German Sweet Bread (Stollen)

What a perfect day to bake Stollen! The snow was floating down in thick clumps and it was Christmas Eve. It brought back happy memories of holiday seasons past--the decorated tree, wrapped Christmas gifts, stockings hanging by the fire, and joyful children racing through the house.

I miss those festive days, but will pass the joy on to you. This recipe was given to me by a friend who got it from her mother who came to the United States from Germany. We liked it so much that we ate it not just at Christmas, but also for brunches on special occasions, winter or summer. I entered the stollen in a baking contest in the summer, decorated with Black-eyed Susan s made of candied pineapple petals and sliced date centers. It won first place  and was published in The Elwood Call Leader in Elwood, Indiana, in the mid 1970's.

The decorations in Winter are usually candied cherries--red or green and pecans. This recipe makes four medium sized loaves that you can share with your friends as gifts or at your next party. Don't forget to get the children involved in the preparation. Watch out for the Santas in your house. In my home they nearly polished off an entire loaf before we got up on Christmas morning.

 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
2 packs of yeast or 2 scant tablespoons
pinch of sugar

1 1/4 cups milk (Scalded)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter (softened)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 beaten eggs
5 2/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup plumped raisins (Measure raisins and soak in 1/2 cup warm water for about 10 minutes)
1/2 cup candied fruit (Citron, cherries, pineapple-your choice)
lemon zest (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Directions:
1. Put lukewarm water in small bowl; add pinch of sugar and yeast. Stir and allow to set until foamy...

2. Meanwhile scald milk, do not boil! add sugar, butter, salt and cool to lukewarm.

3. Add eggs, yeast mixture and 3 cups of flour. Mix until smooth.

4. Add spices, raisins (drained), citron, lemon zest, nuts, and remaining flour a cup at a time. Knead on floured surface to form a soft dough. Form into a ball, place in large buttered bowl and let rise until double in bulk.

5. After rising, Cut into four equal pieces and flatten each into oval shapes. Butter and fold in half,long ways. Place two breads each long ways on greased cookie sheets. Cover with warm towel and allow to rise until double. Bake 375 degrees for 25 minutes until light brown. Remove to rack and cool. Ice with butter frosting and decorate with candied fruit. Share!

No Need to Knead Bread

My four year old granddaughter ate a variety of vegetables and fruits when she was younger, but the older she gets the pickier she becomes. Last weekend she and her little brother came to have dinner with Poppy and me. I had prepared a healthy nutritious meal ahead of time: there was roasted chicken, pasta salad, a green vegetable salad, No Need to Knead Bread, and for dessert, chocolate zucchini muffins with fruit.

Both children were hungry and started eating right away. Lana had never tasted my No Need to Knead bread and being a carb-eating child, I was sure she’d like it. But she was reluctant to taste anything with green specks on top. I talked her into “just one small bite” and she loved it. While she worked on the second piece, the bread basket disappeared. Since she wanted more, she took her brother’s. So you have the Princess’s stamp of approval on this bread that is easier to make than a cake mix.

I love making breads as you’ve probably guessed by now. I have tried many different recipes for peasant breads, some were too refined, some too soft or didn’t have that homemade flavor. But this recipe was just about perfect. It’s not only delicious, but it has a wonderful chewy texture and is one of the easiest and most versatile breads I have ever made. In fact this recipe is so easy that I have written it in my children’s book. It doesn’t have to be kneaded—so I have renamed this yeast bread the No-Need-to-Kneed Bread. Be sure to let your Prince or Princess help with this one.

You will need: A large mixing bowl, wooden spoon, measuring spoons and cups, and a large jellyroll pan brushed liberally with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkled with cornmeal. Set aside.

Ingredients:
2 cups of warm water Toppings:
2 teaspoons of yeast Fresh Rosemary
2 teaspoons of salt Pepper
4 cups of unbleached flour
Crushed garlic
Grated Parmesan

Directions:

Pour the warm water, about the temperature of a baby’s milk, into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir just until the yeast is dissolved, then add the salt and flour. Mix until the flour is just moistened and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with olive oil spray, and place on top of the bowl. Cover with a dish towel and keep in warm and draft free place. Let it rest for about an hour or until the dough is spongy and about double in size. Brush olive oil onto a jellyroll pan sprinkle with corn meal and set aside.

The next step is the most difficult. When the dough has risen until about double, carefully remove the towel and plastic wrap. Spray or brush olive oil on your hands and on top of the dough. Carefully cup your hands and work your way around the edges of dough while the bowl is tipped over the baking pan. When it is completely on the pan, drizzle more olive oil on top, and gently pull apart leaving small holes. This should be about the size of a large pizza. Don’t be afraid that it will end up flat. It is very forgiving and will rise to the occasion.

Sprinkle the dough with coarse salt, chopped fresh rosemary, pepper to taste, crushed garlic, or a sprinkling of dried garlic. Grated Parmesan or your favorite cheese sprinkled on top is fine too. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes until your masterpiece is light brown. Serve with Italian food or after baking 20 minutes add some marinara sauce and pizza fixings. Place back into the hot oven and bake until it's bubbly and beginning to brown. We have done this at our home, and it has become our favorite pizza crust. With a green salad this will serve six to seven people. Even your picky eaters will love it.

Have you got any good recipe for your picky eaters? Send them to us. Maybe we can try them.

Challah on Friday

Yesterday my three year old granddaughter came to visit. The plan was to make Challah. I had everything set up including: an apron, a three-step-ladder, bowl, measuring spoons, cups, and ingredients.

She entered with a flourish with one arm in a sleeve and one out. I asked if I could help her put the other arm in and she said, "No."

"Oh are you making a fashion statement?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "I'm going to a party. Could I wear your princess sarong?"

Well, truthfully I'm not sure what a sarong is, but she settled for a fancy wrap. After she was regally wrapped, I asked, "Would you like to wear this fancy apron with the roses on it so that you won't mess up your sarong?"

"No, thank you. You can wear the apron," she said using her princess voice.

So the royal cook measured out the ingredients and the princess did as little as possible--she was really staying in character. But she did dump in some ingredients and stir a little. She was much better at painting while I did most of the work. Try this recipe with your princess or prince. Hopefully you will have better luck. But as in the story "The Little Red Hen" I am sure they will be happy to eat the finished bread.

Challah

Makes 3 braided loaves. Bake at 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 packages yeast
1/2 cup warm water

1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. honey
5 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups hot water
7 cups flour
4 eggs

Mix yeast and lukewarm water in a small bowl until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine salt through butter with the hot water. When the water has cooled to lukewarm, add 3 eggs and 1 egg white to the water. Save one egg yolk in a cup for a wash at the end of the process. Add the yeast mixture and the flour one cup at a time. Turn out on a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Roll into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until double about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and cut into 3 pieces. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut each ball into three pieces and shape into long ropes. Braid, tucking the pieces together at the ends. Repeat for other 2 loaves. Place the braided loaves on two greased cookie sheets, or place two loaves on one sheet and the other in a loaf pan. This will be great later for sandwiches or French toast. Let loaves rest covered with a towel until double, about 45 minutes. Mix two tablespoons of water into the egg yolk that you saved. Gently brush loaves with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds if you wish or leave them plain. Bake 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. It makes 3 lovely loaves and you will certainly impress your guests and family. Don't forget the prince and/or princess. You can make these into small loaves too.

Making Bagels with the Princess

Friday was a red letter day! Normally the princess and I walk to the library on Fridays, but since it rained, we opted for making bagels at Grandma's house instead. She hogged the umbrella while we ran toward my place in the rain. Arriving, we took off our rain gear and washed our hands.

Since I'm writing a cookbook for adults working with children, this would be just one more practice run. I asked her if she was ready to make the bagels, but she said she wanted to make cookies with sprinkles instead. I told her that she could put butter, or cream cheese and jelly on the bagels after they baked, but we would save the cookies for another day. She reluctantly agreed as we got out the materials we would need.

When you cook with children, there are several things you need to remember: children are germ factories, so make sure they have clean hands, and take care to keep them safe from hot or sharp items. If it is a particularly messy job don't forget an apron. Well, the apron was something we forgot.

We measured and mixed and then came the kneading. The princess pounded the dough until there was a cloud of flour around us. She loved it and so did the dough. (Remember not to let children eat raw yeast dough as it can cause stomach discomfort. (Interruption time came with a potty break. I looked in the bathroom mirror and discovered that Lana wasn't the only one who had flour all over her. Even my face was gritty! I cleaned off as much flour as I could--too late for the apron. We washed up and went back to the dough. All these short interruptions didn't seem to adversely affect the bagels at all. In fact they were better than ever. Even when Lana leaned on a rising bagel just before it was to be boiled, it rose to the occasion.

Be patient and, if you love to bake, your children will love it too. Cleaning up and bathing you can always do later, but this moment only happens once. Now try this recipe and avoid my pitfalls. Cooking with children is an awesome experience. Just see how proud they are when they get to share with their friends and family. You can always double the recipe, and don't forget the apron!

Barb's Bagels (makes 1 dozen)

In a large mixing bowl combine: 1 3/4 cups of flour and 2 packages of yeast.

In a large measuring cup combine: 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar

Pour water mixture into flour mixture and beat until all flour is combined. Then continue mixing on high with mixer or wire whip for about three minutes. Stir in remaining 2 3/4 cups of flour. Turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Cover and let it rest for about 15 minutes. (Read a picture book.) Cut dough into 12 portions and shape into smooth balls by flattening and pulling the edges to the center. Punch a hole in the center and enlarge it by putting both index fingers through the center and twirling until the hole is about an inch across and smooth with a uniform shape. With a little practice, you will get good at this. Cover and let the dough rest on a floured board about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pour about a gallon of water into a large skillet and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Beginning with bagels that were formed first, drop four or five at a time into hot water. Cook for 7 minutes, turning once. Place the boiled bagels on a wire rack to drain. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with corn meal. Place the bagels on the sheet; remember they will not get larger in the oven. You may sprinkle them with your favorite toppings--poppy seed, sesame seed, reconstituted dried onion or garlic. Spray the bagels with olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or cold. They taste great when toasted with your favorite cream cheese, butter, jelly, or lox, red onion, and tomato. Enjoy!