Breads

Challah – Secrets of a Jewish Baker

Makes 2 loaves

My sister Sarah first made this in middle school for an assignment, but it quickly became her go-to bread to bake. It is a beautiful braided loaf and works wonderfully as a gift.

1 cup warm water 2 packages active dry yeast 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten ¼ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup plus 1 ½ teaspoons sugar 4 to 4 ½ cups bread flour 2 teaspoons salt 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash Poppy or sesame seeds, for topping (optional)

In a large bowl sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir to dissolve. Add the egg, egg yolks, oil, sugar, 4 cups flour, and salt. Stir until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work top and knead, adding more flour ¼ cup at a time if the dough is sticky or very soft. The dough should be firm. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and the gluten is well developed (10 to 15 minutes). When you push down, the dough should feel firm and push back. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover until the dough is tripled in volume, or when an indentation made with a finger pushed down into the center of the dough remains and does not recede. Punch down the dough, cut in half, cover, and allow to rise for 15 minutes. Punch down again and with the palms roll out into 2 ropes. Cut each into 6 equal pieces and braid. Brush the edges with egg wash, using care to cover completely. Transfer the bread to a cornmeal-dusted baking pan if you are making the braided challah. Place in a warm, draft-free area, and allow to rise until doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven on the middle shelf until the bread has a rich mahogany color and the bottom has a hollow sound when tapped lightly with your fingertips (35 minutes).

Chapattis – Flatbreads and Flavors

Make 8 thin round breads, about 7-8 inches across

A very simple flatbread that is eaten with other foods, generally curries. They taste best when still warm.

2 cups atta flour (or whole wheat flour sifted) or more as needed 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup warm water, or more as needed

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the warm water. Mix with your hand or with a spoon until you can gather it together into a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured bread board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and flatten each with lightly floured fingers. Then roll out each piece with a rolling pin to an 8-inch round. Roll out each bread without flipping it over; lightly flour the bread board as necessary to keep the bread from sticking. Cover the finished breads with plastic wrap as you roll out the rest. Heat a tava or a cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. When the griddle is hot, place a chapatti on the griddle, top side down. Cook for only 10 seconds, and then gently flip over. Cook on the second side until small bubbles begin to form, approximately 1 minute. Turn the chapatti back to the first side and cook about 1 minute longer; at this stage, a perfectly made chapatti should start to balloon. This process can be helped along by gently pressing on the bread (use a small cotton cloth or paper towel to protect your fingertips from the hot bread): gently press down on a large bubble in the bread, forcing the bubble to expand. Remove the chapatti form the griddle and wrap in a clean towel to keep warm and soft. Cook the remaining breads, stacking the breads on top of one another.

High-Tech Crackers – Flatbreads & Flavors

Makes about 13 dozen very thin crackers

A good, basic cracker. It was always fun to break them apart if they stuck together in the oven.

3 cups hard whole wheat flour, or more as necessary 1 teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups warm water Optional toppings Grated parmesan Cayenne Coarse salt Sesame seeds Grated unsweetened coconut Cumin seed

Place the four and salt in a food processor and process for 10 seconds to mix well. With the motor running, add the water in a steady stream, then process for 10 seconds longer. The dough should have formed into one large ball. Once you have a ball of dough, process for 1 minute more. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds or so. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500°, and place two racks near the center of the oven. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Work one piece at a time, leaving the other pieces covered. On a lightly floured surface, with lightly floured hands, flatten a piece of dough with your palms. Then roll it out to a very thin rectangle or round, as even a thinness as possible. Gently lift the dough from tour rolling surface and place it on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle on one of the optional topping s or leave plain. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut through the dough to make rectangular crackers. Spray the though lightly with water and place in the oven.

Begin rolling out the next piece of dough while keeping an eye on the crackers already baking. (Crackers brown from underneath.) Check on them 2 ½ to 3 minutes after they go in. As soon as the thinnest patches of the dough have started to brown take them out. If necessary, continue backing, checking every 30 seconds.

Indian Puris – Gretchen Kuipers

Makes around 12 puris.

Puris are fun to stuff with a variety of fillings, although they are fragile. They taste great with curries and other spicy dishes.

3 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp salt 3 tbsp peanut oil More than 1 cup water Additional oil for frying

In large bowl combine 3 cups wheat flour, 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp peanut oil. Slowly add a little more than 1 cup water – drop-by-drop. Kneading the dough until you’ve got a slightly stiff consistency. Turn it on board – knead until dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 8-9 minutes). Gather into ball – place in bowl – cover with damp towel. Let dough rest 30 minutes. Break off small pieced of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls.

On floured surface roll balls into thin circles around 1/16 -⅛ inch thick – make uniform circle.

In pot or deep-frying pan heat 1-inch oil. Test with tiny piece of dough – if dough rises quickly its hot enough. Secret – Keep it moist and a little sticky.

Oatmeal Bread – More with Less

Makes 2 loaves (Kent’s 4 loaf)

This is the bread my dad always makes, it’s a great sandwich bread and makes delicious toast. His alterations are in parenthesis. We always cut into one loaf while still warm, sometimes spreading butter onto the fresh slices of bread.

Combine in large bowl:

1 cup quick oats (2 cups) ½ cups whole wheat flour ½ cups brown sugar (½ - ¾ cups) 1 tbsp salt (2 tbsp) 2 tbsp margarine (4 tbsp) (½ - 1 cup bulgur, sometimes)

Pour over:

2 cups boiling water (4 cups)

Stir in to combine. Dissolve:

1 pkg dry yeast (3 pkg yeast) in ½ cup warm water (1 cup H2O)

When batter is cooled to lukewarm, add yeast. Stir in:

5 cups white flour (3-5 cups whole wheat, 5-8 cups white)

When dough is stiff enough to handle, turn onto floured board and knead 5-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled. Punch down and let rise again. Shape into 2 loaves (4 loaves) and place into greased 9x5x3” pans (let rise for ½ hour while oven preheats). Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Cool on rack, brushing loaves with margarine for a soft crust.

Onion Rye Buns – Welcome to Junior’s

Makes between 1-2 dozen buns

My sisters and I love these. They taste good on their own or for a sandwich.

3 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/3 cup rye flour 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons malted milk powder 1 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 1 cup water (105° to 115°) 2 ¼-ounce packages active dry yeast 1 extra large egg ½ cup vegetable oil 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped yellow onions For glazing the rolls 1 extra large egg ½ teaspoon vegetable oil

Mix together both flours, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the malted milk powder, salt, and caraway in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Make the yeast sponge. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer equipped with a dough hook, beat the egg and ½ cup oil in a large bowl on high until light yellow. Reduce speed to low and beat in yeast mixture, then the flour mixture, then 1 cup of the onions. Knead the flour mixture by beating the dough on high for 15 minutes (the dough will be smooth and elastic). Transfer the dough to a well-buttered bowl and turn over the dough once to coat it well (the dough will be sticky). Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until it’s double the size (about 1 hour). Preheat the oven to 400° and butter 2 baking sheets. Punch the dough down with your fist to deflate it. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands and lightly knead the dough until it’s no longer sticky, about 2 minutes.

To make dinner-size 4-inch rolls: cut the dough into 4 equal parts, then each piece into 3 more equal pieces. You will have 12 little mounds of dough (for smaller twin rolls, divide into 24 pieces). Flour your hands well. Pick up each

piece in your hand and shape it into a rounded roll with a smooth top. Place the rolls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Whisk the egg with the ½ teaspoon oil and brush this glaze on top of each roll. Sprinkle with the remaining1/2 cup onions. Cover the rolls and let them rise until light and doubled in size, about 30 minutes more. Bake the rolls until they are golden and set, about 10-12 minutes for the twin rolls, 13-15 minutes for the buns.

Sourdough Rye Buns with Currants – Bread Alone

Makes about 40 buns

These are absolutely delicious and taste great plain or with butter and cheese. Instead of rye sourdough, my dad would just use sourdough refreshed with whole pumpernickel flour.

2 cups rye sourdough starter 3 cups water 6-7 cups flour, 3 parts white to 1 part whole wheat 1 tablespoon fine sea salt 1 cup currants Cornmeal or fine semolina for dusting

Combine the starter and water in a 6-quart bowl. Break up the starter well, and stir with a wooden spoon until it loosens and the mixture is slightly frothy. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir until well combined. Ass the salt and just enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour when needed, 12 minutes. Gradually knead in the currants and continue kneading until dough is soft and smooth. Be Cautious about adding too much flour during kneading – the final dough should be slightly sticky. The dough is ready when a small amount pulled from the mass springs back quickly, 15 to 17 minutes total.

Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough to coat the top with oil. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm draft-free place until doubled in volume.

Deflate the dough by pushing sown in the center and pulling up on the sides. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Cut

into forty 2 ½ inch pieces. Flatten each with the heel of your hand. Shape each piece into a tight ball. Place the buns on a board that had been lightly dusted with cornmeal or semolina. Cover with a damp, clean towel or plastic wrap until almost doubled in volume or a slight indentation remains when pressed with the fingertip. Forty-five minutes to 1 hour before baking, preheat the oven and baking stone on the center rack of the oven to 450°. Gently place the buns onto a floured peel so that they are right side up. Using the peel, slide the buns a few at a time onto the stone. Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the oven with cold water form a spritzer bottle. Spray for several seconds until steam has filled the oven. Quickly close the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes. Spray again in the same way, closing the door immediately, and bake until the buns are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. To test for doneness, remove one bun and hold upside down. Tap the bottom firmly, if it doesn’t sound hollow, bake 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Steamed Graham Bread – Gwen Meuzelaar

My mother recalls it always in the refrigerator door, and that you would put butter or a sharp cheese on it. It was a bit dry and tasted best fresh.

1 ½ cups white flour 1 cup graham flour 1 ½ cups bran (Pillsbury) Salt 2 big spoonfuls melted lard 3 tbsp molasses 1 ½ cups sour milk 2 tsp soda (scant) Water if necessary Raisins

Pour into 1 lb. baking powder cans or other cans. Place in cooker with small amount of water. Steam for 1 ½ hours.

Put in oven for 10 or 15 minutes to dry the tops. Let cool so it will come out easily. Use your discretion about the latter. Use lots of raisins.

Zucchini Bread – More with Less

Makes 2 loaves

Even though she doesn’t like quick breads, my mom would always make this for my sisters and I. A slice tastes good with cream cheese or butter.

Preheat oven to 350° Combine in mixing bowl and beat well:

3 large eggs ¾ cups sugar 1 cups vegetable oil 2 cups raw, peeled, grated zucchini 1 tbsp vanilla

Stir together:

3 cups flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 3 tsp cinnamon

Add to zucchini mixture and stir until blended. Add:

1 cup coarsely chocolate chips (optional)

Pour into 2 greased 8” bread pans. Bake 1 hour. Remove from pans and cool on rack.