Feathery Challah

A challah with milk bread texture.

This recipe makes 3 small loaves as written, one of which can be finished by us in an evening. You can also create 2 medium loaves for a larger group and/or French toast leftovers.

Only plump the raisins if they really need it. Extremely moist raisins noticeably affect the dough hydration.

Once I figure out how much flour I'm adding by weight, I'm intending to try tangzhong with this recipe as well.

The King Arthur cinnamon filling recipe, which can be mixed together then sprinkled on the inside of proto-braids with egg white wash as glue: 3 tablespoons (40g) brown sugar + 2 teaspoons flour + ¾ t. cinnamon + pinch of table salt

Ingredients Step
½ c. water, warm
2¼ t. yeast
1 large egg, room temperature
3 large egg yolks, room temperature (reserve 1 egg white for egg wash)
120 g (⅓ c.) honey
2 T. oil
2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla (optional)
Whisk together thoroughly in the bowl of a stand mixer. The water should be warm to loosen the honey without being so hot as to kill the yeast.
540 g flour
1 c. water, very hot
Put the flour on top to cover the other ingredients, then pour very hot water on top of the flour. Stir the top layer first (we're approximating the yudane method), then mix the top layer into the rest of the ingredients. Once combined, let sit in bowl, covered, for 10-15 minutes to hydrate the flour.
0-1½ c. (totaling 540-720 g; 870 g flour is too much)
raisins or other add-ins, if desired in all loaves
If needed because of ambient humidity or unexpected egg volume, add additional flour by half-cupfuls, mixing by hand and then kneading together by hand or by machine (perhaps 10-15 minutes on speed 2 -- being careful of the motor overheating!). Stop adding flour when the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl while still being stuck to the bottom of the bowl and the dough hook. It can take extra time to develop gluten in enriched breads, but it's also better to err on the side of a softer dough rather than harder, so we don't end up with a tough bread. The gluten will have time to develop and we'll have a chance to add more flour while working the braids.
Boil a saucepan or kettle of water, of no particular volume. We will use it to create a consistently warm and humid environment for the rise, no matter what the weather is outside.
Grease a bowl with oil. Drop the dough in, then flip it so that all surfaces are greased.
Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Place dough in turned-off oven. Place boiled water beneath the dough bowl.
Let dough rise in warm, moist oven until doubled (roughly 1 hour).
Punch down the dough. Let it rise again in the oven until doubled (roughly 1 hour). Retain the warm, moist environment for the braid to rise!
Remove the dough from its bowl. Divide the dough into 3 even parts. Grease two freezer bags and store one dough part in each, then freeze the two bags for another day. Only use flour if you need to.
½ c. raisins or chocolate chips (optional) Knead the third of the dough you're baking today by hand for a few minutes. Possibly knead in ½ c. of mix-ins, or possibly plan to stuff the strands later instead.
Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment. (We use parchment to catch egg wash spillover and reduce sticking.)
Create strands by making rectangles, possibly filling them, then rolling from on edge to the other into stubby strands before letting them rest under plastic wrap. After they've rested, roll them longer against the countertop into final strands. Flour the outside of the strands. Braid challah on cookie sheet, loosely so it can spring more in the oven:

For a tall six-stranded braid:
- Far right, move over two
- Second from the left, move over all
- Far left, move over two
- Second from the right, move over all

For an easy four-strand round loaf:
- Weave a hash tag
- Under goes over, counterclockwise, then clockwise, repeating until no more dough is left
1 egg white
1 T. water
½ t. salt
Beat until smooth. Use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer to the braid. Reserve the leftover egg wash! Don't use the egg yolk (it tastes too eggy).
poppy seeds (optional) Sprinkle on top, if using. Then cover braid with greased plastic wrap.
Let braid rise (in the warm, moist oven if available, otherwise on the countertop), until the bread springs back very slowly when you poke it, rather than popping back or staying indented forever (30-45 minutes; cold dough will behave differently).
At around 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once the bread keeps an indent when you poke it, bake challah for 12 minutes, apply another layer of egg wash, return the challah to the oven with the opposite side to the back to encourage even browning, and then bake until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees (perhaps another 10 minutes, though it will vary based on thickness). For bigger braids, increase the time.

To work from frozen dough, move the dough from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you want to bake. The next morning, it should be thawed. Continue the recipe from the point of turning out the dough onto the floured surface and braiding it.

Fry the egg wash for breakfast or a mid-morning snack.

Source: Tori Avey; six-strand braid instructions from Lindsey in the Smitten Kitchen comments

Spice Cake

Uncle Gene's favorite.

You can substitute butter for shortening and slightly scant the buttermilk to make up for the liquid difference.

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2¼ c. (270 g) cake flour
1 c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
¾ t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cloves
¾ t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
Sift dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Grease and flour two 9" round cake tins (1½ inch deep).
¾ c. brown sugar
¾ c. shortening
1 c. buttermilk
Stir into the flour mixture, then beat for 2 minutes.
3 medium eggs Add and beat in for 2 minutes.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake 20-35 minutes, obeying the toothpick test.
Cool slightly and remove from pans.
1½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. cream (ideally clotted cream or cream from the top of non-hydrogenated milk)
2 T. butter
1 T. vanilla
As you remove the cakes from the oven, prepare the frosting: Bring ingredients to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, then use a hand blender to beat until creamy, adding a little cream if necessary to make it easier to spread. Spread it onto the cake while the cakes are still warm.
Cut cake while warm.

Source: my grandma

Deconstructed Falafel

Like falafel, but much less messy and much less work.

Ingredients Step
3 c. chickpeas (2 cans, 1 c. from dry) Pat dry.
2 T. oil Heat in a large frying pan, then add chickpeas and saute for 10 minutes.
2 t. cumin powder
2 t. paprika (part smoked)
¼ t. cayenne
¼ t. salt
Combine, then toss with fried chickpeas.
1 T. lemon
1 T. oil
¼ t. black pepper
Blitz dressing together.
8 c. arugula Toss with dressing.
3-6 pitas Serve chickpeas in pita with dressed arugula, tomato, tzatziki, peperoncini, etc.

Source: Cooking Light (May 2013), as "Fried Chickpea and Arugula Pita Sandwiches with Lime Tzatziki"

Shreddable Beef Seitan

Slather in BBQ sauce like a brisket, serve as a pot roast simmered with vegetables and rosemary in a roux-based gravy, or pull it apart to make tacos or beef barley soup.

Cheap Worcestershire sauce tends to be vegetarian (but check it for anchovies). Browning sauce can be found in the gravy aisle.

I think we should add some yellow mustard powder next time. Maybe in the dry rub?

This seitan recipe uses the Instant Pot, and its results are more consistently good than I've gotten from baking, boiling or steaming.

Ingredients Step
180 g (1½ c.) vital wheat gluten Measure into large bowl. Set aside.
140 g (5 oz.) tofu, wrung dry
½ c. dark beer or water
½ c. water
3 T. tamari
2 T. olive oil
2 T. miso paste
4 t. onion powder
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. browning sauce
Whiz together in food processor until smooth and creamy, scraping down as needed.
Scrape tofu mixture into gluten. Stir together until dough forms. Let rest 15 minutes to hydrate.
Process in food processor for 2-4 minutes, until the dough is sticky, stretchy, glossy, and slightly warm.
2 t. smoked paprika
2 t. sweet paprika
2 t. onion powder
1 t. celery salt
1 t. black pepper
1 t. thyme
yellow mustard powder?
Lay down a 18-inch-long sheet of heavy-duty foil on the counter. Top it with a similarly sized sheet of parchment (just so the aluminum doesn't touch the acidic food for hours). Measure the ~3 T. of dry rub spices onto the parchment, then stir the spices together.
Form the dough into a loaf-like shape that will fit in your pressure cooker, then plop it on top of the spices and roll it around so all sides are covered in the dry rub.
Tightly wrap the dough in parchment and then in foil, locking the ends tight. Then use a second 18-inch sheet of aluminum foil to wrap the loaf even more securely.
Place trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add water to just underneath the height of the trivet. Place the package on top of the trivet, and pressure cook on high for 90 minutes, then natural release the pressure for 30 minutes.
Remove the package from the Instant Pot after 90 NR 30, and let it cool on the counter until it can be handled comfortably. Refrigerate overnight as a loaf if you want to use it whole, or shred it immediately (shredding warm is easier).

Source: Skye Michael Conroy's Crafting Seitan: Creating Homemade Plant-Based Meats

Sweet and Tangy Braised Chickpeas

Hearty and delicious. Serve with bread or cornbread, and/or over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or polenta/grits.

Cheap Worcestershire sauce is often vegetarian (check the label for anchovies).

In this recipe, I like to use the Better than Bouillon paste because it can make arbitrarily volumes of stock, and because the water can enter the pan already hot from being boiled in the kettle.

Don't include too many cruciferous vegetables or tomato paste.

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4 T olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
Heat oil in a large, deep cast iron skillet with oven-safe lid, then saute onion.
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Add garlic.
~3 c. chopped vegetables in ¼-½" chunks (e.g., carrot, celery, fennel, winter squash, parsnip, white or sweet potato, cabbage, cauliflower)
½ t. salt
⅛ t. red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
Saute vegetables. Season.
4 T. tomato paste (half a can)
1 T. brown sugar
Add and cook until well-incorporated.
3 c. vegetable stock
⅓ c. red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
2 t. Worcestershire or soy sauce
3 cups chickpeas (1 cup from dry, or 2 rinsed cans)
1 bay leaf
Bring to simmer, then cover tightly with lid and transfer to oven.
possibly: 1 c. vegetable stock Braise for 60 minutes, then check and add 1 c. additional broth if necessary. Braise for another 30 minutes (for 90 minutes in total).
Discard bay leaf and season to taste before serving.

Source: Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen)