Gingerbread Challah

Let me give you an idea as to how my mind works.

  The other night Mr. O-P and I were watching football. At one of the breaks a commercial came on for a breakfast place. Could have been Denny's, could have been IHOP, could have been Bob Evans, I really don't know, because all I heard were the words “gingerbread French toast.”  All of a sudden I started to think, ooooooh that sounds tasty.  The plate of French toast in the commercial looked as if ordinary bread had been used, but I immediately started to wonder how I could turn my challah recipe (because French toast isn't French toast, good French toast anyway, unless it is made with challah) into gingerbread challah.  Gingerbread contains molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. So I decided to substitute the honey in the original recipe for molasses and add ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. I can't tell you how amazing it smelled while it was baking; when people walked into the house they commented. As luck would have it, it tasted as good as it smelled.

Here is the recipe so you can try it yourself. It's a bit denser than plain challah because molasses is heavier than honey. It is also not sweet because it contains no sugar. It is intensely flavorful, however, and makes excellent toast, cinnamon toast, and is superb when used for a turkey sandwich. Later on I'll be trying it to make French toast. I'll let you know.

Gingerbread Challah

1 pinch saffron thread

1 tablespoon water, boiling

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons molasses

2/3 cup hot water (100°F-105°F)

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups white bread flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 egg, beaten

In a small bowl, soak the saffron threads in the 1 tablespoon of boiling water for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, place the beaten eggs, molasses, hot water and melted butter in a bowl. Mix well.

Add the saffron threads with the soaking water; stir and pour the mixture into the baking pan of your bread machine.

Mix the salt and spices into the flour and add to the baking pan and sprinkle the yeast on top.  Set the program to ‘dough.’

When the dough is ready (mine takes 90 minutes), transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes.

Shape the dough into a loaf and place into a greased standard loaf pan. Cover with a sheet of plastic that you have sprayed with PAM.

When the dough has nearly doubled in size (30-45 minutes), remove the plastic wrap and lightly brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and leave it to cool before serving.

This post is linked to:

Thursday Favorite Things

Full Plate Thursday

Create It Thursday 

 Show and Tell Friday 

Friday Unfolded

Pumpkin Challah Bread

I love pumpkin in anything except pumpkin pie.  Go figure.  The other day I was wondering just what other pumpkin thing I could make that, previously, had not been considered, well, pumpkin-y.  As I love challah bread and make it frequently, I wondered if it would translate into as wonderful a pumpkin loaf as it is a plain one.  A little bit of experimentation yielded amazing results.  This is one fragrant, delicious loaf, and I made it in the bread machine.  With just a hint of sweetness, it works equally well for dinner as it does breakfast, it freezes beautifully, and makes one amazing piece of cinnamon toast!

Pumpkin Challah Bread

Adapted from 100 Bread Machine Recipes by Vicki Smallwood 

1 pinch saffron threads

1 tablespoon water, boiling

1 extra large egg, beaten

3 tablespoons honey

2/3 cup hot water (100°F-105°F)

5 tablespoons butter, melted

½ cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 cups white bread flour

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

To Finish

1 egg, beaten for brushing over

Directions

·        In a small bowl, soak the saffron threads in the 1 tablespoon of boiling water for 10 minutes.

·        In the meantime, place the beaten egg, honey, hot water, melted butter, and pumpkin purée in a bowl. Mix well.  Add the saffron threads with the soaking water, stir and pour the mixture into the baking pan of your bread machine.

·        Mix the salt into the flour and add to the baking pan and spoon the yeast on top.  Set the program to 'DOUGH.'.

·        When the dough is ready (mine takes 90 minutes), transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes. (The dough will feel quite soft and silky.).

·        Shape the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces, then roll each piece into a sausage shape measuring approximately 12 inches in length.  Pinch the top end of each length of dough together, then weave the pieces into a braid/plait.

·        Pinch the bottom ends together, then tuck both ends under the dough to form a neatly braided loaf.

·        Place the dough on a greased baking sheet, brush with oil, cover with plastic wrap/cling film and leave it to rise/prove in a warm place.

·        Preheat the oven425°F.When the dough has nearly doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and lightly brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and leave it to cool before serving.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Sunday's Best Party

Chocolate French Toast

Brace yourselves for the best French Toast EVER!  I’m not kidding, yesterday’s chocolate challah bread was, as I suspected, the perfect venue for French toast.  Not too sweet, but the right texture, it yielded a crusty-on-the-outside, puffed-and-creamy-on-the-inside French toast with a rich chocolate flavor.  The addition of the orange enhanced it even more, and I found myself moaning with pleasure at every bite.

Chocolate French Toast

2 extra-large eggs

3/4 cup half-and-half or milk

1 teaspoon grated orange zest 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon maple syrup

½ teaspoon orange oil

Pinch of kosher salt

4 slices chocolate challah bread

Unsalted butter

Vegetable oil

To serve:

Pure maple syrup

Grated orange zest

Sifted confectioners' sugar 

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, orange oil, maple syrup, and salt. Slice the challah into 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak slices in the egg mixture for 3 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Serve hot topped with orange zest, maple syrup, and confectioners' sugar.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Sunday's Best Party

Circuit Breaker French Toast

It was already 90 degrees when we arose this morning - at eight o'clock - so perhaps turning on the coffee pot, the toaster oven (to warm the plates), and the Griddler to make French Toast was not the best idea.  With the high expected to be 100 toasty degrees and heat indices around 115, my heart stopped beating when all of a sudden it got very quiet and rather dark.  A quick picture of our desiccated bodies being discovered by the police due to our mutual death by heat stroke flashed through my mind.  Then I heard the motor of the refrigerator click on.  Aha!  It's the circuit breaker, as only half of the kitchen seemed to be without power.  A trip to the basement to locate the box, a push to the right, a snap to the left and things were back to normal.  I decided that we really didn't need warm plates, I could just set them on the patio table for a minute or two.

The actual name of this recipe is Grand Marnier French Toast. It was first published in Bon Appetit in September 1995, and I found it here.  I did, however, substitute Triple Sec as I don't happen to keep Grand Marnier on hand, and used blood orange zest in place of regular zest.  I also halved the recipe with no problem.  This is one delicious French Toast recipe and I will be making it again.

Though it can easily be found online by clicking the link above, here it is below, for the sake of convenience.  

Circuit Breaker French Toast 

a.k.a Grand Marnier French Toast

4 large eggs
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur or frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 3/4-inch-thick French bread slices*
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
Powdered sugar
Warm maple syrup

Whisk first 6 ingredients to blend in medium bowl. Dip each bread slice into egg mixture and arrange in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour remaining egg mixture evenly over bread. Let stand until egg mixture is absorbed, at least 20 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Place baking sheet in oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add 4 bread slices to skillet and saute until cooked through and brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place on baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat cooking with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 4 bread slices. Transfer French toast to 4 plates. Sift powdered sugar over. Serve with maple syrup.

*I used Challah.  I find this makes better French toast than any other type of bread I've tried.  What I used today came from Trader Joe's, but if you want the best Challah bread ever, you can make your own.  Instructions are here.

I absolutely LOVE my Griddler!
Click the image above for the skinny.

Challah French Toast

How delicious does this look?  Well, let me tell you I've not had French Toast that tasted any better.  It was superb! I attribute part of it to the homemade challah that I made yesterday, and the other to Ina Garten's Challah French Toast recipe.  It's from her book Barefoot Contessa Family Style and it's worth buying the book for this recipe alone.  

Challah French Toast

6 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon good honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large loaf challah or brioche bread

Unsalted butter

Vegetable oil

To serve:

Pure maple syrup

Good raspberry preserves (optional)

Sifted confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the challah in 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until it's all cooked. Serve hot with maple syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners' sugar.

Slicing for French Toast making.