I started with the challah recipe by Rose Behrens. It's an enriched bread, in that, in addition to flour, water, yeast, and salt, it has egg and sweetener - in this case honey.
RECIPE:
- 7 cups flour
- 1 T salt
- 1/2 cup sugar (or honey)
- 2 pkg yeast + 1/3 cup warm water (if using bulk yeast, it’s 1-1/2 tablespoons, or 4-1/2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 cup oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup cold water
350° 30 minutes
TIP: I put the ingredient list in the notes on my iPhone, and I can check them off as I add them.
I can also add notes (such as the date and that it took 6 cups of flour but I forgot 1/3 cup of water, since I bloomed the yeast in the mixing bowl - and I forgot. . . )
This will make two loaves of raisin bread, some rolls, and one loaf of challah (braided bread).
The first rise was pretty impressive. I knocked it back and cut into four pieces.
I like to work directly on a cookie sheet. I know I can keep it more sanitary than a countertop or table.
TIP: To keep the cookie sheet from slipping, I use this square of shelf-liner (Thanks, Karen) under the cookie sheet. (TIP: make sure that the liner does not stick to the cookie sheet when you put it in the oven. This is the Voice of Experience speaking.)
Another TIP: this square is great at gripping stubborn jar lids.
For the challah, I used a four strand braid. Pinch together four ropes of bread. Take the rope on the left and move it over the two next to it. Then take the rope on the right, and move it over two next to it. (TIP: I practiced with ribbons or shoelaces until it made sense to me.) There are lots of youtube videos on how to braid.
To make the rolls, I cut it into pieces, and stretched and pinched to make a round roll.
For the cinnamon sugar, I use confectioners sugar and lots (3 heaping teaspoons) of cinnamon.
After spreading the dough (kind of like pizza), I smoothed the cinnamon sugar mix onto the dough.
Tip: ATK suggests that you sprinkle the sugar with water and that will keep the rolled dough from separating and making holes in the swirled bread. We'll see. I keep a water-only sprayer (the green one) in the kitchen.
For the raisin bread, I used a total of 13.5 ounces of raisins.
Each loaf gets about 2/3 cup of cinnamon sugar.
TIP: To substitute for a proofing drawer, get out the fry-pan and fill it with boiling water. It warms the oven just a bit, and it adds moisture, and that helps the bread rise without drying out.
When the dough has risen, take it out, leave the fry pan in, and preheat the oven.
Leave the pan in while it preheats. I leave it in while it cooks, too, but it may make a tough crust.
The house smells wonderful!
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Well that was only a partial success.
The rolls are excellent.
The challah is lovely.
The raisin bread looks great in the pan!
The flavor is excellent,
but the dreaded separation in the raisin bread is just awful!
I have a couple of things to try next time.
1) Soak the raisins to soften them so they don't try to take the liquid from the dough.
2) Go for a slow, maybe even a refrigerator rise.
If you think of something else to try, let me know!
