5 - Strand Water Challah / Eggless Challah

Challah is a braided bread enriched with eggs and oil. A little sugar adds a hint of sweetness. This week is all about traditional bread. Artisan loaves replicated in my kitchen. What makes challah special is the braids. I have tried braiding before, this post is all about braiding 4, 6, 8 and 9 strand braids. But I had never tried a 5 strand bread, so this challah is made with 5 strands. Another specialty of this bread is that it is not enriched with eggs. It has oil and a little sugar but no egg. And unlike most eggless bakes it has no egg substitute. You just drop the egg from the recipe, adjust the quantity of liquid with water and you have water challah.

The challah is a very soft bread. The crumb is not very open but it is visibly soft. I had wondered how the absence of eggs and no other substitute could produce the same result. But it does. The picture below of the crumb was shot at night so it is not very good. But I had to share it. The bread was all gone by morning.

Baking the braids is tricky. Oven spring can sometimes ruin the appearance with unwashed dough peeking through between the darker washed dough. To prevent this from happening use a simple tip I got from one of the ladies from my Facebook baking group. Allow the dough to over proof. Poke it with your finger, if the dough springs back let it rest a little longer. If it takes a while to bounce back it is ready for the oven. Bake at 350 F for a good 40 minutes to get the dark golden color. Another tip I got from the same person after I shared this picture - use a corn starch wash to get a shine similar to an egg wash. Will use this tip next time.

You will need (for 1 long loaf)
For the dough
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp oil
3/4 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

For the wash
1 tbsp. cream (I used whipping cream)
1 tsp. butter (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and form a soft dough. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

Cover and keep aside until it doubles in volume. The time could be anywhere from an hour to 2 and a half hours depending upon weather and temperature in your kitchen.

Transfer the dough to a floured working surface and divide into five portions by weight. Roll each of the portions into a rope.

To braid, bring together the ropes at one end. I followed instructions on this video. Start the braiding on one end.

Continue to braid without pulling on the ropes. Place them with the help of gravity. You do not want a tight braid.

Continue braiding to the end.

Tuck the end in for a neat finish. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Cover with a tea cloth and let it rest for an hour or two. Poke your finger in the dough. If it does not spring back then the dough is ready for the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the top with cream making sure you get it in all the crevices.

Pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top is deep brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Brush with butter is desired.

Allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Soft Dinner Rolls

Dinner rolls or pieces of bread to accompany dinner go as far back as recorded history. In fact in a lot of countries even today people make some kind of bread to accompany dinner. Dinner rolls can be baked spaced apart from each other or placed next to each other in one pan. The latter is called laadi pav in India and is made famous by Pav Bhaji.

I have two types of dinner rolls in this space. I have the 100 % whole wheat eggless and the 50% whole wheat eggless. Both use commercial yeast. I realized I had not posted this sourdough recipe. I made these as the base for the vegetarian sliders. Though the tops of the buns did not brown visibly the texture was soft with an even crumb.

You will need
You will need for 9 pav
200 gm 80% sourdough starter
400 gm water
40 gm olive oil
660 gm bread flour
16 gm salt

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and form a soft dough. The dough will be a little sticky and wet. Cover and keep aside for half and hour.

Stretch and fold the dough to strengthen it over the next hour. Reach over the far side of the dough, pull it up and fold over the top towards you. Make a quarter and repeat until you have gone all the way around twice. This is one turn. Repeat with two more turns spacing them half an hour apart. The dough will become smooth and elastic by the time you are done. Cover and keep aside for 6 hours. Divide into 9 portions and shape each one as a ball. Place in a parchment covered baking sheet with sides. Cover and keep refrigerated overnight.

The next morning you are ready to bake at any time. Leave the dough in the refrigerator until the oven is preheated and ready. Preheat at 350 F.

Place the baking sheet into the oven straight from the refrigerator. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. These buns will not brown as much. Take them out of the oven and on to a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Sourdough Batard

After all the fun last week it is time to move on to some real bread. This week I will post my attempts at recreating old bread recipes. These traditional artisan loaves are usually very tasty. They need work and time to allow the flavors to develop. But the end result makes it all worthwhile. The yeast in these recipes is either homegrown, a combination of commercial yeast with homegrown or just commercial yeast. The dough is either plain or enriched. The first of the lot is a sourdough batard.

My first attempt at baking the batard did not go so well. The bread tasted great but was a little misshapen. I had decided to try a single score line through the length of the bread but at the last minute I made two. I guess I didn't quite do it right because the bread bulged to one side. I knew the next time I baked the batard I would stick to the single score.

I finally got my chance to bake the batard again and this time I got it right. The score line through the middle allowed for a even oven spring. I was happy with the look and taste of the bread. The crumb was open and even if I don't have a very good picture of the crumb I am going to share it.

This was a recipe I put together with whole wheat flour and sourdough. It is similar to the baguette recipe but the proofing times were all crazy. I started it on a Sunday afternoon but forgot about it. The fold and stretch technique I use to strengthen the dough was not done on time. It was a little delayed. That left me with no time at night to let it rise. So I put it in the refrigerator overnight. Next day I did not get to it until late evening. That was an almost 24 hour bulk fermentation. I shaped the dough and placed it on a floured paper towel and put it back in the refrigerator. It was two and a half days before I got a chance to bake it. The taste was awesome. I have to say the long bulk fermentation may have helped. The next bread I make I will try an extended bulk fermentation again.

For one batard

You will need
200 gm white whole wheat flour
130 gm water

100 gm fed sourdough starter
20 gm olive oil

6 gm salt

In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients and combine to form a very soft dough. The hydration on this dough is over 70%. Keep aside covered for half an hour. Take the bowl and reach to the far side of the dough. Pull it up over the top of the dough towards you and tuck in. Turn the bowl a quarter turn. Repeat the stretch and fold. Repeat until you go all around twice. Cover and keep aside. Repeat the stretch and fold another two times. You will notice a difference in the texture. At the end of the last fold and stretch the dough will be smooth and elastic. Cover and keep aside for 6-8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Take the cover out and transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Press down on the dough with floured hands. Fold the far side towards you about 3/4th of the way and press down gently with the heel of your palm. Fold the side close to you over the top and press down, like sealing an envelop. Now fold the dough in half and seal. Roll it a little to form the desired shape. Transfer to a floured towel and keep aside for the second rise. I usually keep it overnight (10-12 hours) in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place a baking sheet in the oven as it is heating. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a very sharp blade or a lame score the top of the loaf end to end.

Transfer to the hot baking sheet and let it bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400 F and bake another 25 minutes or until the top is brown. Remove from oven and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Bread Spirals

From the time I first saw this bread in a picture I have wanted to try it. I thought it looked very pretty. This is another bread inspired by Valentina Zurkan. It looks a lot prettier when you use white flour or bread flour. But I rarely bake anything with just white flour these days so I used a substantial amount of white whole wheat flour and went easy on the butter. It may not brown as well with whole wheat flour but I think it looks a lot healthier and tasted great.

This week I am posting recipes that are fun to bake. Play with the dough and get a beautifully shaped bread. For this bread I used layers separated with a filling. The filling keeps the layers separate even after baking. Simple cuts and twists make the bread look dainty and pretty.

It was an afternoon well spent. It would be a great project with kids as the twisting is very forgiving. You can use any filling you like, savory or sweet.

You will need
1 3/4 cup whole white wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
1 tsp. Instant yeast
2 tbsp. water
1/2 cup milk

For the wash
1 tsp. butter melted

Between the layers ( double if you want it really sweet)
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. cinnamon powder
3 tbsp. sugar

Sift the flours and add it with the other dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients. Combine and form a soft dough. Cover and keep it aside until it doubles in volume, about an hour an a half.

Flour a working surface and transfer the dough on it. Divide it into 4 portions and roll each portion into a disc about a forth of an inch thick. In a small bowl mix the ingredients for the filling. Spread a third of it on one of the discs. Place another second disc over it. Spread half the remaining filling on this layer. Place another layer on it. Spread the remaining filling over it and place the last layer over it. Roll gently with the rolling pin. Then cut it as shown in the picture below.

Pick up all four layers of one of the triangles as shown below. Now twist it in one direction several times and place it back.

Repeat with all the other triangles.

Brush the top with melted butter. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Meantime preheat the oven at 425 F.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top starts to brown. This is whole bread bread so it will not brown like all purpose flour.

Enjoy with a cup tea!

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread Flower

Shaping breads and watching it transform in the oven is magical. Valentina Zurkan is a name that comes to mind when I think of beautifully shaped bread. This bread is inspired by her work. She can transform five layers of dough into amazing shapes. I had tried one such very elaborate bread last year. This one is simpler and made on a much smaller scale. It was just as much fun to make.

I made this with my regular whole wheat sourdough bread dough. I did not enrich the dough as I wanted a simple bread to accompany the evening meal of hot soup on a cold day. Enriched white flour dough would give a better shinier finish and if I were baking just this one bread I would go all for it. But I bake a lot and so I stick to whole wheat and healthy dough. I took pleasure in the shape rather than the shine on the finished product. If you want the shine refer to the dough recipe on the very elaborate bread and then use this shaping technique.

This is day 3 of my week of fun bakes.

You will need
1 3/4 cup whole white wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
1 tsp. Instant yeast
2 tbsp. water
1/2 cup milk

For the wash
1 tsp. butter melted

Between the layers
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. cinnamon powder
3 tbsp. sugar

Sift the flours and add it with the other dry ingredients to the bowl. Add the wet ingredients to it. Combine and form a soft dough. Cover and keep it aside until it doubles in volume, about an hour an a half.

Flour a working surface and transfer the dough on it. Divide it into 4 portions and gently roll each portion into a disc about a forth of an inch thick. In a small bowl mix the ingredients for the filling. Spread a third of it on one of the discs. Place another second disc over it. Spread half the remaining filling on this layer. Place another layer on it. Spread the remaining filling over it and place the last layer over it. Roll gently with the rolling pin. Then cut it as shown in the picture below. I used a bottle cap to keep me from cutting all the way to the center.

Next cut from the center to the outer rim but do not go all the way.

Now for the fun part. Gently tuck under the wings of one of the cut pieces and pull up the dough through the slit as shown in the picture below.

Repeat all around the circle and you will have the center of a flower.

At this time you could bake it as is or you could tuck in the corner and pull them up from the center to form the petals.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Let the finished flower rest for about 20 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it starts to brown.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Stuffed Bites

Apple, cinnamon and brown sugar are flavors that remind us of fall. I made this bread a few months back with fresh Gala apples. You can any apple for this recipe. When I baked it I referred to it as bread but as I sit down to write this post I have to say 'bite' is a more appropriate description. The dough is rolled fairly thin so there is not much in each portion.

This was a picture I saw on pinterest. I decided to use fall flavors inside. The folded dough provides just enough shield from the heat to not burn the apple and brown sugar but enough to caramelize it. You should adjust sugar to your taste. It makes a light snack perfect on afternoons after a heavy lunch. Or when you want something to munch on while you are buried in a book.

I sliced the apples thin for a crunchy snack. Cut the apple slices thicker if you want it to be chewy.

You will need (for 12)
1 1/4 cup whole white wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Instant yeast
2 tbsp. water
1/2 cup milk

For the filling
1 apple
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon 

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and form into a soft dough. Knead until elastic and smooth. Cover and keep aside until the dough doubles in volume, about an hour and a half. Just before the dough is ready, peel and slice the apple. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Transfer the dough to a flat working surface and divide it into two. Save one portion and roll the other into a flat disc. Cut into 6 portions.

Using a sharp knife slice the center of each portion as shown below. Then place a few slices of apple on the bottom half of each triangle.

Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the apples.

Fold the top of the triangle over the bottom and let it extend out a little.

Tuck this extension under and transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the top is brown. If desired brush the tops of the hot bread with butter. Repeat for the saved portion of dough.

Enjoy!

Red Pepper, Tomato and Paneer Stuffed Lattice Bread

During the last short school break my daughter was tired of the same old afternoon snack and I wanted to try something new. I happened to see this picture on Pinterest and decided I had to make it. It looked like one of those breads that you can have fun while shaping.

I looked in the refrigerator for ideas on what I could use as the filling. I found some left over yellow pepper that had to be used up and some paneer. I added some cherry tomatoes, some fresh thyme and some dried herbs. In no time I had a very flavorful filling. When I began to knead dough for my favorite bread dough recipe my daughter became curious. She wanted to know what I was baking. I think I fed her too many stuffed buns and she kept asking if I was making some more. I won't be making stuffed buns for a while. She was glad I was making something different and offered to help. We had a great time making this stuffed bread. It is a fun activity with kids especially those old enough to handle a knife.

This is the first of 26 baked recipes I plan on posting this month. The theme this week is fun bakes - fun to make and not just fun to eat.

You will need (for 8 pieces)
2 1/2 cups whole white wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Instant yeast
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. water
3/4 cup milk

Stuffing
2 roasted yellow pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
8-10 cherry tomatoes
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
salt to taste
4 oz. paneer, chopped

Herb oil
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. savory
3 tbsp. olive oil

In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the herb oil and keep aside until needed. Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl and form into a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes. Cover and keep aside until it doubles in volume, about an hour and a half.

Meanwhile prep the vegetables. Roast the peppers on a baking sheet covered with foil in the oven set to broil. Then wrap them in the foil for 15 minutes, unwrap, skin the peppers, removed the seeds and dice them. Keep aside.

To prepare the sauce heat oil in a pan and add the tomatoes, onions and all the herbs. Cook it down until almost dry. Add salt to taste and turn off the heat. Mix in the diced roasted peppers and paneer. Allow it to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 F. When the dough has risen transfer it to a flat working surface. Cut it into two and save one portion. Using a little flour to keep it from sticking form a round ball.

Roll it into a large thin disc.

Cut into quarters. Cut a pattern on one of the quarters as shown below.

Brush the top with the herb oil.

Place some of the filling in the center.

Fold the sides over the filling first from the right and then from the left.

Fold in the bottom layer and seal with the top. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat for the other quarters. Then repeat for the second portion of dough. Brush the top with the remaining herb oil.

Bake in the preheated 400 F oven for 15-18 minutes or the tops are brown.

The bread tastes best when hot out of the oven.

Enjoy!