Jessica Fechtor's Five-Fold Challah

I learned of Jessica Fechtor's challah while watching the video about the King Arthur Cheesey Pan Pizza. I have made this challah quite a few times during COVID, making slight modifications.

A fabulous challah recipe from Jessica Fechtor’s “Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home,

The recipe calls for instant dry yeast rather than active dry yeast (which requires proofing). Fechtor recommends SAF-Instant yeast or Fleischmann’s BreadMachine or Rapid-Rise Yeast.

Makes 3 small loaves

Dry ingredients:
3 c (500 grams) bread flour or all-purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 ½ t instant dry yeast (I have used regular and it worked fine)
2 t salt

Wet ingredients:
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk (save the extra white in a covered glass in the fridge for glazing later on)

¾ cup (190 grams) water
1/3 cup (75 grams) olive oil
¼ cup (85 grams) honey

1/4 c raisins, optional

1) Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until a wet, sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.

2) Peel back the plastic. Grab an edge of the dough, lift it up, and fold it over itself to the center. Turn the bowl a bit and repeat around the entire lump of dough, grabbing an edge and folding it into the center, eight turns, grabs and folds in all. Then flop the dough so that the folds and seams ore on the bottom. Cover tightly again with the plastic, and let sit for 30 minutes. (That is Fold 1).

3) Repeat the all-around folding, flipping, covering and resting for 30 minutes four more times. (I keep track by using four bottle caps.) The dough flops more than it folds in the first round or two. Then, as the gluten develops, you’ll get proper folds. By the final fold, the dough will be wonderfully elastic, and you’ll be able to see and feel the small pockets of air within. Pull the plastic tight again over the bowl and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

4) Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 9 equal pieces. (This is time-consuming.) 

Roll into 9 strands, adding raisins if you wish. (You’ll want to add as little extra flour as possible.) 

Braid from the center, pulling the strands and keeping the braid tight in both directions. Transfer the loaves to the prepared pan. Cover with plastic and let proof at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until the dough is noticeably swollen and puffed and bounces back, very slowly, if at all, when you poke it lightly with your finger.

5) Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.

6) Remove the plastic from the loaves and brush with the reserved egg white. 

7) Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the bread is golden and gorgeous.

Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Soup: Harira

Nomi and Micah suggested this soup for our pre-Yom Kippur meal during COVID. Normally we have been with Elaine, but this year... It is delicious for anytime. This is based on a recipe from Epicurious, slightly adapted.

Ingredients are flexible - it would be good with vermicelli, for example. Serve with harissa!

4 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 large carrots, peeled and cut in rounds
1/2 t ground turmeric
1 t ground cumin
1/2 to 1 t harissa (Mina brand is Kosher certified)
Salt to taste
1 bunch parsley, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, crushed
7 cups vegetable stock
1 can of chickpeas, drained -15-ounce
1 c  green lentils
1 tfreshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour
1 large egg
Juice of a large lemon (about 1/4 cup)

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until the onion turns translucent and begin to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. 
2. Add the turmeric, cumin, harissa, salt, pepper, 1 cup parsley, 1 cup cilantro, tomatoes, lentils, and the stock and  boil for 30 minutes. 
3. Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice into 2 cups  of water. Stir into the soup. 
4. Simmer the soup about 5 minutes more and serve, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro and parsley. And don’t forget to have some extra harissa in a plate on the side.

Magical Tri Melon Soup

This soup is August in a bowl. It's a Jane Brody recipe - she credits Gourmet magazine.

Because the mixtures have different densities (apparently something you can do with other types of soups, too), they don't mix when you put them in the bowl.

I added a third and it works perfectly - watermelon chunks  puréed with mint and squeezed lemon juice.

1 cantaloupe, ripe

2 lemons

1 honey dew melon, ripe

2 T. lime juice (or a fresh lime)

1/2 seedless watermelon, cubed

lots of mint

salt and agave to taste

Peel and cube the first melon. This is labor intensive - use a large cutting board. First cut in half, and scoop out the seeds. Cut in 1/8s and then slice each along the curve of the melon, leaving the flesh. Cube and throw in a powerful blender, like the ninja. Or, buy it cubed!

Squeeze in the juice of the lemon and a little salt. Empty into a pitcher.

Repeat with the honey dew, adding mint, lime juice, and salt. You can add a little agave if you like it sweeter.

The watermelon is less dense but will still hold its shape. Same procedure. 

Chill.

To serve, use flat soup bowls. Put a scoop of honey dew to the side of the bowl. Gently pour the cantaloupe into the open space, and also the watermelon. If you're lucky, it will create a crescent shape. So pretty.

Garnish with fresh mint. Do not serve to the Rosen clan. They don't like melons!

One Bowl Blueberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, or Cranberry Crumble Bars

I saw these online and had a real craving for them - I knew they would be similar to the datebars of my youth, but way easier. It's a quick recipe and perfect when blueberries are abundant.   In 2022 when we gathered in Chestertown for Thanksgiving, Zach and Becca brought several quarts of CSA cranberries that people had failed to pick up, or left behind. We experimented making Cranberry Crumble bars (fun to say!) and they were such a hit I made a second batch. Super easy, and so pretty.

You make the same dough for the bottom layer as the streusel topping - super easy. I cut the sugar, as my first version seemed sweeter than needed.

Crust and Crumble Topping
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted (microwave on low power, in a big bowl that you then use to mix the dough). For vegans, use parve margarine.
1 c flour (half WW, half regular, as I always do)
3/4 c old-fashioned whole-rolled oats
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c light brown sugar, packed

salt to taste

Blueberry (or Cranberry) Layer
1 pint washed blueberries or 12 oz. cranberries (1 1/2 c)
1/3 c granulated sugar
For blueberries: 2 T lemon juice (1 lemon's worth) - omit for cranberries
2 t cornstarch

• Preheat oven to 350. 
• Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with a parchment paper sling.
• Altrnatively, to make individual tarts (as I just did during COVID), spray a silicone muffin tin. I made 12. You could make 16, just use 2 trays and leave 8 empty. It's a little more work but a dozen big wows! Wait until cooled to remove, by popping them out from the bottom of the tray.
• In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter.
• Add the flour, oats, sugars, optional salt, and stir to combine. Mixture will be dry and sandy with some larger, well-formed crumble pieces.
• Set aside 1 heaping cup mixture for the top crumble layer.
• Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using wet fingers, pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust; set aside.
• In the large mixing bowl (same one!), add blueberries, lemon juice (not for cranberries!), sugar, and cornstarch, stirring to combine. If sugar hasn’t dissolved fully that’s okay because it liquifies while baking.
• Evenly distribute blueberry mixture over the crust.
• Sprinkle with the reserved heaping 1 cup crumble topping mixture. squeezing the mixture to shape bigger crumble pieces.
• Bake for about 45 minutes (in the Breville), or until edges are set and center has just set. Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden. 
• Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. If you try to slice bars before they’ve cooled completely, they’ll be extremely messy and could fall apart. 
• To cut when cooled, pull out with the sling onto a flat cutting board. Cut 4 x 5 or even 5 x 5 with a pizza cutting wheel or sharp, wet knife. These are messy-ish, so small bite-size bars are great.

another scrumptious, spring version: Strawberry Rhubarb

Same recipe, but a pint of strawberries and about two stalks of rhubarb, both finely chopped. Include sugar. It is DELICIOUS. Very distinct flavor profile.

Make double like I did here!!

King Arthur 2020 Recipe of the Year: Pan Pizza

Crust
2 c flour (use 1/4 whole wheat flour)
3/4 t salt
½ t instant yeast or active dry yeast
3/4 cup (170g) lukewarm water
1 T olive oil + 1½ T  olive oil for the pan

Topping
6 ounces  mozzarella, grated (about 1 1/4 c, loosely packed)*- can be low-fat
1/3 to ½ c tomato sauce or pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought

toppings to put on after about 10 minutes: sliced olives, sliced peppers, onions, and/or mushrooms if you like
Optional: freshly grated hard cheese and fresh herbs for sprinkling on top after baking.

Spray a large bowl with oil. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Place the flour, salt, yeast, water, and 1 T of the olive oil in the bowl.

Stir everything together to make a shaggy, sticky mass of dough with no dry patches of flour. This should take about 1 minute by hand, using a spoon or spatula. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to gather the dough into a rough ball; cover the bowl.

After 5 minutes, uncover the bowl and reach a bowl scraper or your wet hand down between the side of the bowl and the dough, as though you were going to lift the dough out. Instead of lifting, stretch the bottom of the dough up and over its top. Repeat three more times, turning the bowl 90° each time. This process of four stretches, which takes the place of kneading, is called a fold. 

To keep track put four of something next to the dough bowl (like bottle caps), and move one over each time.  


Re-cover the bowl, and after 5 minutes wet your hands and do another fold. Wait 5 minutes and repeat; then another 5 minutes, and do a fourth and final fold. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest, undisturbed, for 40 minutes. Then refrigerate it for a minimum of 12 hours, or up to 72 hours. It'll rise slowly as it chills, developing flavor; this long rise will also add flexibility to your schedule.

About 2-3 hours before you want to serve your pizza, prepare your pan. Pour 1 ½ tablespoons (18g) olive oil into a well-seasoned cast iron skillet that’s 10” to 11” diameter across the top, and about 9” across the bottom. Spread it up the sides to the top, as the dough will rise during baking. Heavy, dark cast iron will give you a superb crust.

Transfer the dough to the pan and turn it once to coat both sides with the oil. After coating the dough in oil, press the dough to the edges of the pan, dimpling it using the tips of your fingers in the process. The dough may start to resist and shrink back; that’s OK, just cover it and let it rest for about 15 minutes, then repeat the dimpling/pressing. At this point the dough should reach the edges of the pan; if it doesn’t, give it one more 15-minute rest before dimpling/pressing a third and final time.



Cover the crust and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature. The fully risen dough will look soft and pillowy and will jiggle when you gently shake the pan.

[About 30 minutes before baking, place one rack at the bottom of the oven and one toward the top (about 4" to 5" from the top heating element).] Preheat the Breville oven to 435°F - it heats up in 2-3 minutes. (when baked at 450, it takes only 12 minutes. This might slow it down a little.) 

When you’re ready to bake the pizza, sprinkle about three-quarters of the mozzarella (a scant 1 cup) evenly over the crust. Cover the entire crust, no bare dough showing; this will yield caramelized edges. Dollop small spoonfuls of the sauce over the cheese; laying the cheese down first like this will prevent the sauce from seeping into the crust and making it soggy. Sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella.

In the Breville it was done and very browned in 15 minutes! If you want to add vegetable toppings, try adding them at about 10 minutes. Rotate halfway through.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place the pan on a heatproof surface. Carefully run a table knife or spatula between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools. Let the pizza cool very briefly; as soon as you feel comfortable doing so, carefully transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack or cutting surface. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.



Serve the pizza anywhere from medium-hot to warm. Kitchen shears or a large pair of household scissors are both good tools for cutting this thick pizza into wedges.

A chopped can of anchovies is a good addition.

Blintzes for Shavuot, or Anytime! + Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

We had a pre-Erev Shavuot dinner together at 412, and Nomi even dropped a blintz by for Rilka who was just out of surgery. (During COVID.)

I hadn't made these since I made them with my mom when I was about 17 - so, fifty years ago. They aren't hard but a lot of it is defined by the size pan. Go with an 8" or 9" non-stick. The rim of the pan shapes them; if you use a griddle, they don't have anything shaping them.

Best is a lb of farmer cheese, if you can source it. It is much drier than ricotta.

If not, you can use ricotta. Measure out the ricotta the night before and put it in a coffee filter to strain out the liquid. This method worked perfectly - a good 2 T. of liquid was there in the AM. No need to use cheesecloth.

The technique is easy to follow on this video, but I modified his recipe. Mine is below.

Makes about a dozen+ blintzes. 

For the batter:
4 large eggs
1 ⅓ c milk (a portion can be buttermilk, like up to 25%)

⅓ c cold water (if you're short of milk, you can add more water to make up the difference)
1 ⅓ c all-purpose flour (up to 1/4 can be whole wheat)
4 t white sugar
½ tsp salt
2 T + 2 t vegetable oil
⅓ t vanilla

cinammon to taste
I made the batter in this pancake dispense gizmo. To blend well, I used the immersion blender. Worked great. 

Mix all the  ingredients in a blender until flour is well-integrated. Scrape sides as needed. Let batter sit at room temperature about a half hour. Meanwhile, make the filling. (The advantage of a blender is you can pour batter into the skillet.)

For the filling:

1 lb. farmer cheese (they have many different brands at NetCost)
zest from one lemon
pinch salt
2 T  sugar, or more to taste
1 large egg

Heat an 8" frying pan to medium, melting some butter in it. Pour a scant 1/2 c batter, just enough to cover the bottom. Swirl as needed. When the top dries, flip onto a clean dish towel and repeat, adding butter as needed. The blintz should not brown. That comes from frying them when it's rolled up. 

Check the first one or two to make sure they're pliable for folding. If they're not very flexible. Nomi had a job making crepes when she was a teen, so channel her. 

This makes about 12-14. 

Our Zwilling ceramic pan, purchased in Chestertown, is perfect and really doesn't need added butter.

You can start on the filling while you're frying the blintz discs. 

If your blintzes are browning on the bottom (which is the case with the induction at 3 or 4), fold the blintz with the browned side up.

Eventually you can choreograph it so you can fill and roll a blintz while cooking one.

Put one generous T of filling toward the bottom of the disc and flatten a little. Fold the sides in and roll up. (If they come out as trapezoids, the batter is too thick.) Depending on the diameter, they may come out more square shaped. It doesn't matter, really.

Repeat.

Fry in butter until beautifully browned. 

Shavuot is rhubarb season - I made a rhubarb/strawberry compote, Yum!!

Water - not too much, as the fruits shed water when cooked. But put the water in first or the pan burns.

Equal amounts hulled strawberries and chopped rhubarb (they are local at the same time.)

Sugar to taste

A squeeze of lemon, a little vanilla

Mint - for garnish

Bring to a boil and cook for about 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

If you want it thicker, add a tablespoon of cornstarch to enough water to dissolve. Add it to the boiling mixture and cook for a minute, until is thickens. Same technique as Blueberry/Peach soup.

Oh She Glows Red Lentil Kale Tomato Soup

This is lighter than most of the lentil soups I make. It comes together fast.

Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup

1 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 t ground cumin
2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t smoked sweet paprika, to taste
1/8 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can diced tomatoes, with juices
5 to 6 c (1.25 to 1.5L) low-sodium vegetable broth, as needed
1 c uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained
Fine grain sea salt and pepper, to taste
3 handfuls destemmed and chopped kale leaves or baby spinach (in small bunch lacinato)

In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. 

Add in the celery and sauté for a few minutes more.
Stir in the bay leaf and the spices (cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika, cayenne).
Stir in the can of tomatoes (including the juice), broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer, uncovered, for about 20 to 25 minutes, until lentils are tender and fluffy.
Stir in kale or spinach and cook until just wilted. [Run the immersion blender til desired consistency]