Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1.
If using food processor or mixer, pour
1
â
3
cup warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast over water or crumble fresh yeast into water. Let stand 10 minutes until foamy. Stir until smooth.
2.
To make dough in a food processor: Combine flour and salt in food processor with dough blade or metal blade. Process briefly to mix. Add remaining
2
â
3
cup plus 2 tablespoons water to yeast mixture. Add oil. With blades of food processor turning, gradually pour in yeast mixture. If dough is too dry to come together, add 1 tablespoon water and process again. Process about 1 minute to knead dough.
To make dough in a mixer: Sift 2
3
â
4
cups flour into bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Make large deep well in center of flour. Add yeast mixture, remaining
2
â
3
cup plus 2 tablespoons water, oil, and salt to well. Mix at medium-low speed, pushing flour in often at first and scraping dough down occasionally from bowl and from hook, until ingredients come together to a soft, sticky dough. Add remaining
1
â
4
cup flour. Mix at low speed 2 minutes. Continue mixing, adding flour if dough is too wet, until dough clings to dough hook and cleans the side of the bowl. Knead at medium speed for 5 minutes.
To make dough by hand: Sift flour into a bowl and make a well in center. Sprinkle dry yeast or crumble fresh yeast into well. Pour
1
â
3
cup water over yeast and let stand 10 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add remaining water, oil, and salt to well and mix with yeast mixture. Stir in flour and mix well, to obtain a fairly soft dough. If dough is dry, add 1 tablespoon water. Knead dough vigorously on work surface until it is smooth and elastic. If it is very sticky, flour it occasionally while kneading.
3.
Lightly oil a medium bowl. Add dough; turn to coat entire surface with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a lightly dampened towel. Let dough rise in a warm draft-free area about 1 hour or until doubled. At this point you can roll the dough to make pizzas; or knead dough again, cover it, and refrigerate overnight.
Use this fast, easy dough made with quick-rising yeast to make
Pizza with Feta Cheese, Peppers, and Mushrooms
. You can make the dough in a food processor, in a mixer, or by hand.
1
1
â
2
cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 envelope quick-rising dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
3
â
4
teaspoon salt
1
â
2
cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.
To make dough in a food processor: In food processor fitted with dough blade or metal blade, process
3
â
4
cup flour with yeast and salt briefly to mix them. In small saucepan heat water and olive oil until hot to the touch (about 125°F). With blades of the processor turning, gradually pour in liquid mixture. Add remaining flour and process until combined with other ingredients. If dough is too dry to come together, add 1 tablespoon water and process again. Process 1 minute to knead the dough.
To make dough in a mixer: Mix
3
â
4
cup flour with salt and yeast in bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Heat water and olive oil until hot to the touch (about 125°F). With mixer on low speed, gradually add liquid mixture. Add remaining flour. Mix at low speed 2 minutes. Continue mixing, adding flour if dough is too wet, until dough clings to dough hook and cleans the side of the bowl. Knead at medium speed for 5 minutes.
To make dough by hand: Mix
3
â
4
cup flour with salt and yeast in a bowl. Heat water and olive oil until hot to the touch (about 125°F). Stir liquid into flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour. Knead dough vigorously, slapping it on the working surface, until it is smooth and elastic. If it is very sticky, flour it occasionally while kneading.
2.
Transfer dough to a clean bowl and sprinkle it with a little flour. Cover with a damp towel and leave to rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until doubled.
3.
Use with any topping. After adding the topping, let pizza rise 7 minutes.
SWEET BREADS AND BABKA
I learned to prepare this Yemenite Shabbat yeast bread from my mother-in-law. Like the pastry called
jahnoon
,
kubaneh
bakes slowly all night and is served warm for breakfast on Shabbat. The enticing aroma of
kubaneh
baking permeates the house on Friday night, so you can't wait to wake up the next morning and savor it. Also like
jahnoon
, this slightly sweet bread is served either with sugar for sprinkling or with
Fresh Tomato Salsa
.
Although its baking technique is unusual, the flavor of this bread appeals to everyone. One student of mine said it reminds her of a Polish cake called
babka
because it's also a sweet, rich, cake-like bread.
1 envelope dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
1
â
3
cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons honey or additional sugar
1
1
â
2
teaspoons salt
1
â
2
to
3
â
4
cup (1 to 1
1
â
2
sticks) margarine or butter, cut into pieces
3
â
4
cup very hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
8 large eggs (optional)
1.
Sprinkle yeast over lukewarm water and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Leave 10 minutes until yeast is foamy.
2.
In a mixing bowl, combine remaining sugar, honey, salt,
1
â
4
cup margarine, and hot water. Stir until sugar and margarine are completely dissolved. Stir in yeast mixture. Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough becomes difficult to stir. Knead in remaining flour.
3.
Knead dough vigorously on a lightly floured work surface, adding flour by tablespoons if necessary, until dough is very smooth but still soft, about 10 minutes. Put dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until nearly doubled.
4.
Punch down dough, knead it briefly in bowl, cover and let rise again in a warm place about 1 hour; or refrigerate 3 to 4 hours.
5.
Let remaining
1
â
4
to
1
â
2
cup margarine stand at room temperature until it is very soft. Generously rub a deep 2-quart baking dish with margarine or butter. Divide dough into 8 pieces. With a lightly oiled rolling pin, roll out one piece on a lightly oiled surface into a rectangle about
1
â
8
-inch thick. Spread with about 2 teaspoons of soft margarine. Roll up like a jelly roll. Flatten resulting roll by tapping it with your knuckles and spread it with about 1 teaspoon margarine. Then roll up into a spiral and place it in baking dish so that spiral design faces up. Continue with remaining pieces of dough, placing them one next to other and touching each other in dish. If any margarine remains, put it in small pieces on top. If using, rinse eggs in their shells and add to baking dish on top of dough. Cover dough with greased paper or foil placed on surface of dough and with a tight lid.
6.
Preheat oven to 225°F. Bake 3 hours or until golden brown. Remove eggs. Turn bread out onto a plate, then onto another plate and back into baking dish, so it is now upside down. Return eggs to baking dish. Cover dough. Reduce oven temperature to 180 to 200°F and bake overnight. Serve warm.
Unlike most cinnamon rolls, these delicious yeast-risen cakes are flavored with a creamy cinnamon filling instead of the usual sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. They are great for breaking the Yom Kippur fast or make a superb brunch treat.
1 envelope dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
2 tablespoons warm water (110°F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1
â
2
cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 16 pieces, room temperature
1
â
2
cup light raisins
1.
Sprinkle yeast over water in a small bowl; add
1
â
4
teaspoon sugar. Let stand 10 minutes or until foamy. Stir yeast mixture.
2.
Put flour into bowl of mixer; make a well in center. Add salt, remaining 2
3
â
4
teaspoons sugar, and 3 whole eggs. (Keep fourth egg in refrigerator to use as glaze.)
3.
Mix ingredients in center of well briefly with dough hook of mixer. Add yeast mixture. Mix at low speed until mixture comes together into a dough, pushing in flour occasionally. Scrape down mixture. Add egg yolk; beat until blended. Continue beating on medium speed about 12 minutes or until dough is very smooth. Add butter pieces. Beat on low speed, scraping down dough often, just until butter is blended in. Dough will be soft.
4.
Lightly oil a medium bowl. Place dough in oiled bowl; turn dough over to oil surface. Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap; let dough rise in a warm draft-free place about 1
1
â
2
hours or until nearly doubled. Gently turn dough over several times to knock out air. Return to bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.