I make this bread in a Bread machine. However, it is so incredibly delicious and the loaves are so beautifully shaped that everyone thinks that I spent all day in the kitchen. The trick is that I use the bread machine only for the kneading and rising. Then I form the loaves and cook them in my oven. The result is that you get the marvelous taste and texture, crust and all, of home baked bread. You will be proud to serve this to all your guests. It will become one of your easiest recipes.
For a quick meal, try serving Challah with a healthier, low fat cheese called neufchatel cream cheese. Both Horizon (circle U kosher) and Organic Valley (circle U kosher) make neufchatel that tastes exactly like regular cream cheese. Unlike the conventional "Lite" cream cheeses, they have no chemicals and taste really good. You can also pair the Challah with almond butter or cashew butter.
If you like spicy foods, try dipping the Challah in your favorite hot sauce. I personally love it dipped in olive oil mixed with freshly pressed garlic. You can also try Challah with Tahina and cayenne pepper.
Finally, this bread is so delicious that we most often enjoy it plain, with nothing on it at all. Bon Apatite.
Ease:
super quick
Type:
bread
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
about 2 1/2 to 3 hours
Yield:
Cook's notes
The more Wheat gluten, the fluffier the bread. Feel free to experiment. I once, by accident, added 4 1/2 T instead of 4 1/2 t wheat gluten. The bread was really fluffy!
I like the Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast (circle k kosher.) It comes in a jar and is less expensive than the little packets. Also, many of the other yeasts have additives.
Make sure that all of your ingredients are room temperature or warmer. Ingredients that are too cold will not activate the yeast.
Ingredients
3/4 c water
1 1/2 T Canola or Safflower oil
1 1/2 T Honey
3 Large Eggs
3 c Whole Wheat Flour
4 1/2 t Wheat Gluten
1 1/2 t Active Dry Yeast
1 c packed Thompson seedless raisins
Steps
Add all of the ingredients except the raisins to the bread machine.
When the first kneading is finished, add the raisins. Just put them on top.
After the second kneading the raisins should be finely chopped and thoroughly incorporated into the dough. At your convenience, you can either remove the dough immediately after the second kneading or let it rise a second time in the machine.
Separate the dough into 3 equal parts. Taking each part in turn, squeeze and pull the dough until it looks like a rope. It should be about a foot long with a 1 1/2 inch diameter. Braid the three ropes of dough. Pinch the ends together firmly.
Place the braided dough on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. If it is a non-stick cookie sheet, no need to oil. Cover the braided dough with a slightly damp towel and put it in a warm place to rise. Ideally, you can use a 110°F oven.
Pre-heat oven to convection bake 350°F. For a regular oven, pre-heat to 375°F. Leave the Challah to rise until it has doubled its size, 1/2 hour to an hour.
Remove the towel and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
IMPORTANT: Because of the raisins, the challah burns fast. Check it after 30 minutes. When it is finished, it will be brown and make a hollow sound when you thump the bottom.
I make this bread in a Bread machine. However, it is so incredibly delicious and the loaves are so beautifully shaped that everyone thinks that I spent all day in the kitchen. The trick is that I use the bread machine only for the kneading and rising. Then I form the loaves and cook them in my oven. The result is that you get the marvelous taste and texture, crust and all, of home baked bread. You will be proud to serve this to all your guests. It will become one of your easiest recipes.
For a quick meal, try serving Challah with a healthier, low fat cheese called neufchatel cream cheese. Both Horizon (circle U kosher) and Organic Valley (circle U kosher) make neufchatel that tastes exactly like regular cream cheese. Unlike the conventional "Lite" cream cheeses, they have no chemicals and taste really good. You can also pair the Challah with almond butter or cashew butter.
If you like spicy foods, try dipping the Challah in your favorite hot sauce. I personally love it dipped in olive oil mixed with freshly pressed garlic. You can also try Challah with Tahina and cayenne pepper.
Finally, this bread is so delicious that we most often enjoy it plain, with nothing on it at all. Bon Apatite.
Ease:
super quick
Type:
bread
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
about 2 1/2 to 3 hours
Yield:
Cook's notes
The more Wheat gluten, the fluffier the bread. Feel free to experiment. I once, by accident, added 4 1/2 T instead of 4 1/2 t wheat gluten. The bread was really fluffy!
I like the Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast (circle k kosher.) It comes in a jar and is less expensive than the little packets. Also, many of the other yeasts have additives.
Make sure that all of your ingredients are room temperature or warmer. Ingredients that are too cold will not activate the yeast.
Ingredients
3/4 c water
1 1/2 T Canola or Safflower oil
1 1/2 T Honey
3 Large Eggs
3 c Whole Wheat Flour
4 1/2 t Wheat Gluten
1 1/2 t Active Dry Yeast
1 c packed Thompson seedless raisins
Steps
Bread machines typically knead the dough, let it rise, then knead the dough again and let it rise again. After the second rising, baking usually begins. You, however, will be baking the bread in your oven.
Most bread machines have a setting for manual baking. Please use this setting on your machine. If you do not have a setting like this, just make sure to remove the dough before the baking begins.
Some bread machines ask you to put in the dry ingredients first, others require the wet ingredients first. Either way, the yeast is separated from the wet ingredients as you put the ingredients into the machine. Please follow the instructions for your bread machine.
Add all of the ingredients except the raisins to the bread machine. You are now free to do something else for about 20 minutes.
When you come back to the bread machine, make sure that it has finished the first kneading. Add the raisins. Just open the machine and put them on top of the dough. Check and see when the second kneading and rising will be done. You can remove the dough from the bread machine immediately after the second kneading or wait until after the dough has risen a second time. It depends upon your convenience. I haven't found that either having or eliminating the second rising is critical for success.
Usually you will have a couple of hours to go do something else before you need to go back to the bread. I have actually left it for over 3 hours and it was fine.
When you come back, the raisins should be finely chopped and thoroughly incorporated into the dough. Remove the dough from the machine.
Separate the dough into 3 equal parts. Taking each part in turn, squeeze and pull the dough until it looks like a rope. It should be about a foot long with a 1 1/2 inch diameter. Braid the three ropes. Pinch the ends together firmly.
Place the braided dough on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. If it is a non-stick cookie sheet, no need to oil. Cover the braided dough with a slightly damp towel and put it in a warm place to rise. Ideally, if your oven will allow for such low temperatures, you can use a 110°F oven.
Pre-heat oven to convection bake 350°F. For a regular oven, pre-heat to 375°F. Leave the Challah to rise until it has doubled its size, 1/2 hour to an hour.
Remove the towel and bake 30 to 40 minutes.
IMPORTANT: Because of the raisins, the challah burns fast. Check it after 30 minutes. When it is finished, it will be brown and make a hollow sound when you thump the bottom.
A healthy pizza? It can be done. By using a whole grain crust and all natural ingredients you are substantially increasing the nutritional value of the dish. At the same time, you are substantially improving the flavor!
Ease:
super quick
Type:
entree
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Yield:
1-2 servings per crust
Cook's notes
French Meadow makes a great whole grain spelt pizza crust. (certified United Mehadrin Kosher) If you cannot easily find it, Whole Foods or your local health food store can probably order it. Just make sure that you get the Whole Grain Spelt and not the White Country Sourdough also made by French Meadow.
When choosing a tomato sauce, make sure that it is low sodium and low sugar and that it does not have a preservatives or chemicals. For a half cup serving,it should not have more than 280 mg sodium or 5 g of sugars. I like Amy's low sodium Marinara (not kosher certified.) Also, I haven't tried it yet, but Whole Foods makes, under the 365 brand, Organic Fat free pasta sauce that looks pretty good. It has 8 g sugars, but according to the ingredients listed, they are not occurring from added sweeteners but rather from carrot powder. It is Circle U Kosher.
Most left over vegetables would make a great topping. Just slice them and spread around the pizza top before you bake. You can also top with sliced tofu hot dogs or canned, sliced olives.
Any leftover pizza can be eaten cold the next day or frozen. Thaw and toast on medium to enjoy again.
Ingredients
1 whole grain pizza crust
1/3 c pasta sauce
2-3 oz. shredded or thinly sliced mozzarella (optional)
1 c roasted vegetables or leftover cooked vegetables (optional)
2 sliced tofu hot dogs (Optional)
1/4 c canned chopped olives (optional)
Steps
Assemble the pizza and place on wire rack in a non-preheated 425° oven or toaster oven. Cook until the cheese is melted, and toppings are hot, about 10 minutes.
Buckwheat and Broccoli can be used as a meal in one pot or you can add soup or salad. Buckwheat, by the way, is not in the wheat family at all and can be eaten by those with wheat allergies. Additionally, this dish can be successfully frozen. Just thaw, heat and serve when you need it.
Ease:
super quick
Type:
entree
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
25 minues
Yield:
6-8 servings
Ingredients
2 medium stalks of broccoli
2 cups of toasted buckwheat
2 large eggs, beaten (optional) I prefer extra large eggs
1 T Canola or Safflower oil
5 c of water
1/4 c dried dill weed
3 T olive oil
Sea salt
Steps
Finely chop the Broccoli in a food processor. Set aside.
Place the oil, buckwheat and eggs in a 4 quart pot or dutch oven. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the eggs are cooked.
Add the water and chopped broccoli to the pot, stir, cover and increase the heat to high.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat enough just to maintain a low boil. Since the broccoli floats to the top, the water boils below it. To make sure that the buckwheat doesn't burn, stir once or twice and check often.
Turn off the heat in about 5-10 minutes, when about 1/2 an inch of the water is remaining and the buckwheat is fluffy. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
These popovers are great for a simple family meal. You can serve the popovers plain or with fruit. If you add a salad, soup and/or other vegetable you've got a meal. The popovers do collapse quickly and lose their shape so I would not recommend this recipe for guests. Extra popovers can be refrigerated or frozen. Put them in the toaster oven to reheat.
Ease:
super quick
Type:
breakfast, entree
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
45 minutes
Yield:
12 popovers
Ingredients
Canola or Safflower oil for the muffin pan
4 large eggs (I like to use extra large)
1 1/4 c milk (nonfat or low fat okay)
1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
Steps
Preheat oven to 375°F. For convection ovens preheat to 425° F. Oil well the inside of 12 muffin cups. (Even if you are using a nonstick, oil it well because these really stick!)
Beat, with a whisk, the eggs, flour and milk until well blended. If there are a few lumps that's okay.
Fill the muffin cups 1/2 - 2/3 full.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. For convection ovens, place popovers in the 425° F oven and bake 15 minutes. Then, reduce heat to convection 325°F and bake for 20 minutes. The popovers should be golden brown on top. Do not open the oven during baking as this will prevent the proper rising.
When the pan is cool enough to touch, remove the popovers and serve. Run a butter knife around the edges of the popovers in order to get them to release from the pan.
Crisp, sweeet poppy seed taste. These will become a holiday favorite.
Ease:
involved
Type:
dessert, snack
Prep Time:
over an hour including dough chilling time.
Yield:
about 24 cookies
Cook's notes
The raw dough may be refrigerated for several hours before rolling and baking. You may also freeze the dough and thaw it just before you are ready to roll and bake. If you were pressed for time, for example before a party, you could even roll and cut the dough several weeks or days in advance. You would need to freeze the cookies on a cookie sheet. Once they were frozen solid, you could move them to an airtight container. When you are ready to bake, place the frozen dough cookies onto an oiled or non-stick cookie sheet. Thaw and bake.
In order to save time, I highly recommend the use of large, cookie cutters with smooth shapes. For example, stars, pumpkins, snowmen, even letters if they are large enough. If you want to cut the dough into shapes with small parts, for example dogs' legs, elephant trunks or dinosaur tails and necks, it will take you much longer because the small parts can break off easily. So don't choose cookie cutters with small arms, necks or other parts unless you have the time and inclination to perform constructive surgery on most of the cookies.
Instead of grating the zest off of a lemon, I get dried lemon peel in granulated form. It saves me a huge amount of time. You can get it at natural food stores or at Frontier Co-op
I like to use the organic blackstrap molasses made by Wholesome Sweeteners. It has loads of minerals, no chemicals, and is a bit sweeter than other molasses.
Ingredients
2 extra large eggs
6 T canola or safflower oil
1/2 c date sugar
1 T organic molasses
1 t vanilla
1/2 t lemon zest
2 c less 2 T whole wheat pastry flour
2 t baking powder
1/3 c poppy seeds
Steps
Beat the eggs and oil for 5 minutes in a large mixing bowl. Start at a low speed, working up to the highest speed on your mixer. Most of the mixing time should be on high. Add date sugar, molasses, vanilla and lemon rind. Beat well.
In a separate bowl, mix together baking powder, poppy seeds and flour.
Add the flour mixture to the egg/oil mixture. Mix by hand until completely blended. Wrap the dough and refrigerate. the colder the dough, the easier it will be to roll.
Preheat oven to 375° convection or regular oven. Lightly flour a clean dry surface and your rolling pin. Roll the dough to 1/4" thickness. Don't roll too thin. Cut into shapes and bake for 10 minutes or until brown around the edges.
These coconut cookies are so light and delicious you will never miss sugar cookies. The trick is that by beating the eggs and the oil, you are incorporating air into the batter. This is the reason that people beat the butter with the sugar when making pound cakes or sugar cookies. So we get the same effect, only healthy.
Ease:
involved
Type:
dessert, snack
Prep Time:
over an hour including dough chilling time.
Yield:
about 24 cookies
Cook's notes
The raw dough may be refrigerated for several hours before rolling and baking.
You may also freeze the dough and thaw it just before you are ready to roll and bake. If you were pressed for time, for example before a party, you could even roll and cut the dough several weeks or days in advance. You would need to freeze the cookies on a cookie sheet. Once they were frozen solid, you could move them to an airtight container. When you are ready to bake, place the frozen dough cookies onto an oiled or non-stick cookie sheet. Thaw and bake.
In order to save time, I highly recommend the use of large, cookie cutters with smooth shapes. For example, stars, pumpkins, snowmen, even letters if they are large enough. If you want to cut the dough into shapes with small parts, for example dogs' legs, elephant trunks or dinosaur tails and necks, it will take you much longer because the small parts can break off easily. So don't choose cookie cutters with small arms, necks or other parts unless you have the time and inclination to perform constructive surgery on most of the cookies.
Instead of grating the zest off of a lemon, I get dried lemon peel in granulated form. It saves me a huge amount of time. You can get it at natural food stores or at Frontier Co-op
Sucanat is pure crystalized, unrefined, cane juice made by Wholesome Sweeteners. It contains all of the original molasses and, therefore, all of the vitamins and minerals.
In the processing of evaporated cane juice molasses is separated from the sugar. The evaporated cane juice from Wholesome Sweeteners is the best I found. It is organic, is minimally processed, and has no chemicals.
Ingredients
2 extra large eggs
1/3 c canola or safflower oil
1/2 c less 1 T (or 7 T) organic Sucanat or organic evaporated cane juice
1 t vanilla
1/2 t lemon zest
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 t baking powder
1 c shredded coconut
Steps
Beat the eggs and oil for 5 minutes in a large mixing bowl. Start at a low speed, working up to the highest speed on your mixer. Most of the mixing time should be on high. Add Sucanat or evaporated cane juice, vanilla and lemon rind. Beat well.
In a separate bowl, mix together baking powder and flour.
Add the flour mixture to the egg/oil mixture. Mix by hand and add the coconut. Finish mixing until completely blended. Wrap the dough and refrigerate. the colder the dough, the easier it will be to roll.
Preheat oven to 375° convection or regular oven. Lightly flour a clean dry surface and your rolling pin. Roll the dough to 1/4" thickness. Don't roll too thin. Cut into shapes and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Please be sure to buy unsweetened peanut butter with no additives. You can use either crunchy or creamy peanut butter. Both of them will create a different, but interesting texture.
I have found that it is fastest to mix and knead the dough by hand and NOT use the food processor. This is because as the dough reaches the correct thickness, the food processor, even with a dough blade, cannot blend well. The dough is too sticky.
Ingredients
3 bananas
1 c peanut butter
2 c powdered non-fat milk
Steps
Mash the bananas until they are soupy.
Add the peanut butter and powdered milk. Mix until the dough is thick. Then knead until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Depending upon the size of the bananas,you may have to add a bit more powdered milk to get the right consistency. You want the dough pliable but not too sticky. You should be able to mold it into any shape. If you add to much powdered milk though, the dough will crack when you try to bend and shape it. If you make this mistake, just add a little bit of water until you get it right.
Shape the dough as desired.
Refrigerate the finished shapes until serving.
These can be very successfully frozen. Freeze the individual shapes on a cookie sheet. When they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a plastic freezer bag or airtight container. When you need a quick snack, just grab them out of the freezer and go. They can be eaten frozen or give them just a few minutes at room temperature to thaw.
10 minutes (not counting making the shapes. Forming the individual spiders is time consuming. Best to have the kids or guests do it.)
Yield:
about 20 shapes
Cook's notes
Please be sure to buy unsweetened peanut butter with no additives. You can use either crunchy or creamy peanut butter. Both of them will create a different, but interesting texture.
I have found that it is fastest to mix and knead the dough by hand and NOT use the food processor. This is because as the dough reaches the correct thickness, the food processor, even with a dough blade, cannot blend well. The dough is too sticky.
Ingredients
3 bananas
1 c peanut butter
1 c powdered non-fat milk
1 c roasted carob powder
Steps
Mash the bananas until they are soupy.
Add the peanut butter, powdered milk and carob. Mix until the dough is thick. Then knead until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Depending upon the size of the bananas,you may have to add a bit more powdered milk and/or carob to get the right consistency. You want the dough pliable but not too sticky. You should be able to mold it into any shape. If you add to much powdered milk or carob though, the dough will crack when you try to bend and shape it. If you make this mistake, just add a little bit of water until you get it right.
Shape the dough as desired.
Refrigerate the finished shapes until serving.
These can be very successfully frozen. Freeze the individual shapes on a cookie sheet. When they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a plastic freezer bag or airtight container. When you need a quick snack, just grab them out of the freezer and go. They can be eaten frozen or give them just a few minutes at room temperature to thaw.
Most of the ingredients for halvah can be purchased from Sun Organic
Ingredients
1 lb jar sesame butter (tahini)
1/2 c roasted carob powder
2 T light colored honey
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 c raisins
1 c shredded coconut
Steps
Add all of the ingredients to the food processor. Whirl until everything is well blended and the raisins and coconut are chopped finely. Remove the halvah and shape as desired into worms, balls or blobs. Refrigerate the finished shapes until serving. These can be very successfully frozen. When you need a quick snack, just grab them out of the freezer and go. They can be eaten frozen or give them just a few minutes at room temperature to thaw.
