Shabbat Recipes

Challah
*from the kitchen of Tanner Smith

INGREDIENTS:
Dough:
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, divided
1 packet active dry yeast (1 packet is equivalent to 2 1/4 tsp or .25 ounce active dry yeast) - you may substitute 1 3/4 teaspoons of instant yeast or .6 ounce compressed fresh yeast (1 small cake)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp avocado oil (I prefer avocado oil for flavor and health reasons - you may substitute sunflower oil or canola oil)
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 - 6 cups all purpose flour

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt

*Note: If you are preparing your dough to be baked the next day follow these steps for raising and storing.

Remove the dough from your mixing bowl and wash out the bowl. Grease the bowl with oil. Push the dough back into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so that both sides are slightly moistened by the oil.

Cover the bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator.

Punch down the dough once before going to sleep, and once upon waking up.

3 hours before baking remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.

DIRECTIONS:
Pour ¼ cup of the lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 packet of active dry yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the bowl, stir to dissolve. Wait 10 minutes, until yeast looks foamy (activated). If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step and simply add the yeast to your dry ingredients. If you're using fresh yeast, simply stir it into the lukewarm water to dissolve, then add the remaining wet ingredients - no need to wait for proofing.

Once your yeast has activated, add remaining 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water to the bowl along with the egg, egg yolks, honey, oil, and salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend the ingredients together.

Begin adding the flour to the bowl by half-cupfuls, stirring with a large spoon each time flour is added. When mixture becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead.

Continue to add flour and knead the dough until it’s smooth, elastic, and not sticky. If you plan to add raisins or chocolate chips to the challah, incorporate into the dough as you knead.

Place a saucepan full of water on the stove to boil. Meanwhile, remove the dough from your mixing bowl and wash out the bowl. Grease the bowl with oil. Push the dough back into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so that both sides are slightly moistened by the oil.

Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl of dough on the middle rack of your oven. Take the saucepan full of boiling water and place it below the rack where your dough sits. Close the oven, but do not turn it on. The pan of hot water will create a warm, moist environment for your dough to rise. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

Take the dough bowl out and punch it down several times to remove air pockets. Place it back inside the oven and let it rise for 1 hour longer, or until the dough doubles in size.

Next, flour a smooth surface like a cutting board. Punch the dough down into the bowl a few times, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from feeling sticky.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces and roll out to desired length. Then braid. After you’ve braided your challah, place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Prepare your egg wash by beating the egg, salt and water till smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of the mixture onto the visible surface of your challah. If you're adding sesame seeds or some other topping, sprinkle it on the damp dough now - the egg wash helps it stick. Reserve the leftover egg wash.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Let the braid rise 30 to 45 minutes longer (you’ll know the dough is ready to bake when you press your finger into the dough and the indentation stays, rather than bouncing back. The challah needs to bake for about 40 minutes total, but to get the best result the baking should be done in stages. First, set your timer to 20 minutes and put your challah in the oven. After 20 minutes, take the challah out of the oven and coat the center of the braid with another thin layer of egg wash. This area tends to expand during baking, exposing areas that will turn white unless they are coated with egg wash. Turn the tray around, so the opposite side is facing front, and put the tray back into the oven, to ensure your loaf browns evenly.

The challah will need to bake for about 20 minutes longer. For this last part of the baking process, keep an eye on your challah—it may be browning faster than it’s baking. Once the challah is browned to your liking, take the tray out and tent it with foil, then place it back in the oven. Remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking time. You can test the bread for doneness by turning it over and tapping on the bottom of the loaf—if it makes a hollow sound, it’s done. Let challah cool on the baking sheet or a wire cooling rack before serving. Enjoy!

Noodle Kugel
*from the kitchen of Diane Fadem

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb (16 oz) wide egg noodles
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
½ - ¾ cup sugar, to taste
2 ½ tsp. vanilla
¾ tsp. salt
1 lb (16 oz) sour cream or Greek yogurt
1lb (16 oz) cottage cheese

Topping:
3 cups crushed cornflakes, or other crunchy cereal
3 tbsp. sugar
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 tbsp. soft butter, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13x2 glass dish & set aside. Cook noodles according to directions until al dente. Drain well, then return to the pot & add butter, totally coating the noodles. Mix together milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, & salt; beat well. Stir in sour cream or Greek Yogurt, then mix in the cottage cheese. Combine the noodles with the dairy/egg mixture & transfer to your dish. Mix all topping ingredients together & sprinkle evenly over noodles. Bake kugel for 1 hour until golden brown (place a sheet of tin foil loosely over top of noodles, if they are browning too quickly). Let stand at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!