Another Bread Winner - Red Apple-Golden Cheddar Challah

The National Festival of Breads finalists shared many wonderful bread recipes with the Kansas Wheat Commission at the contest last month. I'm going to be busy trying them all! This challah recipe is next on my list! Challah is a traditional Jewish braided bread served at holidays. If you prefer rolls, you could make this into 2 dozen dinner rolls. This bread will be a special treat for any special occasion. 

Judi Berman-Yamada from Portland, Oregon is the baker/finalist who entered this bread. Judi has a Bed and Breakfast in Portland, wish I would have know that last summer when we traveled there! I'm sure her guests enjoy her baking skills. 

Red-Apple Cheddar Challah

Time: 45 minutes
Bake Time: 40 minutes
Yield: Makes 2 large loaves, 16 slices each.

Ingredients

2 cups lightly packed, coarsely shredded red apple with skin, about 2 medium apples*
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup warm water (100° to 110°F)
¼ cup honey plus 1 tablespoon honey, divided
2 (1/4 ounce) packages Fleischmann’s® Active Dry Yeast
1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
4 - 4 ¼ cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, divided
2 cups coarsely shredded, extra sharp Cheddar cheese

TOPPING
1 large egg plus 1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, sesame, or poppy seeds, divided
½ cup coarsely shredded, extra sharp Cheddar cheese, divided, optional
*Two varieties of apples may be combined, for example, Braeburn apple and Pink Lady apple. 

Instructions

1. Combine shredded apple with lemon juice; set aside. Combine warm water and 1 tablespoon honey. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. In large mixer bowl, with paddle attachment, combine yeast, white whole wheat flour, salt, ¼ cup honey, oil and 2 eggs. Beat 1 minute.
3. Gradually add 2 cups bread flour; beat 2 minutes on low speed; scraping bowl. Mix in shredded apple and 1 cup bread flour; mix on low speed until flour and apple are incorporated into dough. Add 2 cups cheese; beat on low speed 2 minutes.
4. Gradually add enough of the remaining 1 cup bread flour until soft dough is formed. Add the last ¼ cup flour, only if the dough is too sticky. Knead with dough hook or by hand 8 to 10 minutes until soft and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease surface of dough. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until double in size, about 1 hour.
5. Punch down dough; divide dough into half. Divide each half into six equal pieces; cover, let rest 10 minutes.
6. Six-Strand Braid: Roll each piece of dough into a 12-inch rope, tapering ends. Lay 6 ropes side- by-side; pinch together at top. Always start with the rope that is furthest to the right. Take the rope furthest to the right and weave it towards the left through the other ropes using this pattern: over 2, under 1, over 2. Take the ropes furthest to the right and repeat the pattern again until the whole loaf is braided. Pinch ends together; tuck under loaf and seal. Transfer braid to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until double in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
7. Whisk egg and water until frothy; gently brush on the risen braids, and sprinkle each braid with 1 teaspoon seeds.
8. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 20 minutes. If desired, sprinkle ¼ cup cheese on top of each braid. Rotate pan, front to back in the oven. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Tent loaves with foil; bake until golden brown and thermometer inserted in the center registers 190° to 195°F. Cool braids on pan 10 minutes; remove to rack. Bread may be frozen for 1 month; defrost in bag. 

Onion Parmesan Cracker Bread - the Winner!

Rosemary from Ohio was the 1st Place winner
in the Festival of Breads

 When most people think of a loaf of yeast bread, they probably don't think of a thin cracker Middle East type bread similar to "lahvosh" from Armenia. However, the winner at the Festival of Breads was "out of the (bread) box", and I'm sure this will be a popular recipe. Rosemary Leicht of Ohio crafted this recipe to be similar to a cracker bread her family was served at a restaurant and she came up with an easy to make tasty bread. I'm anxious to try this with humus dip, cheese spreads, or with other dips. I served it recently with a fresh meal of corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes and hamburger patties. It is so light and low in calories that we could fill up on the garden produce. The crunch of the bread was a compliment to the juiciness of just picked veggies. One serving (about a 3 x 4-inch piece) is only 37 calories. It is also flavorful enough for a crisp snack.
The mixing and kneading of the bread is done in a food processor and the rising time is 45 minutes. No need to plan hours ahead for this preparation. The recipe includes rye flour, but if you don't have that available in your cabinet, you may substitute whole wheat flour.

ONION PARMESAN CRACKER BREAD      

I took the cracker bread to a salad lunch
where it was a nice side for a hot day

Ingredients:

⅓ cup warm water (100 – 110 degrees)

1 (1/4 oz) package Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast

1 teaspoon honey

1 ½ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour plus extra for rolling dough

½ cup King Arthur Medium Rye Flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

⅓ cup water, room temperature (80 degrees)

2 – 4 tablespoons minced dried onion

1 large egg white, beaten

2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

1.     Place kneading blade in 8-quart food processor bowl. Add ⅓ cup warm water, yeast and honey; pulse a few times. Let stand 10 minutes.

2.     Add all-purpose flour, rye flour, olive oil, salt, water and onion. Pulse 3 to 4 times to mix; process 1 minute. Dough should form a ball around the blade. If additional water or flour is needed, add by the tablespoon.

3.     Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease surface of dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place 45 minutes.

4.     Arrange oven racks at the top and bottom. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide dough into four equal balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll dough into a 12 to 13-inch circle. Place on a 16 x 14-inch piece of parchment paper; roll out the remaining dough, placing each on sheets of parchment paper. Dust any remaining flour off dough with pastry brush, otherwise the surface will become gummy when you brush on the egg white and reduce the crispiness.

5.     Allow dough to rest 5 minutes. Brush egg white on dough; sprinkle with half the cheese.

6.     Slide one parchment sheet onto a 16 x 14-inch baking sheet, and repeat with a second baking sheet and another bread portion on parchment. Place one baking sheet on top rack, the other baking sheet on bottom rack; bake 4 to 5 minutes, then reverse sheets top to bottom for another 4 to 5 minutes. Dough should puff up in places and turn golden. Remove breads from parchment paper and place on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining two pieces carefully. Break into pieces to serve or place in an airtight container to store.

The hardest part may be rolling
the dough very thin.

Some parts are dark and crunchy,
some are lighter and chewier. 

Makes 4 (12 to 13-inch) cracker breads, 8 servings each

First Place winner at the 2013 National Festival of Breads, Manhattan Kansas

Pizza - not Delivery!

 Pizza is a international food, but it is "All-American as apple pie". There must be very few people who don't like pizza! Pizza can be varied as many ways as there are cooks. Because I like to make pizza at home, I was anxious to try the new yeast by Fleischmann's that I discovered at the National Festival of Breads - Pizza Crust yeast. The Fleischmann's company supplied a recipe sheet for Cracker-Thin Pizza Crust. So I set out to try it this week.

Ingredients and dough for Cracker Thin Pizza Crust

The Fleischmann's website is breadworld.com. I wish I had checked it before making the pizza crust! I followed the recipe supplied for Cracker-Thin crust, and won't recommend it! It involved using bread flour and cake flour (or a mixture of corn starch and all purpose flour to substitute for cake flour) and a rise time of 1 - 3 hours. When I rolled, or tried to roll, the dough out it was so elastic that there was no way to make it thin, even, or uniformly round! The recipe says to divide the dough into 8 portions for 8 crusts that are 8 - 10 inches. I found that impossible, so I made 3 thicker ones. I like to use a round clay pizza pan that makes a uniform shaped pizza with 8 servings, I managed to stretch one piece of dough into this pan. After filling and baking, the pizza was good, but the crust a little hard and tough.

I couldn't get the dough stretched out on the pan!

P.W. recipe more than filled the pan!

Chapter 2, next try. Back to a tried and true recipe by Pioneer Woman. I found 2 versions of this recipe, one in her book and one on her website.
Cookbook ingredients: for 1 crust - 1 scant teaspoon active dry yeast, 3/4 cup warm water, 2 cups AP flour, 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Website ingredients: for 2 crusts - 1 tsp. active dry yeast, 1 1/2 cups warm water, 4 cups AP flour, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1/3 cup olive oil. Comparing the two recipes, the proportions are a little off. I did add more flour to the cookbook version I was making.
Directions are:
1. Combine the yeast and warm water in a small bowl. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add the flour to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Sprinkle in the salt.
4. Turn the mixer on low, then slowly pour in the olive oil.
5. Finally, pour in the yeast and water mixture.
6. Stop mixing when everything comes together. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise 1 hour before using.  (dough can be stored in the fridge for several days before using)
The dough I made was more than enough for my 12-inch pan, so I had a very thick crust. Next time I would cut some off to roll out on a cookie sheet for sugar-cinnamon breadsticks.

It was good, and not as green as it looks here,
even though it was a Taco Pizza with
lettuce and tomato on top

Chapter 3, finding the Fleischmanns' Yeast website to learn more about this specialized pizza crust yeast and another recipe! According to Fleishchmann's this  yeast is developed to have no rising time, and be a faster and easier dough to make. Just mix, knead, shape.  There are relaxers in the dough to keep it from pulling back when shaped, so you can form it as you want it - in a pan or on a   baking stone or cookie sheet. Ready in 30 minutes!


PIZZA CRUST
(from Fleishchmann's website)

1 3/4 - 2 1/4 cups of flour


1 envelope Fleischmann’s® Pizza Yeast

1  1/2 teaspoons sugar


3/4 teaspoon salt


2/3 cup of very warm water (120° to 130° F)


3 tablespoons oil

Directions:

1. Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add water and oil.

2. Mix together until well blended; about 1 minute.

3. Add ½ cup flour gradually until dough forms a ball. Add additional flour, if needed, to handle.

4. Spoon dough out of bowl onto floured surface. Dough will be slightly sticky.

5. Knead on floured surface.

6. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic; about 4 minutes.

7. Press dough out to fill greased pizza pan. Or roll dough to a 12-inch circle and transfer to greased pizza pan.

8. Top as desired with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.

 Bake on bottom oven rack at 425 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is brown.

This is the recipe I'm keeping!!

In this process I learned quite a bit about my preferences for Pizza. I like medium crust and uniformly round, perhaps I've been too influenced by Pizza Hut!

Curds and Whey - Cottage Cheese

Cottage must have been on sale and/or sounded fresh and cool to me. Somehow I had 2 large cartons in the refrigerator, time to look for recipes that involved more than cottage cheese plus fruit.
While looking for recipes I also found trivia, it takes 100 pounds of milk to make 15 pounds of cottage cheese (does this make it seem more valuable?). Cottage cheese is fresh drained curds of slightly soured, low fat pasteurized milk (that definitely doesn't sound appetizing!). It was originally made slowly on stoves in rural cottages - thus the name. When "Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey", she was probably eating cottage cheese.

My search for recipe ideas resulted in two favorites. The Cheesy Beef Tetrazzini  is a yummy casserole dish that makes a lot and tastes good for several leftover meals. The Dilly Bread is an old favorite I often forget about, but after some of the Festival of Breads recipe tests it's ease of prep was appreciated.

Cheesy Beef Tetrazzini                

1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

½ to 1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese softened

1 cup small-curd cottage cheese

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

¼ cup chopped green pepper (could add more)

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

1 package (7 oz) thin spaghetti, cooked and drained

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream until blended. Stir in green pepper, onions and spaghetti. Transfer to a greased 2 ½ quart baking dish. Top with beef mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Dilly Bread              

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup cottage cheese, heated to lukewarm

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced dried onion

1 tablespoon softened butter

2 teaspoons dill seed

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 whole egg

2  1/4 cups flour (more if needed)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine warm cottage cheese, sugar, minced onion, butter, dill seed, salt, baking soda, and egg. Stir to combine. Stir in yeast mixture gently then add flour gradually, stirring gently. 

Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until double in bulk. Punch down dough, then turn into a well-buttered round baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 more minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread in lower half of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Brush top with melted butter after baking. Serve warm with butter. 

And I still had cottage cheese left! So for a tapioca pudding-like dessert, here's another way: Mix 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 packet artificial sweetener. You could add fruit to this also.