Elvis Challah

Don't worry, we haven't stopped blogging, we have just been CRAZY busy! After 5 years I am finally done with school (well at least for now). I have made so many memories in my time at Ohio State and have established such strong friendships. It will be weird moving back in with my mom and sister, but mostly because I will be so far from where I have called home the past 5 years. I have truly grown as a person and would not be where I am today if it was not for my undergraduate and graduate experience, or in accounting terms my NPV has greatly increased, even if that means becoming insolvent. I have laughed, and I have cried (publicly, maybe on the ground of a parking lot), but I was fortunate to have great friends to always help me back up, tell me I am "fine", or lie on the floor with me.

Even though I have graduated, my life has not seemed to slow down. As usual I'm kicking ass and forgetting names. I have gotten my tuchie back into gear with BodyPump classes and even taught a class when the instructor didn't show up. I have to say I'm much better than she is and I think the gym should hire me instead. Like she counts up instead of counting down, Jenn Peters would so not approve of that. And in even more exciting news, I took and PASSED my first CPA exam! Apparently everyone thought I would pass except for me, but if you saw the pass rates (around 50%) you would understand. I set my alarm for 1am this morning for the score release and was in utter shock at my score that I kept refreshing the page to confirm. I'm actually still convinced the NASBA is going to send me a letter that it was an error. In the words of Peter Olinto, I am on my way to a CPA!

Recipe: (makes 2 loaves of challah)

3/4 cup water

1 packet of active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)
1.25 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 bananas)
1 tsp salt
3-3.5 cups flour

Filling:

Banana

Nestle DelightFulls Peanut Butter Filled Morsels

Mix 3/4 water, 1 packet yeast, 1.25 tbsp honey, 1/2 tbsp white sugar and 1 tbsp brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Place in a warm place. This could be next to a window that gets sunlight, or I like to place it in the oven at 120 degrees and then turn off the oven. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes or until the mixture starts to foam.

In a separate bowl mix 2 eggs, 1/4 cup oil, and mushed bananas.

Add to the yeast mixture after it has foamed. Add flour and salt. Make sure you mix the flour as you are adding it. Continue to add flour until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands.
Knead the ingredients and form into a ball. Oil the large bowl and then roll the ball of dough in the oil. This prevents the dough from sticking to the bowl as it rises. Place the ball back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place. Let the bowl sit for about 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove dough from bowl and knead to get out all the air.

Separate the dough and roll out each ball into a strand. Cut up the banana into small chucks and place on the strands. Place chips between the banana chunks and pinch each strand closed. I did a 5 strand challah, but you can do whatever shape you want.

After braiding the challah, place on a buttered cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap and allow the challah to rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm place. This allows the dough to rise again.

Baste with egg wash (1 egg and 1/2 tbsp water).

Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 or until internal temperature is around 170. If the top of the challah is getting too dark or hard then place a piece of foil on top of it while the inside continues to cook.

Isn't the challah so cute! I made a baby challah since I baked it at my apartment in Ohio and knew I would end up eating the whole thing myself :)

The New and Improved Five Strand!!

Now that finals are finally over I decided to make a celebratory challah... also known as the challelujah challah. After a long stressful week of finals and a few break downs (not gonna lie), I decided that the best way to destress would be with some challah. This week I made my favorite challah combination of Nutella and white chocolate chips. To spice it up a little I attempted a new version of the five strand braid. You can tell that our challah making skill have clearly improved over that last three years by looking at the comparison for summer 2012 and 2015!

                                         June 2012                                                          May 2015

Back in the day when we first started making challah we attempted to make a five strand braid. Recently we figured out a new and MUCH prettier way to make a five strand challah. Here is the new and improved version with a step by step walk through. Hopefully its not too confusing! Think about it as making a regular three strand braid where one strand transfers to the other side.

 June 2012                                             May 2015

Step 1: Lay all your strand out on the counter and gather them together at the top

Step 2:  Start by looking at strands 3, 4, and 5 and braid them like a regular three strand. Put strand 5 over 4 and then strand 3 over 5.

Step 3: Now look at only strands 1, 2, and 5 and braid them as you would a three-stand braid. Place strand 1 over 2 and strand 5 over 1.

Step 4: Using strands 1, 3, and 4 repeat the same steps and make a three-strand braid. (4 over 3 and 1 over 4) Now the other side will include strands 2, 5, and 4.

Repeat the same process of braiding a three-strand braid and then switching to the other side.

Continue until there you do not have enough to braid anymore. Gather the strands together and tuck the ends underneath what was already braided.

It took approximately 25 minutes for the challah to be cooked evenly throughout.

Blueberry Butterscotch Challah

What do you get when you combine accounting students and community service? MAcc Gives back! Last week the masters of accounting students and professors went to various locations to give back to the community. I went to the Franklin Park Conservatory which features indoor gardens filled with plant life and artwork, including colored glass sculptures, as well as outdoor botanical gardens and sculptures. Of course being the loser (I mean super cool) accountants that we are, we talked about how the conservatory would be treated like a museum under non-profit rules. Interestingly the elements of the exhibit are treated as expenditures, and not assets, and it is frowned upon to sell the elements even if faced with financial hardship. We were split up into 3 groups and my group helped to set up a new bonsai exhibit. Bonsais are miniature trees that are grown in pots that are actually trained to grow a certain way. We added bamboo accents and colored flowers to the surrounding area to highlight the exhibit. The exhibit is actually all fake, the flowers were all in pots and we arranged them and then covered them with moss to make them look like they grew inside the garden. After volunteering we were given the opportunity to explore the conservatory. There were all these glass pieces in different exhibits that were so colorful and beautiful. My favorite part of the conservatory was the butterfly exhibit because it reminded me of the Butterfly Garden at the Bronx Zoo that I went to a lot as a kid. The building that holds the butterflies at the Bronx Zoo is actually in the shape of a caterpillar and you enter the exhibit through the caterpillar's mouth. This week's challah shape was inspired by this exhibit because it is long (and a little wiggly) just like a caterpillar.

 

Recipe: (makes 2 small loaves or 1 big loaf)
3/4 cup water
1 packet of active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)
1.25 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
3-3.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Blueberry Pie Filling
Butterscotch Chips
White Chocolate Chips

Mix water, yeast, honey and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Place in a warm place. This could be next to a window that gets sunlight, or I like to place it in the oven at 120 degrees and then turn off the oven. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes or until the mixture starts to foam.

In a separate bowl mix 2 eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add to the yeast mixture after it has foamed. Add flour and salt. Make sure you mix the flour as you are adding it. Continue to add flour until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands.

Knead the ingredients and form into a ball. Oil the large bowl and then roll the ball of dough in the oil. This prevents the dough from sticking to the bowl as it rises. Place the ball back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place. Let the bowl sit for about 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove dough from bowl and knead to get out all the air.

Separate the dough and roll out each ball into a strand. Spread a layer of the blueberry pie filling, making sure not to use too much or else it will ooze out. Place butterscotch chips and white chocolate chips on top and pinch each strand closed. I did a 6 strand challah, but you can do whatever shape you want.

After braiding the challah, place on a buttered cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap and allow the challah to rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm place. This allows the dough to rise again.

Baste with egg wash (1 egg and 1/2 tbsp water).

Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 or until internal temperature is around 170. If the top of the challah is getting too dark or hard then place a piece of foil on top of it while the inside continues to cook. You will need to cover this challah if you choose 6 strand because it is tall so the inside takes longer to cook.

What a great springtime challah, perfect for your next picnic or trip to Oval Beach!

Cranberry Goat Cheese Challah

It can be hard to come up with different challah recipes so this week I went to the farmers market with my mom to get some inspiration. The farmers market is located just a few minutes away from my house and is held inside a garden center. There are many vendors who sell various food products such as bakery items, herbs, cheese, honey, soup, fudge, bagels, and sandwiches. Of course being a typical Jewish girl I had to get a bagel, although they didn't have lox so that was kind of disappointing. The bagel place also sold challah, but obviously they didn't look nearly as good as our challahs. I have actually thought about selling my challahs but I just don't have the time, maybe when I retire. But that's why I have this blog, so all of you can make your own challahs!

There were so many exciting flavors at the farmers market, and of course we had free samples of everything, but what really caught my eye was the West River Creamery cheese stand. The woman had many cheese for us to sample and we ended up choosing a fresh chevre with cranberry cheese, which is basically goat cheese with cranberries. I knew this would make a great flavor for our next challah!

Here's me at the farmers market with my cheese, baked goods, and my new friend Reptar!

Recipe: (makes 2 small loaves or 1 big loaf)
3/4 cup water
1 packet of active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)
1.75 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste
1/4 cup oil
3-3.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Craisins
Pecans
Walnuts
Chevre with Cranberry (goat cheese with cranberry)

Mix water, yeast, honey and sugar in a mixing bowl. Place in a warm place. This could be next to a window that gets sunlight, or I like to place it in the oven at 120 degrees and then turn off the oven. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes or until the mixture starts to foam.

In a separate bowl mix 2 eggs and oil. Add to the yeast mixture after it has foamed. Add flour and salt. Make sure you mix the flour as you are adding it. Continue to add flour until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands.

Cut up the crasins, pecans, and walnuts and add to the dough. I'm not exactly sure how much we ended up using but it was less than we had cut up. We also added more later when braiding the dough.

 

Knead the ingredients and form into a ball. Oil the large bowl and then roll the ball of dough in the oil. This prevents the dough from sticking to the bowl as it rises. Place the ball back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place. Let the bowl sit for about 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove dough from bowl and knead to get out all the air.

Separate the dough and roll out each ball into a strand. Crumple up the cheese and place on the strands, then pinch each strand closed. I did a 6 strand challah, but you can do whatever shape you want.

  
After braiding the challah, place on a buttered cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap and allow the challah to rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm place. This allows the dough to rise again.

Baste with egg wash (1 egg and 1/2 tbsp water).

Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 or until internal temperature is around 170. If the top of the challah is getting too dark or hard then place a piece of foil on top of it while the inside continues to cook. You will need to cover this challah if you choose 6 strand because it is tall so the inside takes longer to cook.

Yummy! I should really go to the farmers market more often!

Shamrock Challies

Step 1: Divide the dough into 8 pieces.

Step 2: Roll out each piece until it is about 12 inches long.

Step 3 (optional): If you want to fill you strand, use a rolling pin to flatten each strand and then add your filling and pinch each strand closed.

Step 4: Make one loop with the strand

Step 5: Make another loop next to the last one.

Step 6: Make one last loop and tuck the excess behind the shamrock.

Step 7: Place them close together on a buttered cookie sheet.

Step 9: Let dough rise about 30 minutes in a warm place

Step 10: Baste with egg wash (1 egg + 1/2 tbsp water).

Step 11: Bake for about 22 minutes at 350 degrees. Cover your challies with foil when it starts to brown to keep the challah cooking on the inside without changing color.