Chocolate Babka

December 26, 2012

Author: Chef Micah Wexler

Ingredients:

Challah

y:6 pieces

Bread Flour 172g or about 5 Cups

Water 112g or about 1/2 Cup

Yeast 1g or about .35 Teaspoon

Salt 3g or about 1/2 Teaspoon

Water 154g or about 2/3 Cup

Yeast 4g or about 2/3 Teaspoon

Sugar 71g or about 1/3 Cup

Bread Flour 400g or just under 3 Cups

Eggs 2 each

Salt 8g or about 2 Teaspoons

Butter, cubed 90g or about 2/5 Cup

Milk 14g or about 1 Tablespoon

Babka Filling

y:1qt

Chocolate chips 390g or about 2 Cups

Sugar 75g or just over 1/3 Cup

Salt ¾ tsp

Ground Cinnamon 1 ½ tsp

Butter 67g or about 3/10 Cup

Streusel Topping

y:1qt

AP Flour ½ cup

Powdered Sugar ½ + 1/3 cup

Butter 6 Tablespoons

Preparation:

Challah

1) Mix bread flour, water, yeast and salt til it becomes a dough.

2) Proof for at least 1 hr in a covered, oiled container. The starter can sit in the refrigerator

overnight to develop more flavor.

3) Mix water yeast and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle, let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast

to bloom.

4) Mix in bread flour and the starter.

5) Gradually mix in eggs and then add in the salt and milk.

6) Add the cubed butter in pieces, then turn mixer up to medium setting until the dough comes

together. Allow to mix for approximately 8 minutes.

7) Proof dough for an hour, and then divide evenly into 6 balls. Store on a sprayed parchment,

covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Babka Filling

1) In a food processor, mix chocolate chips, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until crumbly.

2) Add cubed butter until the blend is crumbly and mixed.

Streusel Topping

1) In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix flour and sugar.

2) Gradually add cubed butter until pea-sized pieces form. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3) Roll out two pieces of challah until approximately 1⁄2” thick.

4) Place 1/3c of the filling in the center of the dough.

5) Spread the filling all over, leaving a 1⁄2” border on one side.

6) Roll out the dough like a cigar toward the edge

7) Pinch the edges so that the filling doesn’t fall out. Repeat for the other piece of dough.

8) Once you have both pieces done, twist them together and pinch the edges.

9) Place in an 8×4 loaf pan, eggwash the top and cover with a handful of streusel.

10) Bake in 375F oven until golden brown.

Pandesal, Filipino Sweet Dinner Rolls

December 10, 2012

Author: Michael Milan

So, the food experience from childhood that most reminds me of my Bubbie would probably be enjoying Pandesal (usually buttered, occasionally with Pimento cheese or used to make a sandwich with corned beef, or even sometimes simply dunked in coffee, or hot chocolate). For me, key component to this memory was the always the bread – when it came fresh from the baker’s oven, Pan de sal had a tendency to get intact while taking a moment to recharge.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup white sugar

5 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cup fresh milk, warm

1 pouch rapid rise yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup bread crumbs

1 piece raw egg

1 tbsp cooking oil

Preparation:

1. Combine the yeast, sugar and warm milk and stir until the yeast and sugar are fully disolved

2. In the mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients starting with the flour then the sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix well by stirring.

3. Add the egg, butter, cooking oil, and yeast-sugar-milk mixture in the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients then mix again until dough is formed. Use your clean hands to effectively mix the ingredients.

4. In a flat surface, knead the dough until the texture becomes fine.

5. Mold the dough until shape becomes round then put back in the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for least 1 hour

6. Put the dough back to the flat surface and divide into 4 equal parts using a dough slicer

7. Roll each part until it forms a cylindrical shape

8. Slice the cylindrical dough diagonally (These slices will be the individual pieces of the pandesal)

9. Roll the sliced dough over the bread crumbs and place in a baking tray with wax paper (makes sure to provide gaps between the doughs as this will rise later on)

10. Leave the sliced dough with bread crumbs in the tray for another 10 to 15 minutes to rise

11. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes

12. Put the tray with dough in the oven and bake for 15 minutes

13. Turn off the oven and remove the freshly baked pandesal

14. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!