Red Wine Challah

I'm in my last semester of school (hopefully ever) and I couldn't be more excited! Between school, work, and volunteering, I haven't had any free time lately so I'm actually writing this post while in class, don't tell my professors. But actually, some of my professors still don't know my name so you can go ahead and tattle because they won't know who you are talking about. In the past few months I have learned to love to hate grad school. It's for sure a worthwhile experience because I am able to gain a deeper understanding of accounting; that being said, group work is literally the worst thing to have ever been created. Literally it could be used as a form of torture. But of course the worst part about grad school is that I am so far away from my BFF Bailey. My poor dog is so sad back in Massachusetts right now because our town got 3 feet of snow. My mom dug out a path for him in the backyard but apparently he just mopes around all day. However, his moping was a a minimum on Sunday night because Bailey is a proud Patriots fan and he actually stayed up passed his bed time to see them win the super bowl. Also fun fact, Bailey was actually one of the beach balls in the half time show.

SnOw much Snow back home!! 

I can think of so many reasons to drink wine. Maybe you have had a long day, maybe it's girls night (especially TGIT), or maybe just because it's five o'clock somewhere. And as great as wine is with challah... its even better in challah. But let's be honest, I obviously had a glass (or 2) while eating the challah straight out of the oven :) Although I am usually a white wine person, I like to embrace my inner Olivia Pope every now and then and indulge in some red wine. My favorite red wine is an Australian wine called "Bitch." I like to buy wine based off the best brand titles and this one just seems to suit me.

Recipe: (makes 2 loaves)
3/4 cup Red Wine
1 packet of active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sugar
3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste
1/4 cup oil
3-4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Nutella
White Chocolate Chips
Nestle Milk Chocolate Morsels with Caramel Filled DelightFulls

Mix wine, 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. 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. Place a layer of nutella on each strand then put white chocolate chips and caramel filled morsels on top. I did a 3 strand challah, but you can do whatever shape you want.

After braiding the challah, place on a buttered cookie sheet and allow 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 25 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.

 

Also makes great french toast!

Quit your wine-ing and try our bitch-ing good challah! Then go to the gym so you can eat and drink some more!

Pesto Basil Parmesan Challah

What does one do over winter break:
a) Go on a tropical vacation
b) Backpack through Europe
c) Stay within a 5 mile radius of her house

Answer: C.
Over winter break I was SUPER productive. I went to bed by 8:30pm, walked my BFF Bailey twice a day at the park, read Gone Girl (which inspired the quiz), watched 6 shows on Netflix and Showtime, made a permanent butt print in my couch, went shopping (only once, I'm learning to control my addiction), made friends with the Starbucks Baristas, tried (and loved) the Flat White drink, got certified to do taxes, got a head start on homework, went to body pump classes at the gym, got a hair cut, and most importantly made challah!

Winter break as told though some of my snapchats:

Most of our challahs are sweet, so we figured it was time for a savory challah! Mama Q makes the best mushy meatballs so I deemed that an Italian inspired challah would be the perfect addition to dinner. The challah only lasted a few hours (which isn't any different than usual) and my mother actually forced me to make another one a few days later since it is her new favorite challah. When I asked her for a comment on the recipe she said "it was very nice bread, light, delicious, had good flavor, and was a good change from our usual sweet challah." When I asked one of my new friends Chris Traeger what he though of the challah and he said “This is literally the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

Recipe: (makes 2 loaves)
dough:
3/4 cup water
1 packet of active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)
1.5 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste
basil leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp pesto sauce
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
3-4 cups flour
1 tsp salt

filling:
pesto sauce
grated parmesan cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
basil leaves

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.

Wash and dry the basil leaves and cut into small pieces.

In a separate bowl mix 2 eggs, basil leaves, olive oil, vegetable oil, pesto sauce, grated parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Add to the yeast mixture after it has foamed.

Add 2 cups of flour, followed by the salt, and then the rest of the flour. 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.

Roll out the strands and fill with pesto sauce, grated parmesan cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, and basil leaves. Pinch each strand closed.

After braiding the challah, place on a buttered cookie sheet and allow 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). Sprinkle salt on top of the baste.

Bake for about 22 minutes at 350 or until internal temperature is around 170.

When the challah starts to brown in the oven you will need to place a piece of foil on top of the challah so that the strands do not get too brown.

Delicioso! Makes for a great savory challah!

Chanukah Challah

Oh challah challah challah, I made it out of dough, and when it’s baked and ready, to the table we shall go!

Chanukah is probably one of my favorite challahdays. In our house Chanukah means lots of latkes, a vanilla cookie Chanukah house, a mench on a bench, and of course presents. This was our first year with a mench on a bench. We named him Avi, because he Avi-ously loves Chanukah. However, I think I saw him hooking up with one of my old Barbies so I’m not sure if he is really a NJB.

Jenn celebrated Chanukah by inviting her friends over. And that was the real reason to make challah, because there were now enough people to eat it! For me, Chanukah started while I was still in Ohio so I got to light the menorah with my friends Meesh and Rebecca! However, it was really cold and windy outside so we eventually gave up with lighting our candles and went to Panera for dinner. Clearly we are great Jews, but lets be honest, Chanukah isn't really a religious holiday.

Another great part about Chanukah is that I am finally home from school. After completing my first semester of grad school, it sure feels nice to spend my days "laying" with my BFF Bailey, who also loves Chanukah and even wore a Chanukah collar and bow, which he got from his Aunt Ellen.

Woof Woof, I love Chanukah!

Recipe: (makes 2 loaves)
3/4 cup water
1 packet of active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)
1.5 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sugar
3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste
1/4 cup oil
3-4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
White Chocolate Chips
Blue Food Coloring

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 2 cups of flour, followed by the salt, and then the rest of the flour. 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.

After

Before

Remove dough from bowl and knead to get out all the air. Add blue dye to the dough until it becomes the color you want.

Roll out 2 strands and fill with white chocolate chips. Pinch each strand closed.

Make a triangle with one strand and then weave the other strand through the triangle to make a star shape. After braiding the challah, place on a buttered cookie sheet and allow 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 25 minutes at 350 or until internal temperature is around 170. 

When the challah starts to brown in the oven you will need to place a piece of foil on top of the challah so that the strands do not change color. I unfortunately covered mine too late so it looks more brown than blue.

Yum Yum! I'm going to need to teach a lot of spin classes to burn off all this challah!

Pumpkin Spice Challah

Me and my perfect pumpkin!

What do you get when you combine fall, a #basicwhitegirl, and Judaism? Obviously the answers is PSL, I mean PSC (pumpkin spice challah)! One of my favorite things about the holidays and the change of seasons is the different colored and flavored chips that companies manufacture. When I stumbled upon pumpkin chips in the supermarket I knew that I finally found the missing ingredient in my pumpkin challah recipe!

To get in the fall spirit, my graduate program took a trip to a local farm. We ate donuts and also went through a sunflower maze and corn maze. We somehow couldn't find the exit to the corn maze so we gave up and left through the entrance. I think we decided that the entrance was also the exit, but maybe accountants are only good with financial statements and just not very good with mazes. We also took a hayride out to a pumpkin field and were able to pick our own pumpkins. I didn't end up putting the pumpkin or pumpkin seeds in the challah, mostly because I wanted to display the pumpkin outside the front door of my big girl apartment, but I bet the challah would have tasted great with toasted pumpkin seeds!

MAcc goes to a Pumpkin Patch!

Recipe: (makes 2 loaves)
2/3 cup water
2.5 tsp yeast
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste
1/4 cup oil
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pureed pumpkin
4-5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Chocolate Spread
Pumpkin Chips
White Chocolate Chips

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 brown sugar, 2 eggs, oil, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and pureed pumpkin. Add to the yeast mixture after it has foamed.

Add 2 cups of flour, followed by the salt, and then the rest of the flour. 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. Place a layer of chocolate spread on each strand then put pumpkin chips and white chocolate chips on top. I did a 3 strand challah, but you can do whatever shape you want.

After braiding the challah, place on a buttered cookie sheet and allow 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.

Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm looks pumpkinlicious to me!

When I bake challah at home, my family and I will eat it immediately after it comes out of the oven, leaving very little as leftovers. The only problem with living alone is that when I bake challah there isn't anyone to split it with. Since I have very low self control, especially when it comes to food, the second the challah came out of the oven and cooled down I brought it over to my old sorority house. And thank god I did because I don't know if my little body could handle that much challah at once.

Apple Peanut Butter Chip Challah

When does a busy grad student have time to bake challah? Apparently only at 11pm after enjoying Shonda Thursday on ABC and drinking half a bottle of wine, which is obviously a requirement for watching Scandal #WWOPD. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but I definitely regretted it when I had to be up until 3am baking.

Shana Tova! Jappy Jew Year! Chappy Challah-Days! In celebration of Rosh Hashana and the sweet year to come, it only seemed appropriate to make a sweet apples and honey challah. Things are looking great for our family and in the words of our mother; this will be our best year yet. Jeffrey is doing great at work and hopefully HGTV will select him for a home improvement show so that he can buy a house (and so I can stop signing him up every few months). His girlfriend Sara is graduating with her masters this year. Jennifer has transferred schools so that she can get a teaching license that Massachusetts will accept and is really enjoying her new life. Our mom is doing really well at her job as a kitchen and bath designer and has received great feedback from her customers. Bailey is doing fantastic as usual, and may even get a new brother this year. I’m thinking we should name him Fitzgerald Grant Marshall (aka Fitz). And yea I know, I’m a little obsessed with Scandal. As for me, I’m having a great time in grad school. I am learning a lot and I am really enjoying teaching and tutoring the undergraduate students in accounting. It’s been great to make some new friends in my grad program, but also see the friends I have made the past 4 years. The best part about this year is that I finally feel like an adult. I love living alone in my cute apartment, doing grown up things, and most importantly I start my real job in Boston next September! So yea… I would say that the Marshalls are really having a sweet new year!

Loving the Grad School Life! OH-IO

Recipe: (makes 2 loaves)
3/4 cup water
1 packet of active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)
2.5 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
3 extra large eggs: 2 for dough, 1 for baste
1/4 cup oil
3.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Bee's Knees Peanut Butter (Honey Peanut Butter)
White Chocolate Chips
1-2 Apples

Mix water, yeast, honey, sugar, 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 cinnamon, 2 eggs and oil. Add to the yeast mixture after it has foamed.

Add 2 cups of flour, followed by the salt, and then the rest of the flour. 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.

Remove the skin from the apple and cut into tiny chunks.

Separate the dough into 4 equal sized balls and roll out each ball into a strand. Place a layer of peanut butter on each strand then put apple chunks and white chocolate chips on top.

After braiding the challah place on a buttered cookie sheet and allow 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.

Also makes for yummy french toast!