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Miriam,
Welcome back! I was wondering... You were being so uncharacteristically quiet for a lady... :
: :
Just kidding... Hope things are well over there and that your family is doing well.
Pewter
Welcome back! I was wondering... You were being so uncharacteristically quiet for a lady... :
: :Just kidding... Hope things are well over there and that your family is doing well.
Pewter
When vicky emailed me my subscription/email information I was surprised to find my new login name and email was miriam@gotmead.com. Wrathwilde must have already been taken... Oskaar, I hear, is excited to start posting under his new Persona "Pewter". 
;D
Wrathwilde
;DWrathwilde
Pewter, yes, back and chatty! Thanks, we're all OK.
Mynx, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed The Meadly Tale...
Wrath, that was too funny. You didn't, by chance, find yourself cussing in Yiddish or starting to bake Challah? 'Cause if you did, don't worry, you were only temporarily channeling me. No wonder I've been feeling a little...disembodied recently. ;D
Miriam
Mynx, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed The Meadly Tale...
Wrath, that was too funny. You didn't, by chance, find yourself cussing in Yiddish or starting to bake Challah? 'Cause if you did, don't worry, you were only temporarily channeling me. No wonder I've been feeling a little...disembodied recently. ;D
Miriam
Miriam said:
Miriam,
I've been known to utter the Occasional "Oy Vey" but other symptoms noticeably lacking.
Wrathwilde
Brewbear, I bake challas every week. You're welcome to swing by and take one home... Haven't done any mead-related writing, but am turning over some short stories in my mind. Mayb3e next month sometimes I'll offer another story to GotMead? What do you say? A visit to St. Winston's, or something entirely different?
Miriam
Miriam
Dang... dang... dang!
All these names changes and I got stuck with Wrathwilde...
It's gonna take years to live this one down...
With a grin,
Pewter
All these names changes and I got stuck with Wrathwilde...
It's gonna take years to live this one down...
With a grin,
Pewter
Neadmead,
Challa is the egg-enriched, braided bread traditionally served in Jewish homes for the Sabbath. People like it on the sweet side, sometimes with raisins in it. We prefer it salty and sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds. Hm, feeling a baking fit coming on...
Miriam
Challa is the egg-enriched, braided bread traditionally served in Jewish homes for the Sabbath. People like it on the sweet side, sometimes with raisins in it. We prefer it salty and sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds. Hm, feeling a baking fit coming on...
Miriam
NeadMead --
Challa is one of the bread wonders of the cuisine world. Try a fresh baked loaf, following a traditional Jewish recipe and you'll see why just talking about it can bring a baking fit on.
Easy recipe here, probably not traditional (don't look Miriam!
)
http://www.haydid.org/challah.htm
Ooooh! Gotta make some.
Challa is one of the bread wonders of the cuisine world. Try a fresh baked loaf, following a traditional Jewish recipe and you'll see why just talking about it can bring a baking fit on.
Easy recipe here, probably not traditional (don't look Miriam!
)http://www.haydid.org/challah.htm
Ooooh! Gotta make some.
Never mind, I found a nice traditional recipe, submitted by Miriam herself! ;D
Look here for "Miriam's Not-So-Secret Challah":
http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/MirimsNtSScrtChllh.asp
Look here for "Miriam's Not-So-Secret Challah":
http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/MirimsNtSScrtChllh.asp
Thanks for the invitation Miriam, I'll take you up on it when I'm in the area
Fortunately there is a bakery nearby (closer than Israel in any case) that has a wonderful challa so every time i feeel the need to knead, i just drive there and get a freshly baked loaf. It makes a superbe french toast or just some butter and apricot jam will do ;D
Cheers,
Brewbear
Fortunately there is a bakery nearby (closer than Israel in any case) that has a wonderful challa so every time i feeel the need to knead, i just drive there and get a freshly baked loaf. It makes a superbe french toast or just some butter and apricot jam will do ;D
Cheers,
Brewbear
*foaming at the mouth*
Challa bread is evil!!
I had to go through rehab to get off the stuff. Forget heroine. Challa is the most addictive substance on the planet. Once you have had it you will be hooked forever. You will be like "Oh look, some challa bread. I think I will have a small piece." the next thing you know the whole loaf is gone along with a tub of honey butter, and you are lying on the floor stuffed to the gills.
Evil stuff I tell ya! Evil!!
...I will be making this recipe this weekend now. It will be on your heads when I relapse!
John *twitch*
Challa bread is evil!!
I had to go through rehab to get off the stuff. Forget heroine. Challa is the most addictive substance on the planet. Once you have had it you will be hooked forever. You will be like "Oh look, some challa bread. I think I will have a small piece." the next thing you know the whole loaf is gone along with a tub of honey butter, and you are lying on the floor stuffed to the gills.
Evil stuff I tell ya! Evil!!
...I will be making this recipe this weekend now. It will be on your heads when I relapse!
John *twitch*
Mynx said:
Hmmm, fresh Italian panettone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panettone
Now you are talking!!
Hm, haven't seen all this challa discussion till just now...Dan my dear, that was another Miriam's recipe; mine is sans marg and with less sugar.
What the heck, here is my recipe.
The Mead Bubeh's Challah
1 cake of moist yeast
2 cups hot (not boiling) water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 eggs, beaten (but undefeated)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 kg. strong bread flour, and more if necessary
1 Tblsp. salt
1 more egg for glazing, likewise beaten
poppy seeds or sesame seeds or extra oats for sprinkling
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water; add a couple of pinches of sugar to encourage the process.
2. To dissolved yeast and water, add sugar, oil, and eggs. Mix well.
3. Mix in oats, blend them in well.
4. Add salt, mix, and start adding flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface when it gets too hard to mix with a spoon.
5. Start kneading, adding more flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking, but aim for a tender, moist dough, so just sprinkle your work surface with the flour every so often. Knead 10 minutes.
Let the dough rest a little while you wash the bowl out in hot water and dry it. Go back to the dough and knead again briefly. Oil the inside of the bowl and put the ball of dough in it, turning it around a few times so it will acquire a thin film of oil on all surfaces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and put it away in a warm, draft-free place for an hour, or until the dough has risen to doubled in size.
Knock the dough down and take challah...if you're Jewish (separate a piece of dough about the size of a walnut with the appropriate blessing and wrap it in tin foil to be burned later. Consult your prayer book or a Jewish site for more details.)
At any rate, cut the dough in half and fashion two loaves. Braid each dough half (you can find instructions online) or make two loaves as you wish. My husband finds it hard to slice the braided loaf because of arthritis, so I place balls of dough the size of half my palm close together in a row, in loaf pans, and they of course stick together slightly when baked. He just breaks the loaves apart to serve out at the table.
Place the the shaped challah in a greased, floured baking pan - actually I use baking paper - and allow to rise again for 1/2 hour.
Note: I've found that any bread will rise better if the second rising is done in the fridge. This takes longer, several hours or overnight, but if you have time and room in the fridge, it's worth it. You put the cold, shaped dough into the preheated oven and it rises amazingly.
Meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush the challah with the extra beaten egg all over for a lovely brown glaze. Sprinkle with seeds of choice, or with some oats.
Bake 1 hour or until done.
We like our challah salty, as I said. But if you prefer sweet, use a neutral-flavored oil like corn, and increase the sugar to 1/2 cup. A nice addition is 1/4 cup raisins which have previously been soaked in hot tea or in wine...or MEAD.
What the heck, here is my recipe.
The Mead Bubeh's Challah
1 cake of moist yeast
2 cups hot (not boiling) water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 eggs, beaten (but undefeated)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 kg. strong bread flour, and more if necessary
1 Tblsp. salt
1 more egg for glazing, likewise beaten
poppy seeds or sesame seeds or extra oats for sprinkling
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water; add a couple of pinches of sugar to encourage the process.
2. To dissolved yeast and water, add sugar, oil, and eggs. Mix well.
3. Mix in oats, blend them in well.
4. Add salt, mix, and start adding flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface when it gets too hard to mix with a spoon.
5. Start kneading, adding more flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking, but aim for a tender, moist dough, so just sprinkle your work surface with the flour every so often. Knead 10 minutes.
Let the dough rest a little while you wash the bowl out in hot water and dry it. Go back to the dough and knead again briefly. Oil the inside of the bowl and put the ball of dough in it, turning it around a few times so it will acquire a thin film of oil on all surfaces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and put it away in a warm, draft-free place for an hour, or until the dough has risen to doubled in size.
Knock the dough down and take challah...if you're Jewish (separate a piece of dough about the size of a walnut with the appropriate blessing and wrap it in tin foil to be burned later. Consult your prayer book or a Jewish site for more details.)
At any rate, cut the dough in half and fashion two loaves. Braid each dough half (you can find instructions online) or make two loaves as you wish. My husband finds it hard to slice the braided loaf because of arthritis, so I place balls of dough the size of half my palm close together in a row, in loaf pans, and they of course stick together slightly when baked. He just breaks the loaves apart to serve out at the table.
Place the the shaped challah in a greased, floured baking pan - actually I use baking paper - and allow to rise again for 1/2 hour.
Note: I've found that any bread will rise better if the second rising is done in the fridge. This takes longer, several hours or overnight, but if you have time and room in the fridge, it's worth it. You put the cold, shaped dough into the preheated oven and it rises amazingly.
Meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush the challah with the extra beaten egg all over for a lovely brown glaze. Sprinkle with seeds of choice, or with some oats.
Bake 1 hour or until done.
We like our challah salty, as I said. But if you prefer sweet, use a neutral-flavored oil like corn, and increase the sugar to 1/2 cup. A nice addition is 1/4 cup raisins which have previously been soaked in hot tea or in wine...or MEAD.
What can I say? I saw "Miriam's Challah" and assumed. :
I'll have to try your own version, maybe this weekend. Definitely soon!
Think I might bounce it over to the mead/food forum for fun. >
;D ;D ;D
I'll have to try your own version, maybe this weekend. Definitely soon!
Think I might bounce it over to the mead/food forum for fun. >
;D ;D ;D 
