Bread

Challah–Jewish bread

| Rekha Vengalil


Challah is a traditional braided Jewish bread that is served at celebrations. A special loaf served for the Jewish Shabbat. To read more on of the bread click here

The recipe here makes 2 loaves. 

Recipe source –  Jewish cooking

You need –

  • Dried yeast – 1 tablespoon
  • Sugar – 1 tablespoon
  • Lukewarm water – 1 cup
  • Bread flour – 4.5 cups plus extra as needed
  • Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons
  • Egg – 2, lightly beaten

For glazing –

  • Sugar – 1 teaspoon
  • salt – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Egg – 1
  • Sesame seeds/poppy seeds – for sprinkling
 

How to –

In mixing bowl add the yeast, tablespoon of sugar and 120 ml (1/2 cup) of lukewarm water. 
 
Mix together and sprinkle a little flour on top. Cover and leave for about 15 minutes or until the bubbles appear on the surface.
 
Now to the yeast mixture add the salt, oil and eggs and mix well. Gradually add the flour and knead for 5-10 minutes until the mixture forms a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky then add little more flour or if its too dry then add lukewarm water as required and knead again.
 
In large oiled bowl, place the dough; cover with a plastic wrap and leave it in warm place to double in size for about 1-2 hours. Once the dough has doubled in size; turn it to a lightly floured surface, punch and knead gently for 5-6 minutes. Turn to the bowl and let it sit covered again for 1-2 hours or till double in size.
 
Turn the dough into a lightly floured surface and divided into 2 equal pieces. Then divide each piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a long sausage shape. Pinch the ends of the 3 pieces together, then braid into a loaf (just like braiding hair). Pinch the ends again and place them on the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit in a warm place to double in size.
 
Pre- heat the oven to 180 C.
 
For glazing – beat the egg, sugar and a pinch of salt. Brush over the loaf and sprinkle the sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
 
Bake for 35-40 minutes or till well browned. Leave on wire rack to cool.
 

Doughnuts

| Rekha Vengalil


Recipe source – http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au

You need –

  • Dried yeast – 14 gram
  • Lukewarm milk – 350 ml,
  • caster sugar – ½ cup
  • Eggs – 2, at room temp
  • butter – 80 grams , cut into small cubes
  • Plain flour – 680 grams
  • Vegetable oil – For deep frying
 

How to –

In bowl, stir the yeast in 60 ml of lukewarm water. Set aside for 10 minutes or till foamy.

In a mixing bowl add the sugar, eggs, yeast, butter and half the flour. Using a dough hook attachment, knead till well combined. Add the remaining flour and continue to work till it forms a sticky dough.
 
Yeast
Put the dough onto a lightly floored surface and lightly knead the dough. Butter a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a cling wrap and let it sit in a warm place to raise in double in size (it took about an hour for me).
 
Once the dough has raised in double turn in back to a flour surface and roll out to a 1.5 cm thick. Using a doughnut cutter or use a 8 cm diameter cutter, then cut out holes with a 2 cm diameter cutter.
 
Place the cut dough on tray lined with baking paper with at least 2 cm gap between each. Cover with cloth and let it sit till the dough raises in double (took 30 minutes for me).
 
In a deep frying pan, heat the oil required for deep frying. Once the temperature is 180c; deep fry the doughnuts in batches till they are cooked through and golden brown. Drain on a paper towels. 
 
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cinnamon-sugar mixture or with chocolate glaze.
 
 
Note –
  • If you are not sure if your yeast is still active, them prefer you do a proof test before you start of with the other ingredients  Take the lukewarm water ( please make sure the water is not hot. Otherwise your yeast will die). Stir in the yeast along with a pinch of sugar and set aside for 10 minutes. If the form and bubbles foam on top in 10 minutes then your yeast is still active. 

Cranberry, raisin and walnut loaf

| Rekha Vengalil
Hope you had a wonderful Diwali with lots of fun and great food. Yes! We did too. 
 
Ah! Now it’s time for thanksgiving and Christmas. My little one is so excited and has already made her Christmas shopping list. This Christmas I have promised her that we will do lots of baking together. The two of us are so looking forward to it.  
I have started off with my baking for the season. And if it’s Christmas it must be cranberries. This soft loaf with the crunchy walnuts, tangy bits of cranberries, the sweetness of raisins is scrumptious and so ideal to get baking for the season.



Recipe source – Simply recipes

You need  –

  • All purpose flour -2 cups
  • Caster sugar – 3/4 cup 
  • baking powder – 1.5 teaspoons 
  • baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon 
  • salt 1/2 teaspoon 
  • walnuts – 3/4 cup, coarsely chopped 
  • dried cranberries – 3/4 cup, roughly chopped
  • Raisins – 1/4 cup
  • orange juice – 3/4 cup 
  • butter – 1/4 cup, melted
  • Egg – 1, beaten

How to –

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
 
In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the walnuts, cranberries, raisins to flour mixture and mix well to coat. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, Add the melted butter, egg and orange juice. Beat will till well combined. Now slowly add the flour-cranberry mixtures to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon till everything is just blend.
 
 
Spoon the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or till the toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the loaf.
 
Cool the loaf for 10 minutes in pan and then on a wire rack. 
 

Storing – Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator once cooled completely.



Rosemary Focaccia

| Rekha Vengalil
Focaccia is my favorite bread. With that generous dip into the olive oil is sure an indulgence for me.  Every time we are at an Italian restaurant this is something  I look forward to start off with and lucky some of the restaurant that we are regular at kind of know  this is my weakness and they never fail to give a few slices more 🙂
 
This is one of the easiest bread I have made, yes of course make sure your yeast is active else it can be a complete disaster and be prepared to knead the dough for almost 10 minutes. Ah! I have toned hands!
You need –
  • White bread flour – 500 grams
  • Salt – 1 1/2 teaspoons
  • Instant yeast – 2 1/2 teaspoons
  • Olive oil – 2 tablespoons plus extra for drizzling
  • Lukewarm water – 300 mls
  • Rosemary – 2 tablespoons
  • Fine sea salt
How to –
 
In a large bowl, put the flour, yeast and salt. Mix well. Now stir in the oil, water and knead to form a soft dough.
Turn the dough to a slightly oiled surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Put the dough back into the same bowl (lightly oiled), cover with a tea towel and let it sit to rise double in size in a warm place. Approximately about an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C. Line two large baking sheets with grease proof paper. Turn the dough to a flour surface and cut into half. Flatten each portion on the baking sheet. cover and leave to rise again for an hour.

 

Gently press your finger into the dough to make deep holes all over and leave for a further 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle each loaves with rosemary and sea salt. Drizzle some olive oil and  bake for 25 minutes or till pale golden. Remove from the oven and drizzle some more olive oil.


Serve hot or warm.

Note –
  • If you are not sure if your yeast is still active, them prefer you do a proof test. Take half of the lukewarm water ( please make sure the water is not hot. Otherwise your yeast will die). Stir in the yeast along with a pinch of sugar and set aside for 10 minutes. If the form and bubbles foam on top in 10 minutes then your yeast is still active. Add this to the dough with remaining water as per the recipe.
  • The above recipe makes 2 loaves. If you do not want to use both loaves then freeze the other for later. Warm in the microwave before serving.