Sorry:  been baking up a storm! This is the standard “I haven’t forgotten about this blog… just too busy with my LIFE to update it as frequently as my other one .” The good news, however, is that with the nice mild weather, and lack of Jewish holidays, the coming week seems like a good one to jump back into the sourdough fray!!! Meanwhile, scenes from Shavuos cooking/baking: Layers for my grandmother’s Neapolitan Cake (see completed photo below): Gulab Jamun – fried and soaking in sugar syrup:     Samosas – not really a cake OR bread, but they are pastry-based, and baked, not fried like traditionally: Roasted beets and carrots – not a cake, bread, dessert OR pastry-based in any way.  But super-yummy nonetheless.     Neapolitan cake, fully assembled and topped with sliced almonds: And here’s the whole spread… Mmm…. everything was SO delicious!   Here’s the full menu , in case you’re interested!

          Double the challah, double the cake! In case you were thinking I was not a total tzadekes, a friend who’s expecting baby #2 had a cold this week and I offered to send in Shabbos food. A cold is not a major ailment, as these things go… I wouldn’t want her to be terribly sick!  But I do remember feeling less than pampered, particularly during pregnancy #2, particularly after how much fuss everybody makes over you during your first pregnancy. As far as I’m concerned, every mama deserves to be pampered during every pregnancy, whether it’s her first or her tenth.  However, somebody has to look after the other nine kids, so that doesn’t usually happen. Still; this is the kind of thing I wished people would have done for me, rather than waiting ‘till the baby comes and I’m in real pain before sending in the food.  If you’re in too much discomfort, you don’t really appreciate the food, right? This was the regular Brea...

This was the post I was GOING to post to 6WS, but I couldn’t resist doing a “braids” theme when I noticed the connection. Scrumptious buns I forgot to blog!   (from the Crusty Potato Bread Recipe here )

  Speaking of braids … mine are improving! Yes, we WERE speaking of braids!  Both my 6WS posts today are BRAID-related.  Click here to see beautiful little-boy braids at my regular blog . (the braids pictured here are Maggie Glezer’s six-strand braid technique which I have been trying to master for several weeks… and I’m actually getting there!  Previous attempts #1 here and #2 here .)

Fast becoming a family favourite, so I thought I’d post a step by step.  Dunno why; it really is just mix and pour! But first, you’ll need the recipe .  It’s here .   Instead of sifting, sifting, sifting like the author suggests, I just whirred everything together in the food processor with the steel blade.  And instead of measuring out 3 cups of flour, I used (note added 11/30/11:  I think this 305 is meant to be 405g - oy) 305g of all-purpose.  The whirring accomplishes way  more than sifting anyway… blends all the dry stuff together so you are guaranteed no lumps! Once the dry stuff is whirred, toss it back in a bowl and add the beer.  Stir, stir, stir, until it is uniformly wet.  I don’t get a “pourable” consistency as the recipe suggests.  It is thick and sticky when ready. Plop it into a baking pan.  Don’t worry; you oil the bread so much it won’t stick.   Pouring oil over.  The recipe calls for butter, ...

Vanilla challah? Breadsmith:  “Sure!”  Us:  “Nope.”

Mostly just the pics this time, continuing with this week’s Breadsmith Challah, courtesy of Maggie Glezer .  Couldn’t find the recipe online, so I guess you’re just going to have to buy the book – or borrow it from my mother, like I did! Naomi decided to get in on the action, which is great… I haven’t baked with the kids in a VERY long time. This dough is perfect for working with kids.  Gorgeously silky and well-developed, as opposed to my usual no-knead wet dough, it feels almost plasticky, like chewing gum.  No flour needed on the table, and it leaves just the slightest oily sheen on everything it touches.  My hands actually feel nice and soft after working with it for a while! Divvying it up:  exactly the same weight, but even after seeing that, Naomi chose the one on the left because “it’s bigger.”  Thank you, Piaget!   Here she is, “smoothing” it out and getting ready.   Scaling her own little bits and pieces.  Mostly readi...