Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
Lemon zest and juice add a fresh tang to this sweet filling. Your poppy seed rolls will taste even better than the ones you can buy at the bakery.
1
1
â
4
cups poppy seeds
3
â
4
cup water
3
â
4
cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, margarine, or vegetable oil
1
â
3
cup finely chopped candied orange peel
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
Grind poppy seeds in a spice (or coffee bean) grinder. In small saucepan combine poppy seeds, water, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring often, 15 minutes. Add butter, candied orange peel, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat about 5 minutes or until filling is thick and well blended. Remove from heat. Stir in grated lemon rind. Refrigerate before using.
Note:
If you don't have a spice grinder or two separate coffee grinders, you can use one coffee grinder. When finished grinding spices, clean out thoroughly and run dried bread pieces through it to absorb lingering odors.
Spread this glaze on sweet rolls, especially those with citrus flavors in the dough or filling, such as
Poppy SeedâLemon Rolls
. It's best to spread it on the rolls while they are still warm. You can reheat the rolls after glazing them.
3
â
4
cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 to 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1
1
â
2
teaspoons grated lemon rind
1.
Sift powdered sugar in a bowl. Beat butter until very soft and smooth in a bowl. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. If glaze is too thick to spread, add a little more juice, 1 teaspoon at a time. Stir in grated lemon rind.
2.
Glaze becomes firm if refrigerated; bring back to room temperature before spreading. If it's still too thick, set bowl of glaze above a pan of hot water until it softens.
American-Jewish bakeries feature a variety of muffins and they're a favorite for home baking too. These are made with orange juice rather than milk, so they are pareve. They make a fairly light, not overly sweet dessert or a terrific, dairy-free breakfast bread.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1
â
4
teaspoon baking soda
1
â
4
teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3
â
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons strained fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
1
â
3
cup vegetable oil
1
â
3
cup sugar
1
1
â
2
cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 12 muffin cups of 2
1
â
2
-inch diameter with cupcake papers; or lightly brush muffins cups with oil or spray with oil spray.
2.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Combine egg, orange juice, orange rind, oil, and sugar in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. Add orange juice mixture to flour mixture and stir gently with wooden spoon until just blended. Do not beat or overmix. Gently stir in blueberries.
3.
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about
2
â
3
-full. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool about 5 minutes in pan on a rack before removing. Serve warm or cool.
A staple of Jewish bakeries, babka is of Polish origin and is made in many versions: as light airy batters, streusel-topped cakes, or swirled with a cinnamon filling, like this one. Some French bakers consider babka to be the origin of their batter yeast cake specialty, babas.
1
â
4
cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
1
â
4
cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
About 2
3
â
4
to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1
â
2
cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted, or vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1
â
2
cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk or water
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1
â
3
to
1
â
2
cup white or brown sugar (for sprinkling)
1
â
2
cup raisins
1.
Pour
1
â
4
cup of water into small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes or until foamy. Stir if not smooth. Oil a large bowl.
2.
Fit food processor with dough blade. Combine 2
3
â
4
cups of flour,
1
â
4
cup sugar, and salt in food processor. Process briefly to mix them. Add yeast mixture, 6 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 of the eggs. With blades of processor turning, pour in milk. Process until ingredients come together into a soft dough. It will not form a ball. Process about 30 seconds to knead dough. Pinch dough quickly; if it sticks to your fingers, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is no longer very sticky. Knead again by processing about 30 seconds or until smooth.
3.
Remove dough from processor and shape it into a rough ball in your hands. Put dough in oiled bowl and turn dough over to oil all surfaces. Cover with warm, slightly damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise in warm draft-free area about 1 hour 15 minutes or until doubled.
4.
Grease a 9 Ã 5-inch loaf pan. Mix cinnamon with
1
â
3
to
1
â
2
cup sugar. Roll or pat out dough into a 9 Ã 11-inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon-sugar mixture, then with raisins. Press so raisins adhere to dough. Roll up tightly into a cylinder. Put dough in prepared loaf pan.
5.
Cover loaf with a warm, slightly damp cloth and let rise about 1 hour or until nearly doubled. Preheat oven to 375°F.
6.
Beat remaining egg with a pinch of salt. Brush risen loaf gently with beaten egg. Bake about 40 minutes or until top and bottom of loaf are firm and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. (Remove bread from oven before testing.) Run a metal spatula or a thin knife carefully around loaf. Turn out of pan and cool on a rack.