Seeded Egg Braid

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found the recipe for this egg braid  on the iFood.tv website, and decided to give it  a try because it seemed easier than the one I usually use to make challah.  That older recipe can be found here. While their bread it is not as rich as my old stand-by, I think those of you who decide to make this bread will be  pleased with its crust, crumb and color.  I followed the recipe exactly as it appeared on iFood site, but when it came to shaping I decided to vary slightly from their instructions and use a six-braid technique that I had learned years ago. I love the voluptuous appearance of  six-braid loaves and because they are not really difficult to make, I use the technique whenever I can. If you would like to give the technique a try, you can find wonderful instructions for the braid here. This is a really nice bread and I think those of you who try the recipe will be pleased. Here is how the egg braid is made.

Quick Challah Muffin Spirals

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I caught the recipe for these rolls while visiting my youngest daughter in Connecticut. It was was developed for the Associated Press by Alison Ladman and when I saw the color of the rolls I knew I had to give them a try. I've just transferred them to my freezer where they will stay until Thanksgiving Day. I am going to recommend these rolls, but it is with a caution. They are not that all easy to make. The soft dough is very sticky and it is hard to resist the usual solution of adding more flour to make it more manageable. Too much flour will make these rolls heavy and you will be disappointed. My solution was to let my mixer do the work, and I can honestly tell you these rolls were not touched by human hands until they had to be shaped. The finished rolls have a wonderful texture and eggy taste that many of you will find toothsome, but if you are a beginning baker or short on patience, you might want to try this recipe instead. If you love challah, throw caution to the wind and give these babies a try. Here is how they are made.

Quick Challah Muffin Spirals...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Alison Ladman and The Associated Press

Ingredients:
Muffins
2/3 cup warm water
4 whole eggs, room temperature
3 egg yolks, room temperature
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Egg Wash
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
1) Combine water, 4 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, oil, honey, salt, baking powder, yeast and 4-1/2 cups of flour in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Mix on low speed for six to eight minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough should be very soft and slightly sticky. If it feels too sticky, add remaining flour 2 tablespoons at a time.
2) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
3) Dump dough out onto counter and divide into 16 even pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch long snake.
4) Spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray. Spiral one dough snake into each muffin cup. Cover muffin tin loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise again in a warm place for another 45 minutes, or until puffy.
5) After dough has risen for 30 minutes, heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
6) To prepare egg wash, in a small bowl beat together egg and water until frothy. Brush gently over spirals, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool. Yield: 16 muffins.

      

                                                    Older Posts

                  One Year Ago Today:                                                          Two Years Ago Today:

  Rack of Pork with Morel Mushroom Sauce                                           Moroccan Carrot Salad                  

         Three Years Ago Today:                                                           Four Years Ago Today: 

     Thanksgiving November 2010                                                    Oven Baked Scrambled Eggs

French Toast

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Last week I made a loaf of brioche so I could prepare this version of French toast for our Christmas breakfast. The recipe that I use comes from Cook's Illustrated and it has been my favorite for over ten years now. While they have changed their recipe overtime, I still prefer the original version and have done very little to alter it. The folks at Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen take umbrage with changes being made to recipes they have developed and I wouldn't dream of altering their ingredients list for a post. I have, however, slightly changed the instruction because I prefer to use an electric skillet or griddle when I make French toast or pancakes. I think the steady heat of electric appliances is better for this type of application and it makes for a better presentation. At least in my hands. The flour and the quick egg dip used in this recipe makes for a firm toast that has a wonderful flavor but is not the least bit soggy. I really think you will like this. You can make the toast with a thick-sliced challah or a good sandwich bread if you do not want to use brioche and once you've tried the original recipe, you might want to experiment with different flavors. This is a lovely way to start the day. Here's the recipe.

French Toast...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus extra for frying
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 to 5 slices day-old brioche or challah sliced 3/4 inch thick or 6 to 8 slices sandwich bread

Instructions:
1) Heat 10- to 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat egg lightly in shallow pan or pie plate; whisk in butter, then milk and vanilla, and finally sugar, flour, and salt, continuing to whisk until smooth. Soak bread without oversaturating, about 40 seconds per side for brioche or challah or 30 seconds per side for sandwich bread. Pick up bread and allow excess batter to drip off; repeat with remaining slices.
2) Swirl 1 tablespoon butter in hot skillet. Transfer prepared bread to skillet; cook until golden brown, about 1 minute 45 seconds on first side and 1 minute on the second. Serve immediately. Continue, adding 1 tablespoon butter to skillet for each new batch. Yield: 4 to 5 slices.









One Year Ago Today: French Dip Sandwich

















Two Years Ago Today: Chopped Clam and Bacon Dip

Challah

Click on pictures for a full view of the bread.

An intrepid group called Bread Baking Babes holds a monthly baking event and, while I tried to resist, this month's recipe - a challah from The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook - had my name on it. I have an old dog-eared, almost spineless copy of the book and the early photos posted by BBB looked so beautiful I knew I had to participate. I decided to vary slightly from the recipe and use a six-braid technique that I had learned years ago. Everyone knows that once learned these techniques are never lost - it's like riding a bicycle, right? Not! That's why I was on the internet at a ridiculous hour searching for instructions to jog a fading memory. I fortunately found Braiding A Six Strand Challah and had so much fun braiding the first loaf that I decided not to braid the second. What could be easier than a brioche à tête? Again, drawing on an old technique, I proceeded as though I knew what I was doing. One hour later, looking much better than I hoped - I won't tell you where to look for the dropped strand in my loaf - the bread went into the oven and a wee bit later we had challah and brioche. While the brioche looked like a genetic accident, I was genuinely pleased with the challah. This is a wonderful recipe. The dough has a lovely, velvety feel and is very easy to work. The finished bread has a delightful, tight crumb with buttery flavor and a golden crust that offers a slight resistance to the bite. As an aside, I used Smart Balance Butter Blend Sticks in place of butter and it worked well. Next time I'll work on the brioche and, hopefully, come up with something a bit more comely. I'm thinking the addition of rum soaked raisins and toasted almonds would take the brioche to another level. If so, one recipe could produce challah, brioche and kugelhoph. The best part of making bread is that no matter how it looks you'll always have that wonderful aroma and something that can be eaten.

Sara of I Like To Cook is hosting this month's BBB event. Thanks Sara, this was a wonderful choice.

Challah
from The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook

Makes two loaves

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups flour, unsifted
3 TB sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 package dry active yeast
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
pinch powdered saffron
1 cup warm water (120-130'F)
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp cold water
1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Combine 1 1/4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in the softened butter. Stir the saffron into the warm water until it dissolves. Add a little at a time to the flour mixture and blend thoroughly. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer and medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally. Separate the yolk and white of one egg. Blend the single egg white and the other 3 whole eggs into the batter. Reserve the single egg yolk. Stir 1/2 cup of flour into the batter and beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Blend in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board about 8 to 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it once to grease the top. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft free place until double in bulk (approximately one hour).

Flour a pastry board lightly and set the dough on it. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Divide each portion into 2 pieces, using 1/3 of the dough for one piece, and 2/3 of the dough for the other. Divide the large piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 12 inch ropes. Braid the ropes together tightly, using your fingers to press the dough together at the ends. Divide the smaller piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 10 inch ropes and braid tightly. Place the smaller braid on top of the larger one and seal the ends. Repeat this process to form the second loaf.

Place both braided loaves on a greased baking sheet. Mix the reserved single egg yolk with the 1 tsp of cold water and brush the top of the loaves with the mixture. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, and let the loaves rise until double in bulk in a warm draft free place (approximately one hour). Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.