Babka

Chocolate-Walnut Babka

According to Gil Marks in his Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, babka originates from the areas of Poland and Ukraine. The name of this dessert is derived from the Slavic word for grandmother, babcia, and is a form of endearment. 
          In the early nineteenth century in Poland, housewives would spread the extra dough from the egg challah they made for Shabbat with jam, cinnamon or raisins and bake it along with the challah to make the precursor to what we have come to know as babka. The traditional filling for babka is cinnamon, however other fillings now include chocolate, cheese, almond paste, poppy seed, walnut or apricot lekvar (apricot butter). It was only in the 1950s that babka started becoming well known outside of Polish Jewish areas in the United States, when they began appearing in Jewish bakeries and in sisterhood cookbooks.

            Making babka is a long process that requires the good part of a day to make. Most of that time is needed for the dough to rise so there’s no active work involved but I would still recommend choosing to make this on a day when not much else has to be done. This recipe produces dough that is both sweet and rich, and is a cross between bread and cake. There is a slight dryness to the dough that is perfectly complemented by the filling that is sandwiched between the layers of dough and becomes deliciously sticky and gooey after being baked. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 envelop yeast (1/4 oz. or 2 ½ teaspoons)

3 Tablespoon warm water (105-115 degrees F)

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, cut into 16 pieces, room temperature

1/3-cup brown sugar

¼ cup cocoa

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

½ cup walnuts

MAKE The DOUGH:

1.             Sprinkle yeast over water in a small bowl.  Add ¼ teaspoon sugar.  Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.

2.             Put flour into bowl of mixer.  Make a well in the center.  Add salt, remaining 2 ¾ teaspoon sugar, and 3 eggs.  (Keep 4^th egg refrigerated, it will be used for glaze.)

3.             Mix ingredients in center of well briefly with hook of mixer. 

4.             Add yeast mixture. 

5.             Mix on low speed until mixture comes together into a dough, pushing flour occasionally into center.

6.             Scrape down mixture.  Continue beating on medium speed about 12 minutes, or until dough is very smooth.

7.             Add butter pieces.  Beat on low speed, scraping down often, just until butter is blended. (Dough will be soft.)

8.             Lightly oil a medium bowl.  Place dough in oiled bowl; turn dough over to oil surface.  Cover with a damp towel. 

9.             Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 ½ hours or until nearly doubled.

PROOF The DOUGH:

10.          Gently turn dough over several times in bowl to knock out air.  Recover with towel.

11.          Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

FORM The DOUGH:

12.          Grease an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.  Thoroughly mix brown sugar and cocoa in a bowl for filling.

13.          On a cool floured surface, roll out dough to an 8 x 12-inch rectangle. 

14.          Brush with melted butter.

15.          Sprinkle evenly with cocoa mixture.  Then with walnuts.  Press walnuts so they adhere to dough. 

16.          Roll up tightly into a cylinder.

17.          Put dough into prepared loaf pan

18.          Cover loaf with a warm, slightly damp cloth and let rise about 1 hour or until nearly doubled.

19.          Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

BAKE The DOUGH:

20.          Beat remaining egg with a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

21.          Brush risen loaf gently with egg.

22.          Bake about 30 minutes or until top and bottom are firm and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

23.          Run a metal spatula or thin knife carefully around loaf.

24.          Turn out onto rack to let cool completely.

25.          Slice and serve.

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RESULT:

Babka is one of those breads that takes all day, but is completely worth it when the final product comes out of the oven. The dough is very sticky once it's mixed in the food processor.  I tried adding a bit more flour and even mixing in the kitchen aid mixer, but it didn't help.  After proofing in a warm, dry area (I used the microwave oven), it started to form a recognizeable dough, and after the proofing for four hours in the refrigerator, I knew it would turn out wonderfully.  

The dough rises three separate times, but the end result is a light and airy dough with a delicious chocolate walnut filling.  Delicious!

Borscht

Borscht (\ˈbȯrsh(t)\)

Borscht is a luscious beet soup.  Can be served hot or cold.  Many variations include ingredients such as meat, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, leeks, onions, celery or parsnips.  Sometimes spinach, sorrel, tomatoes, mushrooms, dried beans, apples and even dried fruit.  The common ingredient, which gives their name and color, is beets.

This beet soup can be served with a dollop of rich, tart sour cream, chopped hard-boiled eggs and fragrant, coarsely chopped dill. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. beets, quartered

11 cups water

To season:

Sugar

Fresh Lemon Juice

Salt

Pepper

Vinegar – cider preferred, but chose flavor you desire

Fresh Dill

Sour Cream to serve

Method of Prep:

 v In a large pot, cover the quartered beets with water and bring to a boil.  Simmer over medium-low heat until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, approximately 30-60 minutes.

 v Use a slotted spoon, remove the cooked beets and let cool.  Reserve the water.

o   To avoid your hands turning pink, gloves are recommended to wear when peeling beets

o   If the color gets on your hands, wash in vinegar and the color will wash off

 v Once the beets are cooled, peel and slice thinly.  You can also use a mandolin.  (I prefer to slice in matchsticks)

 v Season the beet liquid with sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. 

 v At this point also add the dill sprigs (can be whole or minced, depending if you want to remove)

 v Return the beets to the pot. 

 v Refrigerate the soup until chilled for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.  Flavors will mature overnight.

 v Ladle the chilled borscht into bowls.

 v Garnish with a generous dollop of sour cream.

 RESULT:

With a wide selection of different options to fill the soup, one can make the soup multiple times with a variety of ingredients.  A basic soup, one for the repertoire.  An acquired taste, but delicious for a hot summer day, or even in the winter.  YUM!

Honey Raisin Challah

Honey Raisin Challah

Traditional challah to celebrate the Jewish New Year and it’s often sweeter than usual and round in shape.  Actually, it is a spiral mounded into a dome.  The rounded loaves are made plain or with raisins and are popular for Yom Kippur eve.

To make sure the challah has a light texture, you let the dough rise twice in a bowl and once after shaping the loaf.  The challah tastes best on the day it is baked.   

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 1 medium loaf

3 eggs

½ cup raisins

½ cup warm water

1 Tablespoon + 1 ½ teaspoon sugar

1 envelop yeast (¼ oz. or 2 ½ teaspoon)

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup honey

1 ½ teaspoon salt

METHOD OF PREP:

1.            Pour ¼ cup of water into a small bowl.  Sprinkle yeast into water and then sprinkle 1 teaspoon.  Let stand until foamy and bubbly.

2.            Place 2 ¾ cups of flour into mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook.  Add yeast mixture, remaining sugar, eggs, remaining water and salt.

3.            Mix on medium speed, pushing flour in often at first and scraping down occasionally from bowl and from hook, until ingredients come together, forming soft sticky dough. 

4.            Add remaining flour and beat until blended in.

5.            Mix dough at medium speed to knead it, scraping down twice, about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and almost cleans sides.  Pinch dough quickly; if it sticks to your fingers, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until dough is no longer very sticky.  If you add flour, mix at medium speed about 2 minutes.  Dough should be soft, smooth and elastic.

6.            Put dough into an oiled bowl and turn down dough over to oil all surfaces.  Cover with warm, slightly damp towel. 

7.            Let rise in warm, draft-free area about 1¼-hours or until doubled in size.

8.             Knead dough lightly in bowl to knock out air. 

9.            Cover and let rise again about 1 hour or until doubled.

10.        Soak raisins in enough water to cover.

11.        Roll dough into a 9-inch square onto lightly floured work surface.

12.        Drain and dry raisins on paper towels.

13.        Sprinkle raisins evenly and press them into dough. 

14.        Roll dough up tightly from one end to the other. 

15.        Roll dough back and forth on work surface, pressing with your palms to form a smooth rope about 28-inches long. 

16.        Wind rope around one of its sends in a spiral.  Tuck other end underneath and pinch firmly to attach it to dough. 

17.        Press whole loaf firmly with your hands to give it an even round shape. 

18.        Carefully set loaf on oiled baking sheet.

19.        Cover shaped loaf with a warm, slightly damp towel.  Let rise about 1 hour or until nearly doubled.

20.        Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

21.        Beat remaining egg with a pinch of salt.  Brush risen loaf gently with egg. 

22.        Bake 15 minutes. 

23.        Reduce heat to 350 degrees F.  Bake 30 minutes more or until top and bottom of bread are firm and bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.

24.        Carefully transfer bread to rack and cool. 

25.        Enjoy!

RESULT:

A huge success.  A beautiful proofed dough.  I had never made a

round challah before, only braided.  Although the final product 

was a leaning spiral, it tasted delicious.  Perfectly sweet with a

hint of honey and complemented with raisins. 

The challah tastes best day of, however leftover/stale challah

makes wonderful french toast. GOOD LUCK!