Whole Wheat Challah

Quite a while ago, Bridget from The Way the Cookie Crumbles posted a rather complicated method of adapting any bread recipe to whole wheat. I immediately bookmarked it, and despite feeling pangs of guilt seeing it on my list from time to time, managed to avoid it for the next 5 months.

Then she posted a subtle reminder in the form of a Whole Wheat Challah post, and finally, without having to create my own adaptation, I put the method to the test.

Soaker:

• 1¾ cups (8 ounces) whole wheat flour, preferably fine grind
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup water

Biga:

• 1¾ cups (8 ounces) whole wheat flour, preferably fine grind
• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 4 large egg yolks

Final dough:

• the soaker
• the biga
• 7 tablespoons (2 ounces) whole wheat flour, plus more for adjustments
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1½ tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Toppings:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• pinch salt
• poppy seeds or sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. For the soaker: In a medium mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Cover and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, or refrigerate for up to 3 days. If the dough is refrigerated, leave it at room temperature for 2 hours before mixing the final dough.

2. For the biga: In a medium mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Knead for 2 minutes; the dough will feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead for 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. Leave it at room temperature for 2 hours before mixing the final dough.

3. For the final dough: Cut the soaker and biga into about 12 smaller pieces. Mix the pieces by hand in a large bowl and knead by hand for 6-8 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then resume kneading for 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes, until it is about 1½ times its original size.

4. Gently transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 6 evenly sized pieces for 2 smaller loaves or 3 evenly sized pieces for 1 large loaf. Roll each portion of dough into a rope about 10 inches long, letting the dough rest for 5 minutes if it’s very elastic. Braid the ropes.

5. Place the braid(s) on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. To make the egg wash, whisk the egg, water, and salt (listed above in Toppings) together. Brush the braids with the egg wash, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

6. Brush the dough with the egg wash again, then top with poppy seeds or sesame seeds, if using. Leave the dough uncovered and let rise for 15 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

7. Place the challah on the middle shelf, reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the loaf 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Check the bread and rotate again if it is baking unevenly. Continue baking for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread is a rich brown all around, sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and registers at least 195 degrees at the center.

8. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Comments: This was quite tasty right out of the oven. I made one massive loaf, and would opt for the smaller loaves next time (and probably freeze one immediately). After a day or two the bread was drying out, so I’m looking at some bread pudding or maybe some baked French toast in the near future.

Empanadas de Verdura, Cebolla, y Tomate con Queso

I’ve been making a lot of white-flour dishes lately based on a pack of fresh foods I got—raviolis, tart crusts, fresh pasta, and empanada shells.

I decided to keep things simple for the empanadas, although I also had to get my variety in, to keep things from getting boring. Here’s what I did:

• Tomate con queso: Diced tomato, diced cheese, and a mix of provenzal herbs (parsley, garlic, and oregano).
• Cebolla: Carmelized onions with more diced cheese.
• Verdura: Chard sauteed with onions and garlic and a diced hard-boiled egg.

Comments: I loved the simplicity of the cebolla and tomate con queso, however I definitely should have sought a recipe for the verdura empanadas. They were terribly bland. Many contain a white sauce, which can be good if it’s not too heavy.

Here are the lovely empanadas my boyfriend made, unfortunately filled with meat:

Homemade Pasta by Mabel

I’ve been away—first a move, then a vacation to the US, and now another move is coming soon, so I haven’t been cooking as much as usual, but I do have a couple new recipes to share, courtesy of my boyfriend’s mother, Mabel.

First up are homemade, whole wheat spinach noodles, whipped together without the aid of any pasta-making devices. It’s a labor-intensive process, but uses whole, healthful foods and the family loves it. Here’s how she does it:

Ingredients:

1 kg. whole wheat flour

100 g. gluten (white, with no additives)

1 packet of spinach, washed

1 clove of garlic

2 T. oil

4 eggs

2 T. olive oil (optional, but recommended)

Steps:

1. Sift together the flour and gluten until well mixed, and any impurities have been removed. Put 3/4 of the mixture in a bowl and create a well in the center.
2. Cook spinach, if desired. Add spinach, garlic, oil and two eggs to a blender, and blend until well mixed. Pour into the well in the flour-gluten mixturee.
3. Beat the remaining to eggs and olive oil, if using. Mabel throws them in the empty blender, to rinse out any remaining spinach-goodness, before adding them to the well in the flour mixture.
4. Mix well, until the dough forms a solid, non-sticky ball, as shown below.

5. Separate the dough into 4-5 balls.

6. Now, comes the tricky part. Roll out one of the balls of dough until it is paper-thin. If you have a pasta machine, this may be easy, but Mabel uses a rolling pin to stretch the dough as she rolls it out, as shown. She works deftly, with years of practice. Basically, it’s a matter of wrapping a bit of dough over the rolling pin and stretching the dough by pushing on the pin. Repeat until the entire mass is a uniform thinness. Use the extra flour in the process, as needed to keep the dough from sticking.

7. Next, coat both sides of the dough with the leftover flour mixture, and roll the dough into a log. Check while rolling to ensure the dough doesn’t stick to itself, and add more flour if necessary.

8. Cut tiny spirals from the log, as shown below.

9. Using another pile of the flour-gluten mixture, toss the spirals to unravel them., being sure they stay coated and don’t stick to one another.

10. Repeat until all the pasta has been rolled, cut, and tossed. Toss in boiling water for about 5 minutes, tasting for doneness after about three. Serve with a delicious sauce, or just oil and grated cheese.

¡Buen Provecho!

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

The original plan behind my Mexican feast was enchiladas. I had a bunch of veggies I needed to use up, so to prolong their lives, I diced them and threw them in the oven. When they came out, I ate half, before deciding enchiladas would be a better purpose.

I made some whole wheat tortillas (since I was feeling industrious), and as my tortillas always come out a bit thick, I decided to make an enchilada casserole. I started by putting a thin layer of sauce in the pan, then threw in some fresh tortillas.

A layer of veggies came next, followed by a bit of gouda. More tortillas followed, and sauce, and well…did I mention I already ate half the veggies? I covered it with cheese, a bit more sauce, and threw everything in the oven.

Half an hour later, dinner was served! See other posts for sauce, refried beans, and Mexican rice.