All posts for the month May, 2012

Twisted daring bakers challenge..Braided bread

May’s Daring Baker’s challenge came with a twist, our host asked us to make enriched bread which is braided or shaped.

If you try to research braided bread you will find that it exists in almost every Eastern European culture. Bohemians and Czechs call it houska. Poles call it chalka, Ashkenazi Jews refer to it as challah.The Swiss call it Zopf. When you go through the recipes you will realize that enriched braided bread is also reminiscent of French brioche.

Shapes:

Braided breads come in a variety of shapes, they can be made into a 3 strand braid,

four strand braid or even a six strand braid.

There is also a braided round shape

or a braid that has been formed into a ring. I find shaping the bread into other forms like a flower or these twist easier that making the perfect braid. On a side note my daughter loved the shape of the 6 strand braided bread and has been nagging me to try it on her hair!

Toppings, fillings and additions:

This is the part where you can let your imagination and creativity run wild. Top your braided bread with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, vanilla sugar or any other topping that appeals to you. You can also knead raisins, chocolate chips, candied orange peel, dried fruit into the dough to give your bread a yummy “twist”.

You also have the option to fill your braided bread, cinnamon sugar and chocolate are the most common but there is a wide variety of fillings and flavors. A note worth mentioning about filling though is that filled strands need more care during handling and braiding as they are prone to tearing.

Eggwash or not to eggwash:

Egg wash is used to enhance the top crust of the bread. It adds shine and crispness, and enhances the beauty of the breads. I personally have issues when it comes to eggwash, no matter what I add to the egg wash I feel that the end product still smells slightly “eggy” so I use a wash that a dear friend of mine called Sohad taught me, you’ll find it with the bread recipe.

I made 4 braided breads, two using a recipe for hoska bread from my friend Sohad that uses oil instead of butter and sweetened condensed milk and one using my sesame bread recipe

Hoska braided bread

Ingredients

Makes 4 loafs

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup warm water

3 teaspoons yeast

1 kg flour,(8 cups) white flour

Pinch of salt

Instead of the eggwash use

2 tablespoons milk powder

3 tablespoons lukewarm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon instant coffee
Instructions:

Mix the condensed milk, yeast, oil, water, and eggs in the bowl of your mixer

Add the flour one cup at a time and knead using the kneading attachment or by hand till you get a soft dough

The dough will be slightly sticky due to the sweetened condensed milk, don’t worry once the dough rests it will have a wonderful consistency

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rest till it doubles in size

Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 parts to make 2 big loafs or 4 medium ones

Divide one part into 6 equal parts

There are two basic methods for forming the strands . The first, and easiest, is to simply roll snakes between your hands like when working with clay or play dough. The second method is to use a rolling pin to roll out a flat disc of dough, then using your hands to roll the disc into a snake, rolling the snake on the counter with your fingers to achieve the length you need. This second method does result in a better rise, but either way works well. Whichever method you use, form your strands such that they are thinner at the ends and fuller in the middle.

Braid the bread using this technique

If you want to make the 4 braided one divide the dough into 4 parts, make strands and braid using this technique. or watch the video above, it shows how to make a 3,4,5 and 6 strand bread.

Center your oven rack and preheat it to 180 C

Brush with eggwash or the milk mixture

Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool before serving.

May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads.

Sesame bread braid

I used the same recipe I use to make kaaek bel semsem to make a 3 strand braid

Thank you Ruth for this awesome challenge, it was fun learning how to do the different braids

About these ads

85 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 27, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Bread and pastry, Daring bakers

Tagged braided bread, breakfast, daring bakers, eastern european culture, eggwash, food, hoska, sesame bread, strand braid, sweetened condensed milk, كعك بالسمسم

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 27, 2012

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/05/27/twisted-daring-bakers-challenge-braided-bread/

Lady finger fruit dessert

This lady finger dessert is one of my go to recipes when I have guests. It is quick , can be made a day or two ahead of time and you can play around with the filling and decoration making a new version every time. It is also a kid friendly dessert, My kids love helping me make this every time, suggesting different ways to decorate the top and sides.

Lady finger biscuits or cookies are also known as Boudoir biscuits, sponge biscuits, sponge fingers, Naples biscuits, Savoy biscuits (Savoiardi) and biscuits la cuiller.They are made from a sponge cake batter that is piped into the shape of a finger cookie. They are great served with ice cream or with a cup of tea or coffee but they really shine in desserts like tiramisu or triffle when they are dunked into a syrup or liquid and used to form the cake like layer in those desserts.

My recipe today might be simple with a few ingredients but it is a good example of when a recipe is much greater than the sum of its parts. When you dunk the lady finger cookies in the fruit syrup they absorb the wonderful flavors in it and become the perfect complement to the banana infused cream and the fruit filling. It will only take you 20 minutes to make this elegant summer dessert which is guaranteed to impress and please you guests

Before I give you the recipe, I would like to share a few pictures I took over the weekend from our visit to Mount Neebo.

These wild flowers are common here in Jordan especially in the Mountains but that does not make them less magical

I love how proud and elegant horses are, we saw quite a few on our way but this one was close enough to the side of the road.

I find watching wheat sway in the wind very calming, it is almost as if you are standing at the sea shore watching the waves

These hand made rugs were also sold along the way

Last but not least here are a few pictures from the top

Click on the panorama to see a bigger version

The kids went home dusty and tired but happy. They got two little stone carvings. Ibrahim chose an elephant (of course!) and Jana chose a cat. The man selling them said they bring good luck, I don’t believe in such stuff, the only luck I believe these little carvings will bring is a sweet memory and hopefully a smile when the kids are all grown up.

Now back to our

lady finger fruit dessert recipe

2 packs lady finger biscuits

2 cups heavy whipping cream (if you are using the powdered whipped cream then you will need 4 envelopes and 1 cup of milk)

2 small bananas

3 tablespoons cream cheese

1 can of fruits cocktail

1 tablespoon powdered milk

Fruits for decoration

Start by draining your can of fruit preserving the liquid

Take the liquid from the can and dissolve a tablespoon of powdered milk in it (this will be the liquid you will dunk your lady finger)

Line the sides and bottom of a 7 inch round springform pan (if you don’t have a springform pan use a transparent glass serving bowl) with lady fingers that you have dunked in the fruit cocktail syrup

In another bowl mash the bananas and add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.

Add the whipping cream and beat until the cream thickens and forms soft peaks.

Spread 1/3 of the banana cream mix on the bottom layer of lady finger biscuits

Spread 1/2 of the fruit cocktail on top of the cream

Arrange another layer of lady finger cookies that you have dunked in the syrup followed by another layer of cream and fruit topped with another layer of cookies

Spread the last 1/3 of the cream on top of the final layer of cookies

Decorate with your choice of fruit.

Notes:

You can flavor the whipped cream any way you like, you can add lemon curd, coco powder, puree mangos or strawberries or an envelop of your favorite jello flavor

You can decorate the top with fruit, lemon zest, chocolate shavings, whipped cream, it’s up to you

86 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 22, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Cake, Dessert

Tagged banan cream, cream cheese desserts, dessert, food, fruit, fruit cocktail, Jordan, lady finger, lady finger cookies, make ahead desserts, Mount neebo, no bake cake, summer desserts

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 22, 2012

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/05/22/lady-finger-fruit-dessert/

Alcohol free beef bourguignon…daring cooks May 2012

Our May 2012 Daring Cooks’ hostess was Fabi of fabsfood. Fabi challenged us to make Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French stew originating from the Burgundy region of France.

I think I am one of many who the mere mention of beef bourguignon brings back images from Julie and Julia

But when I first saw that beef bourguignon was this month’s challenge my first idea was to sit this one out. Being a muslim I don’t drink alcohol or cook with it and beef bourguignon is a dish based on red wine.I mean wine is not just an ingredient in the dish, it is basically what the dish revolves around. Then as I was reading other people’s comments on the challenge in the forum I came across quite a few asking if there was a way to make this dish alcohol free, be it for religious reasons , being pregnant or recovering alcoholics. Realizing I was not the only one seeking an alcohol free version,I decided to at least research if it was possible.

I came across many recipes that used a combination of broth, grape juice and grape vinegar to replace the wine with differing proportions. There was also a variety of additions ranging from tomato paste to soya sauce. Many said it was not the same, others said it was even better. I decided to give it a go, there was really nothing to lose and I am after all a daring cook.What follows is the recipe that I used, based on tasting and tweaking along the way.

To tell you the truth I was really nervous about this one, I was worried the whole pot would end up down the drain. As the beef cooked and the aromas filled the house, my daughter came into the kitchen and announced that this will be a success, she can tell how good a recipe is by the smell of it cooking and this was going to be a great one.

She was right.

The dish was a big hit, the flavors blended in so well, it was not overly sweet nor acidic. The meat was cooked to the point of melting in your mouth and the mushrooms onions and carrots added just the right texture

Now to spare myself the lectures about this being a beef stew not beef bourguignon, I have to tell you that I have never tried the real beef bourguignon and don’t know how well my recipe compares to the original but all I know is it was fun to try and experiment and that we all loved it so much that I will be making it again for sure. If you have ever made Julia Child’s beef bourguignon,I would love it if you would give my recipe a try and then let me know how close or how far you think I got it. Anyone up for the challenge? In the name of science?

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Ingredients for 4 people:

Ingredients

1 pound stewing beef cut into 2 inches (5 cm) cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups red grape juice (100% juice no sugar added)

1/2 cup red grape vinegar

2 carrot, sliced

1 onion, sliced in julienne

3 cups beef stock (preferably home made, remember you want something rich with flavor to enhance the flavor)

1 tablespoon tomato paste or tomato puree

2 cloves mashed garlic

½ teaspoon thyme leaves

1 bay leave

12 small onions, brown-braised in stock

250 grams mushrooms sautéed in butter

Directions:

1.Dry the meat cubes carefully with paper towels.

2.In a casserole/pan, sauté the beef until it’s golden brown. Remove it to a side dish and set aside.

3.Still in the same casserole/pan, sauté the carrot and the onion.

4.Return the beef to the casserole. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper, then add the flour and toss.

5. Stir in the juice,vinegar, stock, tomato paste, mashed garlic cloves, thyme, bay .

6.Bring it to simmering point on the stove.

7.Cover the pot and place it on very low heat and simmer for 3 hours.

8.While the stew is cooking, prepare onions and mushrooms. For the onions: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan and sauté the peeled onions until golden brown. Add beef stock until they’re almost covered and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until almost all the liquid disappears and they’re tender but keep their shape. Set aside.

9.Prepare the mushrooms as well: quarter and sauté them in 2 tablespoons butter. Keep on stirring until they’re nicely brown. Set aside.

10.When meat is tender, Put onions and mushrooms over the meat.

11.Skim the fat off. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Skim additional fat if it rises. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon. If not, boil it until it thickens. If it’s too thick, stir in some stock or bouillon to make it lighter.

12.Serve and enjoy Some goods sides are potatoes, noodles or rice.

Freezing/Storage Instructions/Tips: You can keep leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you want to freeze it, it lasts up to 3 months.

92 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 14, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Daring cooks

Tagged alcohol free, can I make beef bourguignon without the alcohol?, dinner, Juilia child

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 14, 2012

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/05/14/alcohol-free-beef-bourguignon-daring-cooks-may-2012/

How to make your own Labneh cheese (yogurt cheese)

Some call it yogurt cheese, others call it the Lebanese cream cheese but it is most commonly known as labneh. It is a staple on any breakfast menu, one of my favorite dips, makes a wonderful sandwich with a few mint leaves or some pitted olives or better yet with a sprinkle of zaatar. To put it simply labneh is strained yogurt, it is super easy to make and very tasty and the best part is, you can flavor it any way you like. Mint, oregano, sumac, olives, chili flakes, your imagination is the limit, better yet why not try a combination of flavors and make a middle eastern dip that is all your own

Compared to cream cheese, labneh is much healthier and lighter in calories, you can make it using regular yogurt or fat free yogurt but the best labneh is the one you make out of homemade yogurt. Another major plus to making labneh is that it is really easy to preserve, regular labneh lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge. If you strain it further, you will get a labneh that you can roll into balls and these are called “labneh korat”or”labneh mka3baleh” which means “labneh balls”. Put these is a jar and submerge them with oil and they will last a whole year in the fridge. Labneh balls also make for a wonderful appetizer if you make them small enough. You can serve them plain or rolled in zaatar, sesame seeds, parsley, sumac, or pepper.You can even serve a platter of labneh balls rolled in different toppings, they make for a very pretty and tasty appetizer. You can also add them to salads if you feel like adding a refreshing new twist to your regular salad.

Homemade labneh

1 Kg Yogurt (greek ,regular or fat free)

1 teaspoon salt

Place a piece of doubled cheesecloth or soft cotton fabric (preferably undyed and clean) in the colander and place the colander over a deep bowl

Stir the salt into the yoghurt then spoon the yoghurt in the center of a piece of the cheesecloth.

Leave to drain for 3-5 hours . (if the weather is hot allow it to drain in the fridge).

You can also pull the corners of the cheese cloth up and tie them tightly and then suspend from a stationary object over a bowl (to collect the whey) . Again if the weather is hot do this in the fridge.Let the labneh hang overnight,when well drained it will be the consistency of cottage cheese.

Remove from the cloth and store covered in the refrigerator until needed.

Notes

If your labneh is still too thin in consistency, you have two options to make it thicker

Fold the cheese cloth around the labneh and then place a weight over the labneh (think heavy bottle or a bag of rice or sugar, something 3-5 kg in weight). The weight will help draw out the whey.
Leave the labneh to strain the fridge, get a clean white fabric and wrap the labneh in it and place it in the fridge in a colander over a bowl to collect the whey. Change the fabric two times a day for 2-3 days and the labneh should become very thick as the fabric will draw the whey out of it

Flavors: You can mix in fresh or dried herbs, minced garlic, pepper flakes or any other flavoring you like.

Cheese cloth The purpose of “cheese cloth” is to separate the curds from the whey by allowing the whey to drain while holding the curds and preventing them from passing through. What most people think of as “cheese cloth:” the very wide weave material is often useless for this purpose unless you double it over itself 4 or 8 times . I recommend using either a large plain white cotton handkerchiefs, or white non-terry cotton dish towels, something clean that you dedicate for cheese making and make sure it is a fabric with fine weave

If you don’t have a cheese cloth try using unbleached coffee filters lining a fine sieve to strain the yogurt (thank you for the tip Eva)

To Serve Labneh:

Spread it evenly over a medium-sized plate. Sprinkle with fresh seasonal herbs like mint, za’atar, or dill – or place a few olives around the center of the plate. Drizzle a thread of olive oil over all. Serve with pita or other fresh bread
Use it as a spread to make a sandwich, plain or with some zaatar or mint on top.
Serve it as a dip with cucumber, carrots or celery sticks

To make Yoghurt Cheese Balls (Labneh korat)

Drain the labneh for 5-6 more hours. (If the labneh is still too thin check the notes above on how to make it thicker in consistency)

Take about one tablespoon at a time and roll it into smooth, round balls and place in a sterile, air tight jar, cover with olive oil.

Seal the jar and store at room temperature (if you live in an area that has hot weather it would be better to store it in the fridge)

The labneh will keep this way for several months but you will have eaten them all up long before that!

What to do with the whey from making labneh?

You can use the whey in baking to replace buttermilk or to replace the liquid in the recipe. It will add nutritional value and make the end product fluffier but do keep in mind that the whey has salt in it so you may need to adjust the salt content in the recipe. I use it to make pancakes
http://chefindisguise.com/2012/04/07/a-wake-up-call-alton-brown-whey-pancakes/
and to make pizza and fatayer dough.
You can also make this savory drink using the whey
http://chefindisguise.com/2012/04/19/ayran-savory-yogurt-drink/

Coming soon:

124 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 12, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Bread and pastry, Breakfast, Cheese and dairy, Dip, How to

Tagged chili flakes, dip, food, labneh, labneh spread, lebanese cream cheese, middle eastern recipes, tasty appetizer, لبنه مكعبله, vegetarian, yogurt cheese, طريقه عمل اللبنه كرات

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on May 12, 2012

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/05/12/homemade-labneh-recipe/

Ka3ek bel semsem (sesame bread)

Ka3ek bel semsem or sesame bread is a traditional bread popular in the Levant countries (Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon). Many start their day buying one of these from bakeries or carts selling it in the street. If you pass through any of the old streets of Amman in the early morning, you are bound to hear ” toasty toasty ka’aek” being called out from an old man driving his cart, greeting you with a smile and a wish for a wonderful morning. If you stop by, you can buy this sesame bread plain or as a sandwich filled with cheese, zaatar, falafel or oven baked eggs.

The shape of this sesame bread can vary from a ring to an elongated oval to a shape similar to an american football.The ring shaped ones look a little like Turkish simit but this bread is a yeast bread while the Turkish Simit is unleavened (does not utilize yeast or any other leavening agent.) Ka3ek bel semsem of sesame bread is one of a variety of baked goods that celebrate sesame seeds. I have fond memories of watching my grandmother make something called karakesh which is similar to a sesame cracker but it is sweet and shaped into round disks (I will share the recipe soon). Making this bread always reminds me of my grandmother, I smell toasted sesame and I am a kid again sitting in her kitchen on a cold winter morning watching her toast sesame till it is golden brown and steaming hot.

I came across this recipe on Lakii forum, they were celebrating a month for the city of Jerusalem, many actually call this the Jerusalem sesame crusted bread rings. I followed the recipe except for adding vinegar to the dough and the egg wash in the topping because I was worried it would smell a little eggy. The vinegar did the job beautifully and all you can smell is the toasty sesame and the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread

Sesame bread (Ka3ek bel semsem)

You can find a printable version of the recipe here

3 to 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs

2 tablespoons powdered milk (see notes)

3/4 to 1 cup warm water (it should feel slightly warm to the touch not hot)

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 table spoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping

1 egg beaten

1 teaspoon vinegar

sesame seeds

Anise seeds (optional)

Direction

Proof the yeast by mixing it with the sugar and 3/4 cup water. The yeast should bubble and foam, if it doesn’t you need to discard it and start over with new yeast.

In a bowl add the flour, salt ,powdered milk, eggs and vinegar. Rub the eggs into the flour with your finger tips.

Add the yeast water mixture and knead the dough for 10 minutes till you get a smooth slightly sticky dough (you may or may not need to add more water depending on the type of flour you use).

Place the dough in a slightly oiled bowl, cover it and allow it to rise in a warm place till it doubles in size

Cut the dough into 4 parts

Roll out each part into a rectangle.

Using your finger tips roll the dough starting with the long side of the rectangle.

Form the dough into a ring or elongated oval shape

Add the vinegar to the beaten eggs, bake to combine (the vinegar is added to prevent your baked bread from smelling eggy)

Spread the sesame seeds on a flat plate

Dip the dough ring into the beaten egg and then dip it in the sesame seeds

Allow to rest for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 270 C or as high as your oven can go

Place the dough on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes on 270 then lower the heat to 200 and bake till the bottom is golden brown (this requires another 7- 10 minutes)

Turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to allow the top to become golden brown