Melt the butter in a pot on the stove or in the microwave before putting it into the recipe.

BLOOM OR “PROOF” THE YEAST

Blooming (also known as “proofing”) is the way we test yeast to see if it is active (especially if the yeast has been in our cupboard for a while). The yeast is put into very warm water, about 100-110° F, and allowed to sit for a while. If the yeast is still alive, it will start bubbling or foaming.

CARAMELIZE

To caramelize means to slowly sauté, cook, or roast foods that have natural sugars in them. Doing so causes the sugars to come out and start turning into caramel, giving the food a beautiful brown color and a richer, more delicious flavor.

CHOP / DICE / CHIFFONADE

CHOP means to cut into chunks. DICE means to cut into little cubes or squares. CHIFFONADE is a method of cutting greens like lettuce or basil. The leaf is rolled up tightly, and then cut into strips. This makes the cut greens look like ribbons.

CURDLE

When milk goes sour, little pieces rise to the top. This is called curdling. Gross, throw it out! Sometimes, however, a recipe calls for buttermilk, which is basically milk that has been fermented, which means soured in a way that makes it safe and healthy. We can make our own buttermilk by adding acid like vinegar or lemon juice to fresh milk, which will make it curdle right away. When we use this in a recipe, it adds tanginess to the final taste.

DUST

To dust means to lightly sprinkle a powder, like confectioners sugar or flour, over the finished baked goods. Using a sifter or special dusting tool will help you get a nice even powdering.

GARNISH

This means to decorate the final food before we serve it. This is usually done with an ingredient that is in the food, or that will add some color and flavor to the final dish.

GREASE THE PAN

This is how we make sure that whatever we are baking will come out of the baking dish or pan easily, without sticking to it. Grease the pan by rubbing or lightly smearing some butter or margarine all over its inside surface, or by spraying it with a cooking oil spray or baking spray.

PREHEAT THE OVEN

Before putting our challah in the oven to bake, it is important to make sure the oven has already reached the temperature specified in that challah’s recipe. We preheat the oven by turning it on in advance, giving it the time it needs to heat up. Most ovens have a light or indicator that will tell you when the oven has reached the desired temperature.

SET

This means that the food is no longer “jiggly” and is now fully solid (such as in, “the eggs need to be set,” or, “the filling will set while it’s cooling”).

WHISK

Whisking is a way of getting air into what we are mixing. We do this by using a whisk (or a fork) and mixing in a vertical circular up-and-down motion instead of ‘round and ‘round.