7 cups bread flour + ½ cup more if needed

2 packets Rapid Rise Yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup corn oil (or other vegetable oil) + 1 T. for greasing bowl

1 ½ cups water or Simply Apple Juice

¾ cup sugar

Egg wash- 1 egg mixed with 1 T. water and 1 t. honey

1. Place 7 cups flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn machine on to low (#1) for 10 seconds to combine.
2. Lightly beat eggs and vanilla with a fork in a 1-quart bowl until combined. Set aside
3. Measure oil in a one cup liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
4. Measure water or juice in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add the sugar and stir once or twice. Microwave water/sugar on high for exactly 1 minute 20 seconds.
5. Turn mixer on to low (1). Immediately add the hot water/sugar mixture straight from the microwave, and then add the eggs and then the oil. In that order.
6. Turn mixer to medium (#2) and continue mixing with dough hook for six minutes. If necessary, add some of the remaining flour to the bowl. Make sure that there are no pockets of flour on the bottom of your bowl.  If necessary, stop the mixer and scrape up residual flour so it gets incorporated when you turn the mixer on again.
7. ***If adding additional ingredients to the bread dough, add them now.
8. Turn the machine back on to medium (#2) for another 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be satiny smooth and not sticky if touched with your floured finger
9. Grease a 4-quart bowl with the extra tablespoon of oil. Add the dough to the bowl turning it over to coat on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft free spot until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.  (I like to use an out of the way corner in my kitchen or a warming drawer set on low) Dough can also be put in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
10. When dough is ready, remove from bowl, punch it gently with your fist and cut into 3 or 4 pieces.
11. Shape dough into loaves or braided loaves. Place formed breads on parchment paper lined cookie sheets and let rise until light and doubled (about 30 minutes to an hour).
12. Preheat the oven to 325F. For even baking use 2 ovens if possible.
13. Mix the egg wash ingredients together is a small glass bowl with a fork or bar whisk. Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg wash and place the cookie sheets on the lower third racks of your ovens.
14. As soon as you place the loaves in the oven turn up the temperature to 350F. Bake the loaves for 25 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and have a hollow sound when tapped (internal temperature between 195F-200F).  Cool completely before slicing.

Tina’s Tidbits:

Challah Your Way!

• Add 2 tablespoons Poppy seeds to the Flour and 1 cup of dark raisins in step #7
• Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the flour and 1 cup finely chopped apples in step #7
• Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla with the eggs and 8 ounces chocolate chips in step #7
• Add grated zest of one orange to the flour, substitute ¼ cup of the water for ¼ cup orange juice and add 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries in step #7

½ cup golden raisins (optional)

2 tablespoons Apple liquor, boiled down apple cider (optional)*See Tidbits

1 ½ cups water

1 Packet dried yeast or 2 ½ teaspoons(rapid rise or regular)

¼ cup Honey- Wildflower or other dark variety

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

3 cups 1:1 Gluten-Free flour-Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur or Trader Joes

1 ½ teaspoons Xanthan Gum powder

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt (not Kosher salt)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons sesame seeds(optional)

1. If using, soak the raisins in the Apple liquor or boiled down cider (see Tidbits). Set aside.
2. Heat the water in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup for 30 seconds in a microwave until it becomes hot to the touch but only about 115-120F. Your finger should not have to instantly retreat from the heat. Immediately add the yeast and honey and stir to combine.  Allow it to rest for 10 minutes until the mixture has foamed significantly but make sure it doesn’t overflow the cup. Set aside.
3. Combine the olive oil, eggs and vinegar in a 1-quart bowl and mix with a fork until combined. Set aside.
4. Place the GF flour, Xanthan gum powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn mixer on for 5 seconds to combine the ingredients.
5. Add the yeast mixture and the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes or until thoroughly combined. You might need to stop the mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
6. Add the soaked raisins and any remaining liquid to the dough and mix until the raisins are distributed.
7. Spray 1 large or two smaller silicone pans with cooking spray and divide the dough evenly between the two. Tap the pans and smooth out the dough so that the dough is uniformly distributed.
8. Lightly cover the pans with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place on a cookie sheet in a warm, draft-free spot. Allow the dough to rise for 20-30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350F convection or 375F regular.
10. Remove the pans from the cookie sheet and carefully place them on the oven rack. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
11. Remove the breads from the oven and carefully unmold them onto a cooling rack. Quickly brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle, generously, with the sesame seeds if using.
12. Gently return the breads back into their molds or pans and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 210F as registered on an instant read thermometer. Immediately unmold onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.

Makes one larger or two smaller loaves of bread.

Tina’s-Debbie’s Tidbits:

• King Arthur has Boiled Cider and Cinnamon Sweet Chips that Debra often uses. If you don’t have these products, boil ½ cup apple cider until it is reduced to 1/3-1/4 cup and use 2 tablespoons to soak your raisins. Refrigerate the rest for future use.
• Hot tap water can be used instead of microwaving your water but be careful as some sinks produce hot water that is over 130F and that might kill the yeast.
• Debbie uses the silicon molds that look like challot and places them directly on the oven racks. I prefer placing them on a cookie sheet for stability but it’s her recipe so I am giving you both alternatives.

Now is the perfect time to start experimenting on your Challah recipes and shapes.  Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil your challah will be ready for blessings and sharing next month. Check out my Easy Delicious Challah recipe for those who want to concentrate on the shape, my Apple Filled Star-shaped Challah for those who like to potsky (mess around with lots of ingredients), my Algerian Challah recipe that’s egg-free, and a Gluten-free Challah from my dear friend and Rabbi, Debra Robbins.

In addition, here are some links to shaping some of the Challah recipes:

Two ways to make a round challah.

Making and shaping the Star Video. This video shows how to make the dough as well as how to form the dough to make the STAR.  If you only want to see how to form the star, then skip to 10:52 minutes on the video.

Seasons change. Some of us are bundled in our homes looking at significant snowfall, some are drenched to the bone and hoping that our foundations are intact and some are celebrating the holidays in 80-degree weather, and that is in the states, NOT the Caribbean!

But all of us have experienced the knowledge of the hate and fighting around the world at the same time we were focused on peace and good will toward men.

Food is the great equalizer. It provides a means to explore other cultures and heritages around the world. Food brings people together to share humanity’s common goals and hopes. Food is the ultimate nurturer in times of stress, sadness and even celebration.

May this year bring you personal peace and contentment and may the hatred that is bombarding religious groups, Jewish, Muslim and even Christian, all over the world cease.

May my recipes bring you comfort, renew old culinary memories, ignite your creativity and introduce new recipes to you from all over the world.

There are many soups listed on my website but why don’t you check out some of my favorites Mushroom Barley Soup, Russian (really Ukrainian) Cabbage Borscht, and Ethiopian Peanut soup and my very easy, kid friendly, Vegan Vegetable Tomato Soup? All will warm your tummies as well as your hearts.

Eat in Good Health!

Tina

We incorporate certain foods into our celebration of the High Holy Days because of custom not Talmudic dictate. The only prescription in the Bible is for Hiddur Mitzvah taking the extra time to make our holiday table and ourselves morebeautiful by using our best china and silver or getting our hair cut and wearing new clothes for the holiday. The Talmud actually prescribes that you must get a new outfit! Through these actions, we enhance the meaning of the High Holy Days.

The choices of food to represent the holiday depended on the region, societal customs and socio-economic standing of the Jews. Ashkenazi Jews expressed their wish for a sweet and fruitful year by dipping apples and challah in honey, Sephardim dip challah into a sweet preserve of grated apples scented with rose water and have Seders containing seven foods with seven blessings. It is also customary to serve fruit in covered baskets so no one knows what’s inside just as no one knows what the new year will bring.

Normally two loaves of elongated challah are served for Shabbat, but for the High Holy Days a round challah, sometimes containing raisins, is customary. The round challah is fraught with meaning; it is the crown of G-D our King, or it represents a year filled with never-ending good. A ladder of dough placed on top represents who will ascend or descend in health or wealth in the coming year or our wishes going to heaven and the decree coming down from on high, Alesser known custom is to bake the challah in the shape of a bird or place a bird of dough on top of the challah. This custom of the Magreb is based on Isaiah 31:5 “As hovering birds, so will the Lord protect,

Memories often dictate what is on your table; the kiddush cup from your wedding, your grandmother’s special apple plate or the hand embroidered cross stitch table cloth that your mother created one summer when you were away at camp. Whatever it is, it has a place of honor in your home and in your heart.

Food choices are often dictated by our memories as well. My family and friends remember the special foods I make each year and they have high expectations. They expect to devour my “killer” kugel and challah and they know, that in an effort to make our Jewish Diaspora smaller I will incorporate traditional dishes from Jewish communities all over the world into my buffet.

Whatever you do and whatever you cook, enjoy the process. Establish some culinary memories for your family and have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Eat In Good Health!

Recipes to Try:

Dulce de Manzana
Chicken Kreplach
Italian Sweet and Sour Squash
Oven Roasted Squash with Apples and Onions
“Quick” Honey Cake

PASTRY CREAM
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoons butter cut into little pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

CARAMEL
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 Tablespoons white corn syrup

1. To make the puffs, bring the water, butter, salt, and sugar and vanilla to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and IMMEDIATELY add the flour all at once and rapidly beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough is formed.

2. Return the pan to a moderate heat and mix the dough until a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the stove. Add the eggs one at a time beating to incorporate thoroughly before you add another egg.

3. Using a half inch star tip in a pastry bag, pipe the dough in the shape of triangles onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.

4. Bake for 20 minutes at 425F. Cut a little slit in the sides of the puffs to let out steam and then return to a turned off oven for another 5 – 10 minutes to dry. Cool completely and then fill with the pastry cream.

5. To make the pastry cream, heat 1 1/2 cups of the milk until it is scalded. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup milk with the cornstarch.

6. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl with the sugar and salt until light and fluffy.

7. Rapidly whisk the egg yolk mixture as you slowly add the scalded milk. Combine thoroughly. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly.

8. Return this mixture to the saucepan used for heating the milk and cook over moderate heat until the mixture begins to thicken. STIR CONSTANTLY. Add the butter as you are stirring.

9. The mixture will take about 6 minutes to thicken. When it is thick, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 more minutes.

10. Transfer the cream to a bowl and stir in the vanilla. Let cool and use as your filling for the Hamantashen. OR…

11. Use a small plain or star tip in a pastry bag to fill the triangles. Fold down the pastry bag half way and add the filling. Bring up the sides of the bag and then twist the bag until the filling is at the tip. Pipe the filling into each side of the triangle or slice the pastry horizontally and pipe the filling over the bottom, cover with the top, and then dust the tops of the Hamantaschen with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

Tina’s Tidbits:

• If piping a firm filling into the bottom of a cut triangle, use a larger star tip so the design ridges show through.

1. Place oil and sugar and egg yolk in a 2 quart mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until an emulsion is formed.
2. Fold the rice flour into the sugar mixture in 2 portions until everything is moist.
3. Add the rosewater and stir and then knead the dough in the bowl with your hands until a smooth ball forms.
4. Cover bowl or shape dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
5. When ready to make cookies, Preheat oven to 325F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
6. Using a 1 inch food scoop or a teaspoon, scoop up about 1 tablespoon of dough. Gently shape it into a ball and place it on the cookie sheet.
7. Flatten the ball to about ¼ inch thickness and smooth out any rough edges.
8. Using the back of a small spoon press overlapping “petals” into the top of the cookies. Sprinkle the centers with a few poppyseeds.
9. Bake for 18 -24 minutes, depending with you are using a convection setting, until the cookies are a light golden brown around the edges.
10. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Yield: 4 or more dozen

Tina’s Tidbits:

• These cookies are very fragile so don’t make them too big or too thin.
• If you want to use less flavoring, make sure you add some liquid to equal the 4 tablespoons.
• Substitute orange blossom water for the rosewater if you like.
• These cookies remain fresh for days or freeze well in an airtight freezer bag
• The best way to get the air out of the bag is to seal the bag almost all the way and then insert a straw and suck out all the air.  Remove the straw and you complete the closure.
• Air in freezer bags causes ice crystals to form which erodes the texture and flavor of the contents.

½ pound Phyllo dough
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1. If butter is nice and soft then filling can be mixed by hand. If not, use a hand held mixer.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, salt, extracts and eggs in a 3 quart mixing bowl. Add the almond flour and stir to combine well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until it firms up.
3. Combine the sugar water and lemon juice in a 1 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is clear but not turning color. Turn off the heat and add flavoring of choice and set aside until needed.
4. Meanwhile, cut the roll of dough crosswise into 5 inch sections. Cover one section with plastic wrap and then a damp paper towel. Make sure the dough is completely covered and the towel doesn’t touch the dough. Set aside while you work with the other roll.
5. Unroll the 5 inch section of dough and cut crosswise through all layers to make 5 inch squares. Take four squares of dough at a time and lay them out, in single layers, on your counter or board. Cover the rest of the dough to prevent it from drying out.
6. Working quickly, brush melted butter over all of the squares. Place 1 tablespoon of the Frangipane in a line about ½” from the bottom of the dough. Roll dough over the filling once. Brush the edges with a little more butter and then fold each edge in and over the filling. Continue rolling up the dough to make a cigar and place seam side down on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
7. Proceed with the remaining squares until all the filling has been used.
8. Brush tops with additional melted butter and bake in a pre-heated 375F oven until the cigars are golden -about 15 minutes.
9. Serve as is or brush the hot pastries with the sugar syrup and set on a plate to serve.

Yield: 4 or more dozen

Tina’s Tidbits:

• The Frangipane can be made in advance and refrigerated for 3-4 days.  It can be frozen but the raw egg might crystallize and change the consistency of the finished baked good.
• These pastries are popular throughout the Mediterranean but the flavoring  gives a clue to the region.  Greece-cinnamon, Rosewater-Iraq, Syria and the Levant. Orange blossom water, Northern Africa and the Maghreb.
• These pastries can be made in advance, flash frozen individually on a lined cookie sheet and then placed in an airtight freezer bag or container.  When ready to bake, place frozen pastries on a lined cookie sheet and then brush with some melted butter.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
• Simple syrup can remain in the refrigerator for weeks.  Use it over fruit, in iced tea or poured over ice cream.

Tina’s Tidbits:

• Most dough recipes can be madewith Gluten-free flour, but you might have to add a tablespoon or so of liquid too prevent dry dough
• You will notice in the photo that one type of dough is a little rough and cracked in some places, this happens when your recipe calls for baking powder. I prefer to incorporate more air into the fat and egg mixture before adding the dry ingredients which keeps the dough smooth and light and flaky.
• Adding confectioners’ sugar to your dough instead of granulated will produce a smooth, crisp, but not hard, finished product. However, use my recipes as a guideline for quantity if you are thinking about converting your recipe.
• A word about types of fat and don’t shoot me!
  • When using butter always use unsalted butter.
  • When using coconut oil use refined coconut oil unless you want a stronger coconut flavor in your dough.
  • Never use whipped margarine for baked goods. The air changes the volume of fat that you are using and there is more water in it so it will change the consistency of your dough and make it much harder to roll and shape.
  • Crisco- take the shocked look off your face! Crisco was the number one food that helped Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century assimilate into American culinary culture. Since lard couldn’t be used to make a light, flaky pie crust Crisco could, and it made the dish pareve so an apple pie could be eaten at the end of a Shabbat chicken dinner. As of October 2022, Crisco no longer contains trans-fat but it still makes the crispiest, flakiest cookie dough so I created this recipe for those who don’t want animal fat.
  • Oil can often be used in a baked dough, but the finished product is denser and harder than crisp. However, you might have a family recipe that calls for it and if you like it, don’t change the ingredients.
• When rolling out your dough sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on your work surface NOT flour. Confectioners’ sugar is 3% cornstarch and that will prevent sticking and any sugar that gets pressed into the down will not make the cookie dry but will enhance the golden color of the finished product.
• Cover your dough with plastic wrap or a piece of parchment paper before rolling. If flour or more confectioners’ sugar is sprinkled on top of the dough to prevent sticking to the rolling pin, it will also prevent the hamantaschen from sticking to each corner when being shaped. The result will be the dough opening during baking. They might taste good, but they will look more like tacos!
• The filling should be dense and contain little moisture. If not making your own, I suggest using Solo canned fillings or pie fillings. NEVER use jelly unless you like hollow hamantaschen will a sticky mess on your cooky sheet. If you want to use jam then make sure the first ingredient listed is fruit, not sugar.
• Last, but not least, raw dough freezes well, baked hamantaschen freeze well, but unbaked, shaped hamantaschen don’t freeze well and will open when baked.

Fortune Cookies

¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (your choice as long as it’s flavorless)
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon vanilla
Additional cooking oil for greasing the pan

1. Before making the cookies, write fortunes on strips of paper ½ inch wide and about 6 inches long. Fold in half crosswise. Set aside.
2. In an 8 ounce bowl combine the flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt.
3. Add the vegetable oil and the egg white and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add water and vanilla. Stir well.
4. Lightly grease a skillet or griddle with cooking oil. Make one cookie at a time.
5. For each cookie, pour 1 tablespoon of the batter into the skillet or griddle and spread to create a 4 inch circle.
6. Cook over medium low heat about 4 minutes or until a light brown. Turn the cookie with a wide spatula and cook for another 15 seconds.
7. When the cookie is done, use the wide spatula to lift the cookie out of the skillet onto a pot holder.
8. Working quickly, while the cookie is still soft and warm, put a fortune in the middle and fold the cookie in half.
9. Bend the folded side in half over the edge of a bowl and then gently pull on the ends so edges of cookie come together. Put in a muffin pan to cool so it stays rounded and bent.

This makes about 8 cookies but recipe can easily be doubled.

Tina’s Tidbits:

• It is best to use a flavorless vegetable oil in most recipes for baked goods.  Although there are some exceptions, olive and peanut oil or other nut oils should not be used in baked goods unless the recipe specifies it.
• It is imperative to work fast after the cookie has been made so that it will fold in half and bend to form the traditional shape.
• Not completely like the cookies you get in a Chinese restaurant, but a lot of fun to make with kids or as an adult activity at your party.