How to Hack a Challah -Virtual Shabbat Table

I was so excited when Sina asked me to join in her virtual Shabbos table on her blog. First of all, I love Sina! Besides the fact that her photography is amahhhhzing and her recipes are innovative and exciting without being too complex, she is such a nice person! I had the opportunity to meet with her when we took our trip to Israel in December. Guys, she’s so nice, and pretty and normal!! Second of all, a blogger round up is like a thing of my dreams ever since I saw the virtual baby shower for @howsweeteats like 4 years ago. So, thanks for making this happen and thank you for choosing the most perfect apropos topic!

Shabbos for me and my family is especially special. As a full time working parent, my day consists of the morning rush, work from 9-6 and then a very short window of time where I can spend about an hour with my kids before they get shipped off to bed. BH I have help in the house to watch them, bathe them and feed them dinner before I get home so that time with them is as stress free as possible, but still, even with each kid’s “five minutes of cuddles,” it’s never enough. And Sunday, forget about Sunday. It’s a day spend shopping, prepping and getting in all the recipes I might need for the week. I almost never sit down on Sunday, let alone give my kids the attention they should be getting.

Shabbos is the time to unplug, to rest my brain and actually spend time with my children.

For a while, Shabbos in our home was focused more on the rest part. We would show up to the Shabbos meal in glorified pajamas, eat a quick meal and sleep for hours.

The term “a bagel” became synonymous with Shabbos. But then, as the kids got older and they began coming home with stories about the parsha and Shabbos and their weekly projects we realized a change needed to be made. We made an effort to establish new habits that enhance the mood of Shabbos, increase the spiritual aspect of the day and give the kids something to look forward to.

The struggle is real guys. The competition against the constant drone of technology is really really hard. Seriously, I’m terrified of my kids growing up in a world where Shabbos is just not appealing to them because they don’t have meaningful relationships with their friends off Snapchat and Instagram and where they don’t know how to entertain themselves without TV or Netflix. It’s why Shabbos is so important to me, to my family, to let them know how important it is to spend time together, to talk to laugh, to analyze and sing, to eat good food and talk about ideas and aspirations. To be heard, to be loved, to be at peace.

It’s why we started coming up with routines that set Shabbos apart, we make challah together, we prep for Shabbos meals together, we light the candles together, we talk about projects and parsha and go to shul. We play with friends we read books together. Shabbos becomes a time of together, so that later, on Shabbos, my kids will not feel alone.

When it comes to challah, I go with one recipe and one recipe only. Most of you know I love making sourdough on a weekly basis but challah is something that just equals Shabbos. I got this recipe from my step mother in law who got this recipe from her mother and aunts. “everyone has this recipe and everyone makes it a little differently” she told me. I kind of took that to the extreme and use this dough recipe as what Christina Tosi would call the “mother dough”

So of course, this challah makes wonderful loaves, the dough is easy to work with, the taste is a little sweet, soft with a good chew and not too pillowey or bland. It goes great with a million toppings for example: everything bagel spice, zaatar, garlic and onion, or sweet options like sprinkles and streusel. And then I stuff it like every challah should rightfully be stuffed with pesto, beets and goat cheese, fig jam orange and cardamom, caramelized onions, mounds of cheese and jalapenos, apples and cinnamon, peanut butter and jelly, and of course classic deli roll challah.

I probably extend the use of challah well beyond any normal person’s use of challah dough but the truth is, why shouldn’t it? It’s got a nice sweet flavor that isn’t too sweet for savory and isn’t too savory for sweet, you know what I mean?

Note: All photos for this post were done by the incredible @yaffakoffphotography! Check her out because she also takes pictures of babies and who doesn't like looking at babies?

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients:

4 cups warm water (about 90 degrees F)

4 tablespoons active dry yeast

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for coating

2 tablespoons salt

2 large eggs

12-14 cups of all purpose flour

·       In a large bowl, whisk together the water, yeast and sugar. Allow it to proof for 10 minutes (if the yeast is non-reactive, throw out the mixture and start again)

·       Then, add the eggs, oil and salt and whisk until combined.

·       Add the flour about a cup at a time until the dough is no longer sticky but is not tough and hard to work with. It should be smooth and bounce back when pressed.

·       Coat the dough and bowl in oil. You don’t have to drown it, just enough so that it wont stick to the sides of the bowl when rising.

·       Cover the dough with a towel and allow it to rise for about 2 hours. Punch it down about 3-4 times in middle of the rise.

·       Say the bracha and be mafrish your challah

·       Divide the dough into chunks and roll them out on a smooth surface. You may use flour here to prevent sticking but I usually find it unnecessary and it makes the challah tough.

·       Braid your challah and allow it to rise, covered, for another 45 minutes.

·       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

·       You may brush your challah with egg wash but I do not do this.

·       Bake your challah for 30-45 minutes depending on the size. The crust should be a deep brown, and the challah should feel light and sound hollow when tapped.

·       Allow it to cool and enjoy!

Note: This recipe can be made in a 6 qt. mixer. You may need more flour as the mixer incorporates the flour better into the dough.

How to top:

Braid challah as desired, allow to rise for 45 minutes. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle topping of choice. Bake as directed.

Try it:

Zaatar sprinkled challah

Rainbow sprinkle and white chocolate drizzle (drizzle with melted white chocolate after challah is baked)

How to stuff:
Before braiding challah roll each dough portion into a thin rectangle. Slather or layer filling as desired leaving about ½ inch of blank dough at the end of the long side of the rectangle. Roll into a long rope and repeat with remaining dough. Braid and bake as directed.

Try it:

Deli roll challah

Mix 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard with ¼ cup duck sauce and tablespoons of mayonnaise. Brush challah with the mixture and top with slices of turkey breast, pastrami and corned beef. You may need to cut them to fit them properly.

Sweet onion roll Challah

Sauté two large diced onions in 3 tablespoons of oil over a medium-low flame. Stir every so often to be sure that the onions do not burn. Allow the onions to turn a dark brown. This should take about 20 minutes. Remove from the flame and mix with 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds. Add a pinch of salt. Use the mixture to fill the strands as instructed above.

How to steam:

Divide challah into small fist size rolls. Roll the dough into circles where the middle is thicker than the sides to make for a center that can stretch to hold filling and ends that will come together easily to pinch closed. Fill the circles in the center with about a tablespoon and a half of desired filling and pinch or twist the ends together. Place on a small square of parchment paper with the dough’s seam side down. Place a steamer basket over a pot of water. The water should not touch the basket. Bring the water to a boil. Place the parchment paper with the buns on top in the steamer. Be careful not to overcrowd the buns. Steam for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is light and fluffy. remove from steamer to cool and serve immediately. To make challah boa buns check out this post.

Try it:

Peanut butter and jelly buns

Roll the dough as instructed. Place 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 heaping teaspoon of Jelly into the center of the circle. Pinch closed and instructed and follow remaining directions

Pulled beef steamed bun

Use your favorite pulled beef recipe or prepacked pulled beef. Place a heaping tablespoon of the beef mixture into the center of the bun, close and steam as directed above

How to babka:

Using a larger portion of dough than a normal challah strand, fill and roll the challah dough with desired filling the same way as the stuffed challah above. Before braiding the strands, slice the rolled strand in half and twist the strands together so that the filled side is facing upward. Place in a loaf pan and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes covered. Brush with egg wash and then, bake as directed or until golden brown. As the babka is baking heat 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a pot until the sugar is dissolved. When the babka comes out of the oven brush immediately with sugar syrup and allow the babka to cool.

Try it:

Nutella Chocolate chip babka

Spread the dough with Nutella, sprinkle with chocolate chips and 2-3 tablespoons of light brown sugar, roll and bake according to directions above.

Pumpkin Spice:

Mix one 15 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) with ½ cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Slather on in a thin layer and roll carefully. This one is very slippery so be careful when rolling.

Smores

Spread the dough with marshmallow fluff and chocolate spread. Top with marshmallows, chocolate chips and graham cracker crumbs before rolling and twisting. After brushing the babka with egg wash, top with more graham cracker crumbs and chocolate chips.

How to fry:

Divide the challah into fist size rolls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and covered in saran wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until soft and fluffy. In a large wide pot, fill with oil about halfway and heat the oil to 350 F. Fry about 30 second to a minute on each side or until golden brown. Fill as desired or dip in glaze and top with sprinkles or powdered sugar.

How to pretzel:

Divide the dough into fist size portions and roll each into a single long thin strand. Twist the two ends together away from you leaving about ½ inch of loose end. Then bring the twist down toward you so that a pretzel shape forms. In a large wide pot, boil about 9 cups of water along with ½ cup of baking soda. Boil each pretzel for 30 seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with coarse salt and then bake for 15- 18 minutes at 400 F or until golden brown.

How to bagel:

Divide the dough into fist size portions and roll each into a single thick strand. Bring the two ends together and push your hand through the hold in the middle to firmly roll the two ends together so that a ring shape forms. Allow to rest for about 15-20 minutes or until the dough loosens. In a large wide pot, sill halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Add 1 tbsp. of barley malt or dark honey. Boil each bagel for about 1 minute per side or until the bagels float to the top of the water. Remove with a slotted spoon on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip the bagels into toppings as desired and bake at 475 for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

How to pizza:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place a pizza stone or upside-down metal pan into the oven to heat as well for about 20 minutes before you bake your pizza.  Divide the dough into large softball size portions. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. Until floured hands/ rolling pin, roll or gently pull the dough into a large thin circular shape. Place on a large sheet of parchment paper and brush the outer crust with olive oil. Carefully place the parchment paper holding the dough into the oven on the stone or pan using a pizza peel. Bake the dough for 15 minutes or until it is a light golden color. Spread the blank crust with sauce and cheese as desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling, the crust is a golden to deep brown and the pizza has reached your desired level of doneness.

Check out some more amazing Shabbat posts from my fellow Bloggers!

Between Carpools @betweencarpools Egg wash for Challah

Sabrina Oziel @thesugarbox Red Snapper with Charred Potatoes Tomatoes and Lemons

Chaya Suri Leiter @spiceandzest Roasted Eggplant Salad

Ahuva Schwartz @thekatamonKitchen Salatim

Melinda Strauss @kitchentested Roasted Vegetable Platter

Danielle Renov @peasloveandcarrots Moroccan Braised Lamb

Sina Mizrahi  @sinamizrahi Gather a Table Iraqi Slow Cooked Chicken and Rice

Beth Warren @beth_warren Dark Chocolate Treat

Chanie Apfelbaum @busyinbrooklyn Funfetti Rice Crispy Treats

Jamie Geller @jamiegellerdotcom Cinnamon Buns

Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream I.E. Let Them Eat Cake

The French Revolution is a memorable part of history with even more memorable "catch phrases". "Liberty, equality, fraternity", "Off with their Heads" and "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...". But perhaps the most famous and pertinent line from that wildly confusing and exciting era was said by Marie Antoinette, and went something along the lines of, "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" or "Let them eat cake". 

This phrase may have been said when Marie heard the French peasants had no bread to eat. Which begs the question, was Marie really that brazen and uncaring? Maybe she was just stupid and didn't realize that cake was more expensive than bread. Or, could be she was genuinely offering them cake. Or maybe she wanted cake. Whatever her intentions, it was a strange thing to say, although there is no actual proof of this phrase being said. Which then makes me wonder, who actually came up with that phrase? 

Whoever said it, and wherever it came from, I don't know of they could have expected that the phrase would be so widely used. Though the phrase was originally meant to be rude and uncaring, it has become a phrase used as an excuse to literally eat cake. (Well, if you say so Marie. Guess I have no choice) Does anyone else find this ironic? 

Now that I have gotten that long peice of boring history off my chest-really, it's been bothering me for some time- it's time to get to the main event. Cake.  

To tell you the truth, I don't love making cakes. I always find they are never finished, they are hard to transport and there is no definite portion, your slice of cake can be ginormous or super tiny and thin. That doesn't mean I don't like to eat them. Someone give me a fantastic chocolate cake any day! Or coconut lemon, that's my favorite. 

One of my goals for last year was to learn how to ice a cake properly. This meant that I would actually have to make a few cakes in the process. I don't think anyone actually minded, except my husband who had to carry the whole thing on a pedestool to my mom's house. It weighed close to 7 or 8 pounds! 

I saw this cake on pintrest actually. The cake looked so intensely moist and dark and chocolatey I knew I would have to try it! Plus even though it was part of a Halloween gimmick to put some candy eyes all over the cake, I actually fell in love with that! Plus, I had just bought a package on one of my many Target runs and now I would have an excuse to use them! At this point someone would say something like, I pinned it and decided to make it next week. But I don't know how to work Pintrest. Or Facebook. Or this blog for that matter... Still working out the kinks. Because I don't know how to work pintrest I had to make this right away before I forgot about it. That and I had a hankering for Nutella. Unfortunately, my icing skills got pretty good, which means I won't need to make cake for a while. Unless I get a sudden craving for a lot of chocolate, or lemon coconut, that's my favorite (Did I mention that already?)

When it came time to slice the cake, the eyes were gone faster than you could say boo. It's kind of like those roses on bakery birthday cakes. You know they taste terrible but you want one, (a whole one mom!) just for yourself. The chocolate cake part was unreal! Soft and rich and chocolatey and perfect! The icing was a little sweet for my taste so if your not a fan of super sweet things, use another buttercream recipe. Don't forget the eyes though! They are so cute I can't even handle it! 

Now, Let them eat cake!  

Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoons salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cups boiling water

Nutella Buttercream

1½ cups butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup Nutella

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1-2 tablespoons cream

1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder

Candy eyes 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray 2 9-inch round baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, then lightly spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a mixer, mix together the sugar and the butter. Add in the milk, eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour in the boiling water and gently mix until combined. The batter will be thin.

Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans. Bake in until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. (Don’t be alarmed if your cakes puff up and then fall in the center. They will probably fall a little, but you will even the cakes out and can use the scraps to decorate the cake.)

Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside of the pan and turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.

At this point, you can wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate them or freeze them, which will make decorating the cake easier, or you can proceed to assembling the cake as long as they are cooled completely.

To make the buttercream, cream the butter in a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the Nutella, vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Add as much cream as needed to make the frosting a spreading consistency.

To assemble the cake: Level each of the cake layers, reserving the scraps. Place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with some of the buttercream and spread in an even layer to the edged. Top with another cake layer, then more buttercream. Repeat with another cake layer, more buttercream, and then the final cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the outside of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10-15 minutes.

While the cake is in the refrigerator, take the reserved scraps of cake and crumble them as best as you can. The cake is very moist, so if the scraps aren’t crumbling, you can put them on a baking sheet and place them in a 250ºF oven to dry them out a bit, which will help.

Use the remainder of the frosting to go over the cake, making sure it is covered evenly.

Take the cake crumbs and gently press them into the outside of the cake. Press sets of two candy eyes randomly around the cake.

Butter Pecan Doughnuts I.E. You Wait All Year For A Doughnut, It Should Be A Good One!

Chanuka may come only once a year but when it comes it's here for 8 days. That means for 8 days  you have parties with family, 8 versions of latkes, and and endless amount of doughnuts- or something like that anyway. The miracle of oil is taken pretty seriously. It's almost like it's a mitzva of the day to have something fried. I'm not sure how we ended up getting so serious about this frying thing but what I do know is that it's probably one of the tastiest holidays on the Jewish calendar, and that is saying a lot!

There are several dieting tactics that come along with such circumstance. It's kind of like the 4 daughters of Chanuka, the same way Pesach has 4 sons. There's the eat for 8 days and don't care and go on a huge diet afterward (or not). There's the I'm going to eat every doughnut in sight and then complain about how fat I am for 8 days straight. There's the I'll have one doughnut and one latke for the whole Chanuka so it better be a good one. And then there's the I'm going to make the doughnuts and latkes and serve em up all sweet-like but don't eat any of them and never know what I'm missing.  

Needless to say, if your the second person or the last person I'm not going to be talking to you for 8 days. No hard feelings. Just don't need that kind of negativity in my life right now. If you are the first person I'm not sure you will be doing much talking for 8 days since there is so many things to try and so little time! And if you are the last person, like me were probably going to have some pretty intense conversations about which doughnut or latke we are going to choose. There may be 8 days worth of doughnuts but it's so sad number of doughnuts that are actually worth eating! There's always going to be a reliable latke. Everyone knows that Bubby, or Aunt Debbie, or Tante Baila makes the best latke around and you are already marked your calendar as "Taken" for that night! The doughnut is the hard part. 

To know what kind of doughnut to pick you have to know whether or not you like Cakey doughnuts or Yeasty. Cakey doughnuts use baking powder or soda to help the doughnut rise. This means that it's texture is going to be thick, crumbly and perfect for dunking and coating. Think enteman's. A yeasty doughnut has yeast to help it rise, so it is fluffy and airy. Perfect for filling and frosting. This is the classic sufganiyot that we see every year. There's also baked doughnuts which are usually made with baking soda/powder like Cakey doughnuts. Don't eat those. They aren't worth it. They taste like muffins in a doughnut shape. If your gonna go doughnut, go all the way! I happen to be partial to yeasty doughnuts. Something about the way you bite into it and it fills your whole mouth but you aren't choking type just makes me happy.  

I'm not talking to the people here who have Uri's or Bagels and Greens available near them. Obviously, your choice is made. It was almost made for you. Like you had no choice at all besides chocolate with cream cheese filling. But for the people who don't have that around, we need to get to why we are really here, and that is to find the best doughnut out there. 

I found it! And I'm not tooting my own horn but it came from my own kitchen. I didn't make up the recipe, the original recipe is from a place called Pies and Fries in New York (not kosher) that makes them in a whopping 3 lbs size. It's like a whole meal! The original recipe called for something like 2 pound of butter for the toffee alone! Lucky for you, I shrunk the recipe down to a family friendly size. These doughnuts are everything you could want from a doughnut, or everything I could want from a doughnut anyway. They are light and airy, with a not too sweet dough dunked in a coma of a sugar glaze and topped with chopped pecans (yum!) and homemade toffee bits (yummer!!!!). It's not filled with anything but trust me when I say it doesn't even need it! Really doesn't! It's moist and full of flavor that I had way more than one (so much for my limit!) it's got crunch and a little chew but it's still fluffy and airy. Probably one of the top ten doughnuts I ever tasted. 

It takes some time to make so be sure to start it the night before. It's totally worth it though! The dough is really easy to work with and the hands on part isn't so bad, it just needs a lot of time to rest. These doughnuts are dairy, and I made them dairy but you can substitute vegan butter for butter and soy/coconut milk for milk. When you are making the toffee, keep the fire really low. It's going to take longer to make the actual toffee but you lower your risk of burning it which would be bad. Also don't leave it alone. It always burns the second you turn your back!  

When you roll out the dough for the doughnuts I wouldn't recommend rolling more than 1-2 times. Then the dough gets tough and doesn't taste or puff up as nice. One last thing, don't fry more than 2-3 doughnuts at once unless you have a really great or big fryer. The temperature will drop significantly with each doughnut you fry so you don't want to add too many at once. Also don't throw your leftover oil down the drain it will clog your pipes. Wait till it cools and then throw it away in a bag. One more last thing. Safety! No one needs the Chanuka miracle to involve surviving oil splashes ch"vs! Keep little kids out of the kitchen and never drop anything into or touch the hot oil! Use a slotted spoon to insert and remove your doughnuts from the oil always!!! Last last thing! I promise! When you dunk the doughnut in the topping, set aside a little plate of the pecan-toffee mixture and keep refilling it. Otherwise the mixture will get too wet from the glaze and won't stick to the doughnut. Anything else? I know I'm forgetting something... Don't you hate when that happens? 

Oh! The recipe!  

Enjoy and Happy Chanuka!!!  

Butter Pecan Doughnuts 

Dough:  

3/4 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup sugar minus 1 tablespoon

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold milk

4 cups flour plus more for dusting  

1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt  

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks  

5 ounces of shortening

Toffee: 

1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)  

1 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups toasted pecans  

Glaze:  

1 cup milk  

2 boxes confectioners sugar, sifted

Directions: 

For the donuts: Add the yeast, sugar, milk, flour, salt, eggs, egg yolks and shortening to a mixing bowl (in the order listed). Mix on low speed with a dough hook attachment until the dough is very smooth and elastic and makes a slapping sound against the sides of the bowl, 5-10 minutes. Scrape the dough into a greased container, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Two hours before you want to roll the dough, remove it from the refrigerator to temper. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and roll to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the donuts using a donut cutter and place on a tray with parchment paper that's been greased and floured. Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof for 1 hour.

Turn on your deep fryer to 325 degrees F. When they are ready to fry, the donuts will be very light and airy feeling; they should barely hold their shape when handled. Fry for 2 minutes per side. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

For the butter crunch: First, make the toffee. Heat the butter, granulated sugar and salt in a nonreactive pan on medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until deep golden or camel colored. Pour onto a silicone baking mat or sprayed parchment paper on a tray and let cool completely. It will be very hard and shatter if you tap it. Then, grind the toffee in a food processor with the toasted pecans. It should be uniformly finely ground.

For the glaze: Whisk the milk and confectioners' sugar together until perfectly smooth. Strain to remove any lumps.

To assemble: Dunk the cooled donuts in the glaze. Let it drain for 1 minute. Roll the donut in the butter crunch, making sure to completely cover all sides.

Recipe adapted and reduced from The Food Network