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CHALLAH BREAD OR VANOCKA [read hala bread or vanochka] Time commitment: Day 1: Soaker and biga, 20 minutes set up and mix; overnight Day 2: 2 hours to de-chill biga; 12 to 15 minutes mixing; 2 to 3 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 40 to 60 minutes baking. PART ONE: THE SOAKER 1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat flour, preferably fine grind 1/2 teaspoon (.14 ounces) salt 3/4 cup (6 ounces) water 1. Mix all the soaker ingredients together in a bowl for about 1 minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. 2. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. (If it will be more than 24 hours, place the soaker in the refrigerator; it will be good for up to 3 days. Remove it 2 hours before mixing the final dough to take off the chill.) PART TWO: THE BIGA 1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) unbleached bread flour 1/4 teaspoon (.03 ounces) instant yeast 7 tablespoons (3.5 ounces) filtered or spring water, at room temperature (about 70F or 21C) 1 large egg (1.65 ounces), slightly beaten 4 egg yolks (2 ounces) 1. Mix all of the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother but still be tacky. 2. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours a day and up to 3 days. 3. About 2 hours before mixing the final dough, remove the biga from the refrigerator to take off the chill. It will have risen slightly but need not have risen significantly in order to use it in the final dough. PART THREE: THE FINAL DOUGH Use all of the soaker Use all of the biga 7 tablespoons (2 ounces) whole wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon (.14 ounces) salt 2 1/4 teaspoons (.25 ounces) instant yeast 1 1/2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar (1 ounce) OR 2 tablespoons or sugar or brown sugar (1 ounce) 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) vegetable oil - extra whole wheat flour for adjustments - 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water plus a pinch of salt for egg wash - poppy seeds or sesame seeds for topping (optional) 1. Using a metal scraper, chop the soaker and the biga into 12 smaller pieces each (sprinkle some of the extra flour over the pre-doughs to keep the pieces from sticking back to each other). 2. If mixing by hand, combine the soaker and biga pieces in a bowl with the 7 tablespoons flour and the salt, yeast, honey, and vegetable oil. Stir vigorously with a mixing spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes, until all of the ingredients are evenly integrated and distributed into the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky; if not, add more flour or water as needed. If using a stand mixer, put the pre-dough pieces in the bowl along with the 7 tablespoons of flour and the salt, yeast, honey, and vegetable oil. Mix on slow speed with the paddle attachment (preferable) or the dough hook for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball. Switch to the dough hook if need be and mix on medium-low speed, occasionally scraping down the bowl, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pre-dough becomes cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. 3. Dust a work surface with flour, then roll the dough in the flour to coat. Knead the dough by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the fought feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl. 4. Resume kneading the dough for 1 minute to strengthen the gluten and make any final flour or water adjustments. The dough should have strength and pass the windowpane test, yet still feel soft, supple, and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until it is about 1 1/2 times its original size. 5. Gently transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface with a plastic bowl scraper (try not to rip or tear the dough). You can make 1 large braided loaf or 2 smaller loaves, or you can cut as many as 16 smaller pieces for dinner rolls. For braided challah, use a metal pastry scraper to cut the dough into 3, 4, 5, or 6 equal pieces, depending on the type of braid you want to make; do not rip the dough - make clean cuts. Roll the pieces into short ropes about 3 inches long. Cover loosely with a cloth towel or plastic wrap, let rest 5 minutes, the roll each piece into a longer rope, about 10 inches long. (heidi note: I made 2 loaves made from standard 3 piece braids, you will need to reference the book to learn the more advanced braiding, to understand 3 piece braiding reference the end of the recipe). 6. Place the braided loaf on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Brush the egg wash on the loaf, mist the top of the dough with pan spray (optional), and cover loosely with plastic wrap, or place the pan in a plastic bag. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. 7. Brush the dough with egg wash a second time, then top with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Leave the dough uncovered to continue rising for 15 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F (204C). 8. Place the challah on the middle shelf, reduce the heat to 325F (163C), and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the loaf 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Check the bread and rotate again if it is baking unevenly. Continue baking for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread is a rich brown all over around, sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and registers at least 195F (91C) in the center. 9. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Other notes: If you make smaller breads or rolls from this dough, increase the oven temperature by 25F (14C). larger loaves take longer and need to bake more slowly, but because rolls and mini loaves bake quickly, they can be baked at higher temperature. Three-piece braiding: Lay three equal strands side by side. Start by overlapping one of the outside strands over the middle strand. Take the opposite outside strand and lay it over the new middle strand. Continue this pattern until you run out of dough. Pinch the end closed. Rotate the loaf 180 degrees and repeat the pattern.

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NAAN BREAD

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ROAST BANANA-PUMPKIN BREAKFAST BREAD Ingredients 3/4 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup Myer's dark rum 2 ripe bananas, unpeeled 2 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds Powdered sugar (optional) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.In a small saucepan, combine the raisins and rum. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and let stand for 1 hour. Strain the plumped raisins and set aside; discard any remaining liquid.Place the bananas on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the skins are black and they have started to seep. Remove from the oven , set aside, and let cool.Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Set aside. In the bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add 1 egg. Mix until completely incorporated and then add the second egg. Mix again until completely incorporated. Meanwhile, squeeze the flesh of the bananas out of the skins and into a small mixing bowl. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and mash together. Add half of the banana mixture and blend thoroughly. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the remaining banana mixture, blend thoroughly, and add the remaining flour mixture; mix just enough to thoroughly blend the ingredients. Fold the pumpkin seeds and reserved raisins into the batter and pour it into a lightly greased 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack, slice, and serve warm. Alternately, sprinkle with the powdered sugar and glaze briefly under a preheated broiler.

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YEAST-RAISED CORNBREAD MUFFINS Ingredients 4 cups white whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cup organic cornmeal 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grained sea salt 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water (~105 degrees) 1/4 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons honey 3 extra-large eggs, room temperature 2 cups of fresh or frozen corn, if frozen defrosted to room temp 2/3 cup chopped chives Cornmeal and olive oil for preparing loaf pans or muffin tinsThis recipe yields two standard loaves of cornbread OR 1 1/2 dozen standard-sized muffins. Prepare your pans by rubbing them generously with olive oil, dust with cornmeal, then tap out any extra. Set aside.In a medium bowl whisk together the flour cornmeal and salt. Set aside. In the bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add about 2/3 of the flour/cornmeal mixture. Now add the olive oil, honey, just TWO of the eggs, corn, chives and begin to mix. As the dough is starting to come together mixing begin adding more of the flour/cornmeal mixture a bit at a time, letting it incorporate along the way - you might not need to use all of it. Keep adding until you achieve a dough that is tacky. It should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, add a teaspoon or two of water. Keep mixing for about seven minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop, knead a few times, gather the dough into a ball and rub with a bit of olive oil. Place in a large, greased (olive oil) bowl, cover with a kitchen towl or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto the countertop. To make the rolls you see in the photo up above, start by cutting the dough into thirds - three big wedges. Pat each third into a square shape and cut each into six pieces - you will end up with 18 equal size pieces. Without over-handling, shape each piece into a ball and place the muffin tins. Let the rolls rise in a warm spot until roughly doubled - another hour. Alternately, if you want to bake two loaves, cut the dough into two equal pieces, shape and place in prepared pans. You can also bake this dough freeform if you like.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Just before baking whisk the remaining egg and brush on the dough, sprinkle with cornmeal. Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes on the middle rack, or until rolls are golden. If you are baking loaves it will take significantly longer. Turn out onto cooling racks. Serve slathered with salted honey-butter.

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