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mini blini’s

28 Apr

These are a take on the classic cheese blintze – fun to make and a huge crowd pleaser!  I’ve served them at large parties and small family dinners alike, always with great results.  The recipe makes quite a bit (about 100 2.5-ich pieces), and they freeze beautifully.   Heat covered in the oven before serving.

INGREDIENTS

2 — (8-ounce)  packages cream cheese, softened
2 — egg  yolks
1 cup  sugar
2 loaves sliced  white bread, crust removed
1 cup (2 sticks) butter,  melted
1 Tbsp  Cinnamon
1 cup  Sugar

DIRECTIONS

  1. Beat together cream cheese, egg yolks, and sugar in a large mixing  bowl.
  2. Roll bread slices as thinly as possible with a rolling pin.  Spread  with cream cheese mixture.  Roll up and dip in melted butter.   Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
  3. Preheat oven to 400F.
  4. Remove Mini Blini from freezer and cut each piece in half.  Place on  a baking sheet and bake 10 to 13 minutes or until heated through.

 

 
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onion bialys

10 Jul

This past Sunday I made the most amazing bialys!  It was a fast day and I like to busy myself with food preparation on a fast so that I get distracted from my hunger, and I have something special to serve my family and friends who traditionally join us for the “break fast”.

The bialy originated in the city of Bialystok in Poland.  It is a doughy roll with a flat center and puffy rim,  sprinkled in the center with sauteed onion & poppy seeds.  Most bagel stores make bialys from their bagel dough, and bake it without boiling it, making it a cousin of the bagel.  My homemade version was made with a yeast sponge that sat for over an hour before adding the flour, giving it a bit of a sourdough flavor.  Although I’ve never tasted an “authentic” bialy, I can honestly say that mine was delicious; crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, as artisan bread should be.  Bialys are mostly eaten split open, toasted, and slathered with butter, but we ate them fresh out of the oven with a cream of broccoli soup (compliments of Sarah Lasry, thepatchkeprincess.com), scrambled eggs, hash browns and salad.  They were awesome!  Today, I had a leftover one for lunch and can’t decide which way I like ’em better!

recipe credit: Lauren Groveman in Baking with Julia
THE SPONGE
  • 2 1/4 cups warm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons (malt extract or) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
  • 1/3 cup minced yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional but recommended)
  • 3 cups high-gluten flour, bread flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour

1.  Pour 1/4 cup of the water into a small bowl, add the yeast and a drop of the sugar and whisk to combine.  Allow the mixture to rest until the yeast dissolves and turns creamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, melt the shortening in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and saute until softened, about 3 minutes.  Scrape the onions and the melted shortening into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the remaining 2 cups water, sugar, and the black pepper, if using.

3.  Add the creamy yeast to the mixing bowl, making certain that the temperature of the ingredients already in the bowl doesn’t exceed 110 degreees F;  if the mixture’s too hot, give it a few minutes to cool before proceeding.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour in a steady stream, mixing until the flour is incorporated.  Increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula and remove the bowl from the mixer.

4.  Cover with plastic wrap and let the sponge rise at room temperature for 1 and 1/4 hours.

THE TOPPING AND DOUGH
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup minced yellow onions
  • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • The sponge (above)
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 cups (approximately) high-gluten flour, bread flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour

1.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onions and poppy seeds until the onions are soft, 3 to 5 minutes.  Season with pepper and let cool.

2.  Brush the inside of a large mixing bowl with some of the oil; set aside.  Reserve the remaining oil for coating the top of the dough.

Mixing and Rising

1.  When the sponge is fully risen, return the bowl to the mixer.  On low speed working with the paddle or dough hook, beat in the salt and as much flour as needed to make a dough that cleans the sides of the bowl.  Increase the speed to medium and knead for 3 to 5 minutes.  Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead briskly until the dough is smooth and elastic.

2.  For the dough into a ball and transfer it to the oiled mixing bowl.  Brush the top of the dough with a little oil, over the bowl with greased plastic wrap, and top with a towel.  Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.  If you’ll be baking the bialys on a baking or pizza stone,m preheat it too and generously dust a peel with cornmeal; set aside.  If they’re going on baking sheets, brush the sheets with vegetable oil (or spray them) and dust them with cornmeal.  Dust two kitchen towels with cornmeal.  (to create steam in the oven, you’ll be tossing ice cubes and water onto the oven floor.  If you don’t think your oven floor is up to this-it can be tricky witha gas oven-put a heavy skillet or roasting pan on the oven floor and preheat it as well.)

Shaping the Dough: Divide the risen dough in half; work with one piece of dough at a time, keeping the other piece covered.  Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces.  Work with one piece of dough at a time, keeping the others covered with a towel.  Shape the dough into a round and flatten the center to create a thick 1/2-inch wide rim.  Prick the center of the bialy with the tines of a fork and transfer it to a cornmeal-dusted towel or pizza peel; cover with another towel while you shape the other 5 bialys.

Prick the center of each shaped bialy again and transfer to the prepared baking sheet or peel.  Spoon a little of the onion-poppy seed filling into the center of each bialy and prick again to flatten.

Baking the Bialys: Put 4 ice cubes in a cup and add 1/4 cup cold water.  Put the bialys into the oven and immediately toss the ice cubes and water onto the oven floor (or into the hot pan).  Immediately close the oven door to trap the steam.  Bake the bialys for 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 450 degrees and bake for 5 mnutes more.  Transfer to a rack to cool.  Brush off the baking stone, if necessary and return the oven to 500 degrees.

While the first batch is baking, cut and shape the remaining bialys.  Then bake them as you did the first batch.  If you have 2 ovens, as I do, you will be able to bake 6 bialys in each oven at a time (that’s all my pizza stone would hold).

Storing: Bialys are best the day they are made.   You can freeze them as is or sliced in half and wrap airtight.  The bialys will keep in the freezer for a month and can be popped into the toaster directly from the freezer.

 
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slider buns

07 Feb

It’s winter, and I have to admit,  I’ve been hibernating.  The weather so far has been spectacular, and I haven’t been spending too much time trying out new recipes in my kitchen.  Superbowl Sunday had me thinking of making sliders (mini hamburgers), despite the fact that neither my husband nor my boys, follow sports.  Mini hamburger buns are hard to find in the local Jewish bake shops so I made my own.  You can use this recipe to make hot dog buns as well.  They came out delicious, light and fluffy – what a perfect recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 2 Tablespoons instant dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 1/2 cups bread flour

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Dissolve yeast in water with sugar.  Add rest of ingredients.  Knead.  Transfer to floured surface, cover and let rise 1 hour. 
  2. Punch down.  For hot dog or hamburger buns, divide into 16 equal pieces.   For sliders, divide dough into 32 pieces. 

 

3.  Shape into balls, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Rise 30-40 minutes more.

4.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Smear a beaten egg on top of each bun and bake in oven for 12-15 minutes.

 
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A-1 chanukah donuts

22 Dec

A couple of weeks ago, when I was in Brooklyn, I stepped into The Peppermill on 16th Avenue and saw that they were selling containers of donut mix!  What could be easier than that?  Add warm water, let rise 45 minutes and the donuts are a piece of cake ;).  So today, when my daughter invited us for a Chanukah party, I offered to bring donuts!  Of course, I was running late and decided to use the donut mix, but the finished dough looked so small, that I started to panic that there wouldn’t be enough (ever happen to you??) and put up a fresh dough of my favorite tried and true donut recipe as well.  Well, the results of my made-from-scratch recipe were so outstanding that the donut-mix donuts were all left over!  The dough mixes up in one bowl and it is a perfect consistency and yummy to work with.   I have this recipe since I was newly married, and despite all the recipes I’ve tried over the years, this one kicks!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 2 packages dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shortning (or margarine/butter)
  • 1 egg
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • oil for frying

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine water, yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl till yeast is dissolved and starts to foam.  Add rest of ingredients and mix until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. 
  2. Rise 30-45 minutes until double in size.  Roll out and shape with a round cookie cutter.  Rise another half hour.  Fry until brown on one side, then flip over and fry on the other side (about 30 seconds-1 minute on each side).  
  3. While still warm, dip into confectionery sugar or regular sugar.  This recipe is not very sweet, so I like to fill (inject) it with raspberry jelly or custard.  Topping it with poured fondant or chocolate glaze gives it a professional touch.

 

Yield approx 24-30 donuts

 
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a muffin that tastes like a donut

09 Dec

We all love doughnuts, but oh, the work involved in making them: the (sometimes yeasted) dough, the rising, the shaping, and then the frying. For most of us it’s a once a year project prompted only by the family’s pleading and anticipation of these homemade treats.

Now, what if you could have the flavor and texture of a doughnut without the frying?  That caught my attention – was it possible?  This is actually a muffin that tastes like a doughnut! Aside from being much, much easier to make, these doughnut muffins are simply delicious. A creamed batter yields a light, cakey interior, while a dip in melted butter mimics the satisfying “fried-ness” of a doughnut.

For some of us though, nothing but the real thing will do, so I am including a recipe for traditional “Sufganiyot”. Either one is sure to be a winner!

A MUFFIN THAT TASTES LIKE A DOUGHNUT

This recipe originates from Fine Cooking Magazine and is dairy. I would make it that way, but if you want, you may make substitutions for a parve muffin.

INGREDIENTS

For the Muffins

  • 12 oz. unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature. (The butter should be somewhat firm but soft enough to easily poke a finger into.)
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 lb 11 oz. (6 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg (I personallydon’t care for nutmeg and would omit it)
  • 1 2/3 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk*

 

For Dipping:

  • 8 oz. unsalted butter; more as needed
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1.  Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffly. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in.

2.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, if using. 

3.  Combine the milk and buttermilk. 

4.  With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.  Then mix in a third of the milk mixture.  Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry.  Mix until well combined and smooth, but don’t overmix.

5.  Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup about 1/2 cup. (a #16 standard ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.)  Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes.

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the pan, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar. (If you want you can dip only the tops of the muffins.)

*to make your own buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup.  Add enough milk or parve milk to make 1 cup.  Use as much as needed.

Yield: 24

Photo: Steve Hunter

SUFGANIYOT  (Israeli Jelly Doughnuts)

INGREDIENTS

Dough

  • 1 (1/4 oz.) package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk or nondairy creamer
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
  • 3 large egg yolks, or 2 large eggs
  • 1-teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace (optional)
  • About 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • About 5 cups vegetable oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, or vegetable shortening for deep-frying
  • About 1 cup jelly (I use one specifically meant for jelly donuts and cookies.  It is a beautiful color and just the right consistency)
  • Confectioner’s or granulated sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Stir in 1-teaspoon sugar and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Blend in the milk, remaining sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt, nutmeg if using, and 2 cups flour. Beat in enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth, soft dough. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

2. Punch down the dough. Fold over and press together several times. Let stand for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 2 1/2 -to 3 1/2-inch rounds. Place in a single layer on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

3. Heat at least 2 inches of oil over medium heat to 375 degrees.

4. Using an oiled spatula, carefully lift the doughnuts and drop them topside down, into the oil. Fry 3 or 4 at a time without crowding the pan, turning once, until golden brown on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. The temperature of the oil should not drop below 350 degrees. Drain on a wire rack.

5.  Place the jelly in a cookie press or a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch hole or nozzle tip, Pierce one end of each doughnut with the tip and squeeze the filling until the doughnut is full. Roll the doughnuts in sugar.

Variation:

You may substitute whipped cream, pastry cream (custard), or pudding for the jelly.

 
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pumpkin bread

22 Nov
Click here to find out more!

 

Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread
 
In the last year or two, I’ve noticed a new trend – baking with olive oil.  Olive oil not only adds an incredible depth of flavor, but used in place of butter or shortening, it makes quick breads better for you by supplying healthy fat and antioxidants.  I made this recipe before Rosh Hashana and served it as a side dish – it was a hit!   The recipe is from Ellie Krieger/Fine Cooking Magazine and it is easy and yields a moist bread.  Pumpkin seeds are an optional topping here, but they add a nice crunch.
INGREDIENTS
  • Cooking spray
    3-1/4 oz. (3/4 cup) whole wheat flour
    3 oz. (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
    1 tsp. ground cinnamon
    1 tsp. baking soda
    1/2 tsp. baking powder
    1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
    1/4 tsp. table salt
    2 large eggs
    1 cup canned pumpkin purée
    1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
    1/3 cup olive oil
    1/3 cup honey
    2 Tbs. unsalted pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas; optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

1.  Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk both flours, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, oil, and honey until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a large spoon just until evenly incorporated.

3.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to settle the batter. Sprinkle the top with the pumpkin seeds (if using), pressing them down lightly. Bake until the top is browned and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. (If the bread begins to brown too much before it’s fully baked, lay a piece of aluminum foil on top.) Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer the bread to a rack to cool completely before slicing.

As an alternative, you can make these in mini muffin or muffin size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes for minis and 25-30 minutes for the muffin size.

 

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 290; Fat (g): 12; Fat Calories (kcal): 100; Saturated Fat (g): 2; Protein (g): 5; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; Carbohydrates (g): 45; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2; Sodium (mg): 280; Cholesterol (mg): 45; Fiber (g): 3;
photo: Scott Phillips
 
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fresh hot bagels

03 Oct

That’s what the neon sign in the bagel storefronts read on Thirteenth Avenue in Brooklyn, where I grew up.  On many Motzei Shabbosim (Saturday Nights) in the winter, we would go with my father to pick up some hot, mouthwatering bagels.  So, I thought – what better way to break a fast than on fresh, homemade bagels?    My bagels came out of the oven at break-fast time and were awesome!  For a crowd of 9, we polished off 15 bagels!  And they were fun to make and didn’t take all day like traditional breads.  Many years ago, when I first tried this recipe and before there were any bagel stores in Lakewood, my husband and I dreamed of opening a bagel shop.  Today, more than 25 years later, we’re both in the food business but have yet to own a bagel store…..

Ingredients

  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar

Combine in a bowl.  Add:

  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar

Knead dough in a mixer and/or by hand until smooth.

Place in a greased bowl.  Rise 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a pot of boiling water.

Divide dough into 8 pieces.   (I made a double batch.)  Roll each piece into an 8-inch rope. 

 Shape into bagel rings by wrapping the rope around your 4 fingers, overlapping the dough by one inch.  Squeeze the overlapped dough like play dough until it is totally integrated.

Rise another 20 minutes.

Cook in boiling water, 3 minutes on first side and 2 minutes on second side.   Remove from water and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with seeds of your choice (poppy, sesame, kosher or sea salt, minced onion, minced garlic, or “everything” spice blend) while bagel is wet from the water.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  This will give you a soft bagel.  If you prefer a crispy bagel, bake at 450 for 20 minutes, and turn over and bake the second side, if necessary for 5-10 minutes.

 
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