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. 

Harvest Treats

I took a break from trying bread recipes this afternoon to bake cookies and take treats to the harvest field. This year's wheat crop is better than most years, and after a cool spring and hot windy June, its turning out to be great harvest weather. Our crew is hoping to finish today (no breakdowns, please) and there's a severe thunderstorm warning for tonight. Perfect timing.  I'm not much of a 'farm wife', usually describing myself as 'married to a farmer/rancher' instead. But thought I should be somewhat useful, thus the afternoon trip to the field.
Everything Cookies is a new recipe for me, but old to a church friend who added it to the church cookbook last year. Thanks, Mary Lou! It's chewy but crispy, a good combination. The lemonade I mixed up was from a can of concentrate (12 oz), 4 cans of water (directions say to use 4 1/2 cans water, but I knew I would add lots of ice), 1 cup frozen raspberries (puree in blender with some of the juice), and 1 tablespoon of honey for sweetener. Strain to remove seeds. I carried and served it in canning jars with lids.

EVERYTHING COOKIES
1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup coconut
1 cup vegetable oil (I used Canola)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup rice cereal
12 oz. chocolate chips (must have been an older recipe, cho chip bags are now 11.5 oz)

Mix ingredients in order given - cream margarine or butter with sugars, add egg. Combine cream of tartar, oatmeal and coconut; add and blend in. Mix in vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Combine salt, baking soda, rice cereal and flour. Add to dough and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-13 minutes. cool on racks.
This recipe makes lots. It made a trip to the field, a full cookie jar, and 2 dozen cookies in the freezer!

Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzel Slider Buns

Gloria Piantek from West Lefayette, Indiana
was the contestant I assisted. 

 The National Festival of Breads was inspiration for several baking days. On Monday I made the recipe submitted by Gloria - the contestant I assisted during the contest. Gloria was a delight to work with, and a creative baker. Having been an educational consultant, she found ways to use baking to help students overcome learning difficulties.
 I liked the bread she made, and found the recipe to be not hard at all, even with the extra step of a soda water dip for the rolls. Tofu is the unusual ingredient, its a soybean product so a good Kansas food as well. Gloria's recipe calls for "soft silken tofu", all I could find in our local store was "soft tofu", so I used that. The tofu should be well drained, first in a sieve, then by pressing the water out between paper towels. Mine didn't get as smooth as Gloria's did in the contest preparations. I do think its important to have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the tofu. Room temperature is recommended for ingredients in most recipes and especially for bread products. If you keep yeast in the refrigerator, set it out earlier in the day; if you keep flour in the freezer, spread it out on a cookie sheet in a thin layer to warm to room temperature. I expected this roll to be shaped like a pretzel, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it made into a round roll and the edges clipped for shaping, much easier than making a pretzel knot! Also, King Arthur Flour and Fleischmann's Yeast were sponsors of the contest, so their products are used. King Arthur Flour is definitely worth looking for!

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH PRETZEL SLIDER BUNS








Ingredients:
1 (1/4 oz) package Fleischmanns's Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100 - 110 degrees)

1/2 cup soft silken tofu, well drained, room temperature
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
1 large egg
1/4 cup finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour
1  1/2 - 1  3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ready-to-serve minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dry minced onion
3 cups water
3 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds, optional
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt or pretzel salt, optional

Directions:
1. In measuring cup, sprinkle yeast in warm water; stir until dissolved. Set aside 10 minutes.
2. In large mixer bowl, beat tofu until smooth; beat in corn syrup. Mix in yeast mixture; beat in egg and cheese. Stir in whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup bread flour; beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Beat in dry mustard, garlic, salt and onion. Gradually mix in enough remaining bread flour to make soft dough. Knead 4 to 5 minutes with dough hook. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces, Shape each piece into a smooth ball; lightly flatten tops until about 2 inches wide.
4. Place on greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. With scissors, make about six 1/2-inch deep cuts around the edge of each bun. Cover; let rise in warm place about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. In large saucepan, bring 3 cups water and baking soda to a boil. Using a slotted spoon or two spatulas, gently place one bun at a time in water. Spoon water over the top of buns. Drain buns well; return to greased baking sheet. If desired, sprinkle with poppy seeds and salt.
6, Bake 13 to 16 minutes until rich golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack. Slice buns and use for mini slider sandwiches.
Makes 12 buns.

The rolls are shaped and being clipped.

After rising they get a hot soda-water dip.

Gloria had a sunny yellow kitchen to work in. 

My rolls were a winner at home! 

National Festival of Breads

Decor reflected Kansas products

   

  "How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?" If this quote by Julia Childs is true, the National Festival of Breads last week proved we are a great nation! This contest, the nation's only amateur bread-baking competition, was sponsored by Kansas Wheat Commission, Fleischmann's Yeast, and King Arthur Flour Company and held in Manhattan. Eight finalists selected from over 500 entries came to the Little Apple from kitchens across the U.S.
   

Many thanks to the sponsors

The wheat field south of Salina was producing well

 Besides bringing bakers together to show their talents, the contest also shows bakers where the ingredients for their products come from. Activities included a wheat field tour with the opportunity to ride a combine, lunch on the farm in the implement shed, visit to a flour mill and a drive through of a grain elevator.
   

Lunch and talk with the wheat farmer

Brookville chicken!

a close look at wheat 

As a Kansas Wheat Commission Spokesperson, I got to assist a contestant and see up close what the contest is about. It was a wonderful experience! I came home with inspiration and recipes for several baking days and blogs to share.










The whole event was very well organized and showcased our state and agriculture products to the utmost.

A bake sale and auction of some of the finalists' baked products was held to benefit No Kid Hungry, an effort to eradicate childhood hunger. Over $2300 was raised.

Mr. & Mrs. Slice were visitors

 Besides eight finalists baking, exhibits, and baking demonstrations, I got to meet many new baking friends and visit with many friends from Extension days! One of the contestants summed up the spirit of baking in a few words - "it is meant to be shared". This year's Festival of Breads was a wonderful sharing experience.