Rosh Hashana Challah!

--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/2013/06/sweet-whole-wheat-and-oat-bran-challah.html -
This is our Rosh Hashana challah. It's sweet and honey gives it a special flavor. This year we've noticed honey is more expensive than ever before, so I tried to modify the recipe and use a little less in order to help my kilo of honey go further. 

If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think!


Whole Spelt Honey Challah

8 cups whole spelt flour, sifted (or 4 c. white + 4 c. whole)
1 cup oat bran  
1 T. salt  
2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp dry yeast
1/3 cup honey 

2-2.5 cups of lukewarm water*  
1/3 cup oil + a little more for oiling the bowl (I use sunflower oil most of the time)

Optional: 1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips for the non-traditional folk like my kids)

 *I find that the amount of water needed varies a lot - depends on the temperature and humidity in my kitchen on a particular day, and different batches of flour behave differently

Directions: 

1. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, oat bran, salt, sugar, yeast)

2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid ingredients (honey, oil, water). Mix well. Then knead. 

3. Coat the dough with a little extra oil and flip over a couple of times, so the bottom and sides get oiled too. cover with a tea towel to rise till doubled. On warm days, this can be about 1 hour, but can take up to 2 hours. Sometimes I leave it longer and it's fine, since there are no eggs.

 
4. Punch down, add raisins (or chocolate chips) if you like, knead again, and shape your challot. Cover with a tea towel to rise for about 1/2 an hour. (I usually make 3 challot out of this size batch, so I often double it!) These make great "pull-apart" challot in a round pan, which I find are much less work than braided round challot, and everyone loves them. Sometimes I brush the tops with honey or sugar mixed with some hot water before baking. You can do an egg wash (or egg and sugar) on them if you prefer that they get shiny, if you're not avoiding eggs.
 
5. Bake for 25-30 min at 220C

Allow to cool before you devour them.

These got a bit dark, but they are delish.

Enjoy your Honey Challot! Shana Tovah!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars (Cookies)

 This post is for the people who felt my Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Squares weren't quite cookies. Admittedly, they are a bit mushy. I happen to love eating them, and making them is SOOO easy!

But someone told me they preferred a more traditional cookie texture, so here's one that will fit the bill.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars (Cookies)

Ingredients:

3 Tbp ground flaxseed, plus 2/3 cup warm water OR 2 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar (plain sugar works. brown sugar is better)

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1.5 cups whole grain flour (wheat or spelt both work)

2/3 cup oats (the flake kind, not steel cut)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

6 oz chocolate chips (dairy or non-dairy, whichever works for you)

(OPTIONAL: 100g of chocolate - dairy or non-dairy, whichever works for you. Save this for topping the cookies. I break up a bar of "cow chocolate".)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 190C/375F

First, mix the flaxseed with water in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes before you continue. OR beat the eggs.

Then add the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips and chocolate pieces, save those for the end) and mix well.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the mixture out on a large cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15-17 minutes MAX. Take them out, even if you don't think they are done.

OPTIONAL: While they're still hot, dot the top with pieces of chocolate and let that sit for a few minutes till melted enough to spread around. Spread the chocolate over the top with a heat-proof spatula. Cut into squares before the chocolate fully cools.

Cool further before serving. There won't be any leftovers, so don't worry about storing them. If there happen to be leftovers, I wrap the whole pan well in plastic wrap.

Whole Spelt Honey Challah

--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/2013/06/sweet-whole-wheat-and-oat-bran-challah.html -
I change up my challah recipe sometimes, and this is our Rosh Hashana version! It's been a hit with my family. If you make it, I'd love to hear your feedback!

You can also make this with raisins, if you're into that.


Whole Spelt Honey Challah

8 cups whole spelt flour, sifted
1 cup oat bran  
2/3 cup ground flaxseed  
1 T. salt  
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey 2-2.5 cups of lukewarm water*  
1 tsp sugar  
2 tsp dry yeast
1/3 cup oil + a little more for oiling the bowl (I use olive oil most of the time)

 *I find that the amount of water needed varies a lot - depends on the temperature and humidity in my kitchen on a particular day, and different batches of flour behave differently

Directions: 1. Mix 1 tsp sugar with the water. Add the yeast. Allow to proof for about 10 min

2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, oat bran, flaxseed, salt, sugar)

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid ingredients. Mix well. Then knead. 

4. Coat the dough with oil and flip over a couple of times, so the bottom and sides get oiled too. cover with a tea towel to rise till doubled. On warm days, this can be about 1 hour, but can take up to 2 hours.  
5. Punch down. Shape your challot. Cover with a tea towel to rise for about 1/2 an hour. (I usually make 3 challot out of this size batch, so I often double it!) I usually make these in round pans as "pull-apart" challot. Sometimes I brush the tops with honey mixed with some hot water before baking. You can egg wash them if you like, if you're not avoiding eggs.
 
6. Bake for about 30-40 min at 350 F (175-180C)
Allow to cool before you devour them. My kids like it when I let the tops get extra dark...

Enjoy your Honey Challot!

Vegan Apple Cake!

   
Have lots off apples? Apples are finally coming back into season and we found ourselves with a whole lot of them.
 
I made a cake for a community event using some of the granny smiths, and several people asked if the recipe was up on the blog.

Well, it WASN'T, but now it is!

Vegan Apple Cake

Ingredients:
 
2 T. ground flaxseed + 1/4 cup boiling water (or 1 egg if you don't need it to be vegan)
1/4 cup oil
1 c. soy milk or orange juice or water + 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2  c. flour (I used whole spelt flour. wheat flour - white or whole - works fine)
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 granny smith apples, cored and diced (peeling optional)

Directions:

Mix 2 T. ground flasxeed with the boiling water, allow to cool for 10 min.
Add oil, sugar, cinnamon, and your choice of liquid. mix well.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well - you'll need a mixer or a whisk.
Fold in apples.
Fill 2 loaf pans and bake at 180 C (about 350 F) for about 50 min. Check with a toothpick to be sure it's done.

Allow to cool before cutting.

It was a big hit in my house! Please be sure to tell me what you think if you try it!

(Sorry no pics - will try to get one up here next time!)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Vegan/Pareve)

What do you do when you find mushy bananas on the sug bet rack selling for 2 shekels/kg, when sug aleph bananas are currently selling for about 14/kg?

BUY A BUNCH of course!

And then, make muffins. (I peeled and froze some for future use, but used a lot of them today on these muffins)

Today's banana muffins featured spelt flour and chocolate chips... yum!

Here's what I did:

6 small overripe bananas, mashed well 1/2 c. sugar 1/3 c. oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 T. ground flaxseed 2 c. water + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
Mix all together, combining well
Add: 4 c. whole grain flour (I used spelt, but if you eat wheat, whole wheat flour is perfect) 1/2 tsp salt 1.5 tsp baking powder Mix well 

Last, gently fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup shelled raw sunflower seeds

This made 12 oversize muffins, or make 24 smaller muffins.
Bake at 350 F/175  C for 25-30 min for muffins

Enjoy! Let me know if you try them!

Egg-free Honey Cake for a Crowd!

I decided to try out baking a large batch of honey cake, as I was taking one to an event and then another to another event the next day.

It worked out really well, even though some people say making large batches of cake isn't the best idea.

WARNING: this cake is not exactly healthy, and not exactly frugal either. But it certainly is festive and appropriate for the season, so I figured I'd share!


 


Honey Cake for a Crowd, Egg-free
makes 2 9"X12" pans

4 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1.5 cups hot water
1/2 cup oil (I used this palm oil, but you can use any oil you like - neutral flavors work best)
2 cups honey
2 cups demerara sugar, or other dark sugar
1.5 cups warm (not hot) coffee (can be decaf!)
2 tablespoons orange juice
4 cups whole wheat flour (this recipe works fine with white flour, I just don't keep any in the house and I like to pretend my cakes are healthy)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
dash of ground nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Note: if you are mixing this by hand, you'll need two bowls. If you are using a mixer, one bowl is fine!

Mix together flaxseed and hot water and oil, and let sit for 10 minutes
Add the other liquid ingredients to the flaxseed mixture.
If using two bowls, combine all the dry ingredients in the second bowl, and make a well in the center.
Slowly add liquids to the dry ingredients, and mix very well to combine.
Pour into two 9"X12" baking pans
Bake at 180C for 1 hr, 15 min.
Allow to cool completely before covering tightly, it is best served the next day. 


Wishing you all a Gmar Chatimah Tovah!

"Quick Bread" Breadsticks or Pizza Crust (vegan)

I am always looking for shortcuts. I like simple, easy, no fuss recipes I can throw together at the last second, because I often don't plan ahead (I roll with my days)...

Here's our latest favorite - breadsticks! We like them with garlic but you can do whatever you want with them.

I wanted a super easy, whole grain, pourable batter.... but of course, if you want to use white flour, it will work fine too. I really wanted something pourable because it just seemed so much simpler!

Quick Breadsticks (Basic)

3 cups whole wheat flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups water + 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar

Toppings:
olive oi
crushed garlic or granulated garlic
sesame seeds
coarse salt
anything else you like

 
Mix together dry ingredients, then make a well in the middle and add wet ingredients. Stir with a large spoon. Combine thoroughly. 









The mixture will be batter, not dough.





 



Pour half the batter onto a lined cookie sheet. 






 


Spread it out with your mixing spoon. Sprinkle the top with olive oil, then top as desired.



 


Bake at 200 C for about 20 min (but check it because my oven is acting a little funny, it may not be heating up enough!)
Cut and serve. These come out pretty thin and flat, but tasty. If you want them thicker, experiment with making this recipe in just ONE cookie sheet instead of two.

Enjoy!


You can also use this as pizza crust, by the way. Just bake for half the time, then top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for another 8-10 min.

Let me know if you give it a try!

Eggless Whole Wheat pancakes!

We've decided to go more or less egg-free. 

I've got no problem making most foods egg-free, but for some reason, I had a lot of trouble with pancakes. They just were NOT coming out right!

Some kind person pointed me to this vegan pancake recipe, which inspired me to try again. I discovered that my biggest problem was probably my lazy measuring - sometimes when I cook I am too lazy to pull out a measuring cup. That does not work well for pancakes!

So, here's my egg-free but dairy pancake recipe. It was a big hit!

2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
3 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup of whey or orange juice
1 cup milk
2 tsp oil

a bit of oil for the pan

 
First, mix dry ingredients together in a bowl, then add liquid ingredients and stir briefly. It can be lumpy.

Coat your frying pan with a very light layer of oil, and heat to med-high heat.

Make pancakes!

Enjoy!

We served these with maple syrup.

Sweet Whole Wheat or Spelt and Oat Bran Challah Recipe -With Vegan Option

I change up my challah recipe sometimes, and my kids have definitely expressed a preference for the times when I make them *sweet*. No real surprise there, though!

So lately, I've been making this version. It's been a hit with my family. If you make it, I'd love to hear your feedback!



Sweet Whole Wheat or Spelt and Oat Bran Challah

8 cups whole wheat flour (or whole spelt flour)
1 cup oat bran
2/3 cup ground flaxseed
1 T. salt
1/2 cup sugar

3 cups of lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp dry yeast

1/2 cup honey or vegan honey (optional)
1/2 cup oil + a little more for oiling the bowl

Directions:
1. Mix 1 tsp sugar with the water. Add the yeast. Allow to proof for about 10 min

2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, oat bran, flaxseed, salt, sugar)

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid ingredients. Mix well. Then knead. 

4. coat the dough with oil and flip over a couple of times, so the bottom and sides get oiled too. cover with a tea towel to rise till doubled. On warm days, this can be about 1 hour, on cold days it can take a lot longer!

5. Punch down. Shape your challot. Cover with a tea towel to rise for about 1/2 an hour. (I usually make 3 challot out of this size batch, so I often double it!)

6. Optional: glaze your challot. I never bother, especially since I've basically gone vegan for baking! Bake for about 30-40 min at 350 F (175-180C)

Allow to cool before you devour them. For some reason, these cut much better when they've cooled properly.

Enjoy!

Whole Grain Breakfast Muffins (Dairy)

I know, I usually do a lot of vegan baking, but these have dairy. They are extra-moist and truly a great way to start your day, if you're ok with dairy. If you want to make them vegan, just substitute 1 cup of soy milk or other non-dairy milk for the leben. It will work. My kids preferred the dairy version, though, so I'm sticking with it for now!

Whole Grain Breakfast Muffins (Dairy, but no eggs)

4 T. flaxseed
1/3 cup boiling water
2 bananas, mashed (or about 2/3 cup of your favorite fruit, pureed or mashed)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 ml leben (I used Gil) or yogurt
1 cup orange juice or other liquid (I used the whey that was left after making cream cheese)
3 cups whole wheat flour (or your favorite whole grain multi-grain mix)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Start by mixing flaxseed and boiling water, and allow to cool for 10 min. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients, mix, but don't overmix. Transfer to muffin tin, lined with baking cups. Bake at 350 F for about 25 min (although I suspect my oven may not be registering the temp properly, check yours at 20 min!).
Makes 12 medium size muffins.

Note: you can use 2 eggs instead of the flaxseed/water mixture if you prefer

Today's Loaf

I was so proud of how my bread came out today, I just had to share a picture!

I used my usual whole-wheat-oatmeal-flaxseed bread recipe, and after the breads were shaped and risen, I brushed water over the tops and sprinkled oats and seeds on them.

Maybe all of you make bread like this, but I don't usually!

Chocolate Chip Cake (vegan)

Chocolate Chip Cake

4 tablespoons ground flaxseed 
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup lukewarm decaf coffee OR soy milk or other milk subsitute
2/3 - 1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup shredded coconut or your favorite ground nuts
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 - 6 oz chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 F (about 175 C)

Combine ground flaxseed with boiling water in a large mixing bowl. Stir a couple of times, then allow to cool slightly. Add oil, coffee/soymilk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add coconut/ground nuts, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Fold in half the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a large cake pan. Spread it evenly. Spread the rest of the chocolate chips on top of the cake.

Bake for 45-50 min. Test with a toothpick to be sure it's fully baked.
Allow to cool before cutting.

Let me know if you try this recipe out!

Chocolate Chip Cookies/Squares (vegan)

This post is long overdue.

We had some family over for Shabbat a while ago, and I made these chocolate chip squares. Well, the guests wanted the recipe, and I promised I would write it up.

I'm a little late, but trying to keep my promise!




Ingredients:

3 Tbp ground flaxseed
2/3 cup near boiling water
1.5 cups sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
6 oz chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 190C
First, mix the flaxseed with water in a large mixing bowl. Let cool for about 10 minutes before you continue.
Then add the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips, save those for the end) and mix well.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spread the mixture out on a large cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes MAX. Take them out a bit BEFORE you think they are done. Trust me, if you wait till they are "done", they will get rock solid.
You can also form these into cookies and bake for 8-10 min
While they are still warm, cut into squares.
This recipe yielded 4 dozen smallish squares.
Watch them disappear, while you smile that your kids are eating a treat that has a few slightly healthier ingredients!

Cinnamon-Maple-Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

I got a whole bunch of requests for the recipe for my not so sweet, but sweet enough breakfast bread.  Here goes:

(I make this vegan. More on my analysis of baking with eggs vs. baking with flaxseed another time.)

4-6 T. ground flaxseed
1 cup whole oats
2.5 cups boiling water
Mix these 3 ingredients together and allow to sit for 10 min.
Add:
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. oil
Mix well.
Add:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
Mix Well.

The next part is optional, but does add something!

mix together 1 tsp oil, 1/4 c. sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 T. ground flaxseed, 2 T. oat bran

This makes two loaf pans. I pour 1/4 of the batter into each loaf pan, sprinkle half the cinn-oatbran-flaxseed mixture on top, then fill the loaf pans with remaining batter, and sprinkle the other half on top. Bake for 1 hour in the center of your oven at 350 F (175 C). Test for doneness...And Enjoy!