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Jewish Archives - Page 9 of 11 - The Big Schmear Podcast
The Original Vegan Challah – Challah Hub Style

The Original Vegan Challah – Challah Hub Style

Mar 18, 2019 | Culture, Food, Jewish, Recipe

The Original Vegan Challah

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 pkt rapid rise yeast
  • 3-4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
  • flour (extra flour for kneading and braiding)

Egg Replacement Mixture

  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp warm water
  • 3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
  1. 1. Empty your yeast packet into a small bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and pour 1 cup warm water over top and stir lightly. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes or so until bubbly and creamy. After that, add 2 tablespoons of veggie or coconut oil to the yeast mix in the same small bowl.

    2. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup sugar. Whisk well.

    3. Egg replacement time: In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons veggie or coconut oil, 3 tablespoons warm water and 2 teaspoons baking powder (it will fizz). Then, pour into your yeast bowl.

    4. Add the yeast and egg replacement mixtures to your bowl of dry ingredients, stirring as you pour.

    5. Mix dough with a spatula or wooden spoon, then get in there with your hands and knead until smooth.

    6. Add up to 1 cup additional flour until dough leaves the side of the bowl

    7. Coat the inside of a big bowl lightly with oil and drop your ball of dough inside.

    8. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise on your counter for 2 hours.

    9. After your dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface.

    10. Gently knead the dough to get out any big air bubbles, then braid as desired.

    11. Place your braided dough onto a lightly greased and foil – lined baking sheet.

    12. Cover with damp cloth and let rise 1 more hour.

    13. Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees, and toss that bad boy inside for 26-32 minutes.

    14. Once it is evenly golden brown on top, take your challah out of the oven, place on a cooling rack.

    15. Do not cover. Allow to cool, then put it in your face.

Challah Baking Schedule
30 Min prep
2 Hours first rise
20 Min braiding
1 Hour second rise
25-35 Minutes oven time

Straight from the folks at Challah Hub: Bringing your challah to a dinner party? Never cover a hot challah! It’ll get soggy and sad. Transport uncovered on someone’s lap (we call this person the Guardian of the Challah), or wait until it totally cools, then wrap in foil.

 

Mexican Jewish Flavors: Masa Madre (#32)

Mexican Jewish Flavors: Masa Madre (#32)

Mar 5, 2019 | Culture, Food, Jewish, Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:11 — 40.1MB) | Embed

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Guests: Tamar Fasja Unikel & Elena Vazquez

It’s all about a very cool virtual bakery in Chicago’s PIlson neighborhood. The story starts with two college friends from Mexico City that discover they both like to bake. Fast forward a few years and they find each other a few years later in Chicago, both still baking. They decide to do this for real and start a company called Masa Madre. They sell their amazing and unique babkas, challahs and much more. Be sure to listen to their story on this episode. One of the perks of doing this podcast episode? I had the opportunity to sample a slice of still warm challah with Alicia’s Mexican Za’atar and olive oil. The bread melted in my mouth- a crisp flaky crust and a soft, ever so tasty middle. OMG! A special thank you to Chicago Magazine for the use of this great shot of Tamar and Elena in the kitchen.

Recipe from this Episode
Alicia’s Mexican Za’atar

Alicia’s Mexican Za’atar

Mar 2, 2019 | Food, Jewish, Recipe

Alicia’s Mexican Za’atar

  • 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
  • 1 Tsp Anise seed
  • 1 Tbsp Dried hibiscus flower (crushed)
  • 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Cumin seeds
  • 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
  • 1 Tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp Lemon salt
  1. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a 300º for about 5-8 minutes. Toast sesame seeds separately. Grind the oregano, hibiscus flower, coriander, cumin, and anise seed until powdery. Add the salt, sesame seeds, and lemon salt. Store in an airtight container. 

This spice has a wonderful twist to the usual recipe for Za’atar. The flavor is different, see if you can guess why. Alicia’s Mexican Za’atar has a slight pink hue; a really fun plus.

Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs (#31)

Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs (#31)

Feb 10, 2019 | Blog, Culture, Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:27 — 39.1MB) | Embed

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Guest: Dr. Beth Ricanati

Who thought baking Challah could be so magical? Well, it is and especially as seen through the eyes of my guest this week Dr. Beth Ricanati. We talk about Challah and how it can connect with you, through Jewish history, as a way to think about your own well-being and of course all about baking Challah. I can guarantee you that  before you finish listening to this episode you’ll want to have your own  Challah baking in your oven… and you can! Check out the recipe section for the ‘how to’ and have a wonderful time with me as we think about bread as the staff of Jewish life.

Recipe from this Episode

Challah

Challah

Feb 9, 2019 | Culture, Food, Jewish, Recipe

It seems like a simple recipe but there’s so much Jewish history and love behind it. This particular Challah recipe was given to my guest, Dr. Beth Ricanati by a good friend of hers many years ago in a class at the JCC on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Please enjoy the experience of baking this Challah and of course sharing in the eating!

Challah

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/4 tsp Yeast loose
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 cup warm water almost too warm, but not hot!
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 4+ cups flour

Instructions
 

  • Mix yeast, sugar & warm water together in small bowl (1); let stand ~ 10 min. This mixture will start to bubble.
    Meanwhile, in a lg mixing bowl, mix eggs, salt, sugar, oil & 2 c flour together (2). Now is a great time to say, “I am making this dough in the merit of _____ (name someone…maybe a friend who is sick that week, or someone you are happy for, sad for, mad at, etc.)
    Add yeast mixture (1) to flour mixture (2).
    Add ~ 1½ cups of flour to mixture. Dough should start to form a ball, separating from the bowl.
    Place dough on a floured surface & knead, lifting up with one hand & then the other. Knead at least 5 mins as dough becomes increasingly elastic. If still sticky, add a bit more flour to dough. Knead dough into a ball.
    Place dough back into oiled bowl, cover & place bowl somewhere warm for 1 – 1½ hours to rise, ~ doubling in volume.
    Preheat oven to 375º. Remove cover from bowl, place dough on floured surface. Take a small piece of dough (~size of an egg), double wrap in plastic wrap & say the prayer over separating the challah (technically only say if more than 5 lbs of flour used, but more on that later)*. Discard this piece of wrapped dough & cont.
    Punch out dough one more time. Cut dough in half, one for each challah. Then divide each half into 3 equal pcs. Roll out each piece, crimp together at the top and braid into a loaf. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough. May let rise again at this step.
    Paint each challah with a mixture made of egg yolk plus a little water.
    Bake ~ 25 – 30 mins, or until bread rises & is golden brown. Remove, cool.
    Place challah on platter, cover and wait for Shabbas dinner. Eat and enjoy!
    *Baruch Ata A-Do-Nay Elo-haynu Melech Ha-Olam Asher Kidishanu B’Mitzvotav V’Tziyvanu L”Hafrish Challah. (Blessed are You, Lord, our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to separate the Challah.)