Friday, December 11, 2020
12/11/2020 05:00:00 PM
Weekly Zoom Session Wrap-up
This week in Challah Time, we talked, shaped, and baked a variety of delectable Hanukkah treats! Three hanukkiahs were shown in some state during our session: Helene's was already seasoned and baked - it was adorable! Nancy worked on and completed her shaping and second proof. I shared the hanukkiah image I found inspiring and explained my strategy to copy it. See the Baker's Weekly Challot Images below.
Baker's Images & Notes>>>
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Send in your images on Friday once your challah has baked, along with your notes to challahtime@gmail.com. We'll admire your work and learn from each other.
Alexis made plates of sufganiyot (lemon/citrus flavored dough with blackberry jam) and, for her congregation, dozens of half-recipe challot. They were all gorgeous. Thank you for showing us your beautiful work, Alexis.
Ellen baked her 2nd challah ever this week. She had great questions for the group, as well as creative ideas for future challot. It's so gratifying to see the world of challah baking open up a new avenue of creative expression for someone; just as it did with me. It's truly special!
Upcoming event:
Nancy will demonstrate her bagel recipe on Friday, January 8th. We're excited to have Nancy demo another one of her bakes for us. This time she'll have her husband Robert assisting. I've heard Nancy makes incredibly tasty bagels. Please mark your calendars and join us on the 8th!
Be sure to check out the section Extra Finds & Fixin's below. It includes examples of Lori's fused art holiday ornaments, the New York Times article, A Twist on the Traditional Challah, as well as a couple of books mentioned during Challah Time.
BTW-There won't be a Challah Time session on December 25th.
I'm looking forward to our next Challah Time together this Friday, December 18th.
Erica
Click here to join Challah Time! via Zoom>>>
Baker's Weekly Challot Images
Send in your images on Friday once your challah has baked, along with your notes to challahtime@gmail.com.
We'll admire your work and learn from each other.
Ellen's Challah
Ellen's Notes: "My second challah! I’m having fun and ready to explore the world of yeast. I used the Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel seasoning and an egg wash."
Helene's Challot and Hanukkiah
Helene's Notes: "An assortment of challah dough projects. I used my brother’s recipe and ... the Everything But The Bagel seasoning."
Lori's Challah
Lori's Notes: "Raisin and cinnamon for French toast."
Nancy's Challah Hanukkiah
Nancy's Notes: "I had never made a Challah chanukkiah before. The Challah Time group inspires me!"
Robin's Challah Hanukkiah
Robin's Notes: "My pictures are of a plain challah and one with apple butter and chocolate. Both done in the loaf pans. The stuffed one took an extra 8 minutes.
"I originally did the apple butter with apples for Rosh Hashanah. I really like the spice of apple butter with the sweetness of the other flavors."
Erica's Challah Hanukkiah and Jam Spiral
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Erica's Notes: "The hanukkiah was a close copy of an image I found on Reddit (see the Dec. 4th Challah Time! post). I kept the dough in the refrigerator to retard the rise while shaping ,which took some time. The individual candles were 180 grams - 60 grams a strand, the each strand in the 2 strand twists was 100 grams. It baked for 30 minutes or so, I could have given it a few more minutes if I protected the highest points which browned first with some foil to achieve a more uniform tone. For a first time, I'm pleased.
"I'd mixed a double batch of dough-8 cups flour and I had enough left to make a jam filled spiral challah. I added Bonne Maman Intense Red Fruits Preserves. It has less sugar, slightly tart, quite delicious with whole fruit. I don't recall how long it baked. I suspect it was 25 minutes because it was a smaller sized loaf. I used cooking spray in the dish and the bread released easily."
Extra Finds and Fixin's
- Some of you may be aware that our baker, Lori is a fused glass artist. At times we've seen her working in her studio while her dough is rising. These are a few pieces she made for sale for the holidays. I love them and hung them straight away on my holiday wreath. Let me know if you're working on creative activities aside from challah baking, and I'll spotlight your work here, too.
- Here's a short read on alternative challah recipe traditions from around the world.
A Twist on the Traditional Challah, by Julia Moskin, New York Times, Dec. 1, 2015.
- Two books were brought up during our discussion. Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More, by Shannon Sarna; and Modern Jewish Cooking, by Bonne Rae London.
The latter was in reference to baking time for for challah bow knots--20-30 minutes. Thanks, Ellen and Cecily for bringing them to our attention!
- Here's another reminder for the University of Chicago Hillel's 74th Annual Latke Hamantash Debate on Thursday, December 17, at 5:00 PM in Pacific Time. You can register for the live event by clicking here.
