Tag: bread

Pink of Perfection

Apples get all the attention on Rosh Hashanah, drizzled and dipped in honey to ensure a sweet new year ahead, but they’re not the only fruits of note for the occasion. Pomegranates also hold special significance, representing abundance and fertility; blessings that go a bit deeper than simple sweetness, if you ask me.

This year, multiply your mitzvot with Pink Pomegranate Challah, a brilliant round loaf with crisp arils woven into every slice.

There are HOW many seeds in a pomegranate?

Jewish lore has it that each pomegranate contains 613 seeds, which is exactly the number of Mitzvot, or commandments, given in the Torah. Scientific accuracy notwithstanding, it’s a compelling reminder of the multifaceted principals that go into leading a full life, through the good and bad.

Why is it the best challah recipe around?

For Rosh Hashanah, the traditionally straight plaited strands of bread curl into a rounded loaf instead. The round challah is often interpreted as a representation of the cyclical nature of life, the cycle of the year, and the continuity of creation. Especially important for this particular holiday, it’s a reminder of the passage of time and the opportunity for renewal that comes with each new year. The circular shape is also seen as a symbol of unity and completeness, as there is no beginning or end to a circle.

What does pink challah taste like?

Okay, enough mythology- Let’s get back to reality. Here we find a pillow-soft, buttery bread, tinted Barbie-pink with pitaya puree. The fruit puree doesn’t add any discernible flavor, but a subtle sweetness that plays off the vegan honey or agave beautifully. Tart bites of toothsome pomegranate arils balance it all out with an irresistible crunch.

It’s the kind of bread that needs no toppings or accompaniments, but of course, there’s nothing like a generous schmear of vegan butter or cream cheese to make it really shine. It’s a party anyway, so you might as well go all-out with a sprinkle of extra pomegranate arils and an extra touch of your favorite sticky sweetener.

Is there extra meaning behind a pink challah?

What I love about Judiasm is how that it’s open to modern interpretation, as a fluid, evolving concept. Thus, I’d like to add to the legend and lore to say that a pink challah is also meaningful, symbolizing hope, positivity, and optimism for the new year ahead. Furthermore, the color pink is also commonly linked to emotions like compassion and love; by incorporating a pink challah into the Rosh Hashanah meal, you can silently express a desire for the coming days to be filled with love, kindness, and strong connections among family and friends.

Shanah Tovah (שָׁנָה טוֹבָה), one and all.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments

Short and Stout

As the single most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world, I know I’m part of the minority when I say I’m not a big fan of beer. The oldest known recipe for beer is over 4,000 years old, discovered in ancient Mesopotamia, so clearly there’s more to it that I must be missing. Forever curious, sometimes to my own detriment, I’ll always eagerly try a new brew. For such an immense, diverse category of drinks, it would be criminal to write them all off for a single polarizing flavor, after all.

Anyone else in the same boat would be advised not to attempt a heavy, highly-hopped stout. When offered a novel, local brew, the promise of coffee and oatmeal drew me in, but make no mistake: This is no breakfast treat. Acrid, cloying, and bitter, I could barely get down two sips before calling it quits.

Though perhaps unintentionally, this particular coffee oatmeal stout did provide ample inspiration after the initial brutal tasting. Taking notes from the basic components, it became a hearty base for an equally intense, yet far less polarizing, quick bread.

Both intoxicating and energizing, you get a serious dose of caffeine from concentrated cold brew coffee, amplifying the flavor from the beer. Whole oats boost the cereal taste from the brewing process, while date syrup and coconut sugar harmonize with a caramelized sweetness, taking the edge off the harsher flavors that otherwise bubble up.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Flour: I used a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour to incorporate a more earthy, wholesome flavor that pairs well with the heft and intensity of the beer. If you want a lighter crumb and higher rise, you can omit the whole wheat and use twice as much all-purpose instead.
    • For a gluten-free option, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend and replace the stout with a comparable wheat-free dark beer.
  • Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate: This is a staple for me during the hotter months (AKA, 10 out of 12 in Texas) so I always have a bottle on hand. In a pinch, you could replace this with regular coffee brewed at 4x strength, or 4 teaspoons of instant coffee powder dissolved into 1/2 cup of water.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend: This was an inclusion of pure laziness. If you don’t have a ready-made mix in the pantry, you could omit the spices altogether, or use a combination of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
  • Date Syrup: Moderately sweet, tempered by a subtly bitter caramel-like bite, date syrup is one of my current favorite sweeteners. You could replace it with standard molasses if desired, but expect a darker end result.
  • Coconut Sugar: Same sentiment here; an equal amount of dark brown sugar can suffice.

Did you know that in ancient Egypt, beer was considered a sacred beverage and was often used as payment for laborers? I’d like to think that this Coffee Oatmeal Stout Bread would be worth its weight in gold. Even if you don’t like beer, this easy recipe will give you a good reason to keep a 6-pack on hand.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

A Star is Born

Get Your Glow On

Shining brightly as a beacon of hope and guiding light, stars hold a heavy symbolic weight with their ethereal luminescence. When it comes to Christmas specifically, it’s the crowning jewel on top of a majestic evergreen tree, the pinnacle of the holiday spirit itself. Why not add a little bit more star power to the whole season, starting with your plate.

Gold Star Bread

What Is Star Bread?

Gold Star Bread is a glorious, glowing ode to brioche, cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, and coffee cake all wrapped up in tender outstretched rays. The dough itself is soft and buttery, rich and warmly spiced, infused with the flaxen hue of ground turmeric. That alone could be turned into a luscious loaf. For a special occasion, though, we might as well go all out. Mocha infuses each twist and turn as a sweet wake up call. Ease into a festive day ahead with your very own golden star leading the way.

Sharing pull-apart bread with loved ones is a whole different experience from whacking off a simple slice. You eat with your hands, drop all pretenses, and can surrender yourself to the tactile sensation of the warm, freshly baked dough. While it makes for a showstopping breakfast or dessert, the assembly is no more complicated than any other yeasted treat.

Gold Star Bread

Filling Ideas for Star Bread

If you’re not a coffee person, you’ve got plenty of flavorful options.

  • Easiest of all, simply omit the coffee powder and keep it cocoa.
  • Swap the coffee and cocoa for ground cinnamon.
  • Use brown sugar and chai spices.
  • Add roughly chopped pecans, walnuts, and/or crystallized ginger.

The sun may hide away on some winter days, but the stars will still come out to guide your way. Hold on to that golden glow through the holidays and beyond.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

Pull Yourself Together

There are few universal truths in life, but I know this to be true: Everyone loves pizza.

Pizza is quite possibly the world’s most perfect food. Between the crispy yet chewy crust, savory-sweet tomato sauce, and gooey cheese, it’s easy to understand the appeal. While some may dispute the ideal approach to each individual component, no one will disparage the overall concept. Even as it shape-shifts into different forms, that fact remains unshakable.

Thus, in honor of World Bread Day, I present to you pizza bread like you’ve never seen before. Forget the juvenile cafeteria fare that the notion may evoke and brace yourself for the ultimate pizza experience reconfigured as a generous loaf. Accordion-Style Pull-Apart Pizza Bread takes notes from monkey bread as an irresistible finger food, translates it into savory terms, and then flips it on its head for the final grand presentation.

If you want to impress friends, this is your new party trick. Though it may look complicated, it takes little more effort than shaping a standard loaf of bread. Divide and conquer, rolling out small sheets of dough piece by piece, then reassemble the whole thing like Frankenstein’s monster, but far more attractive. Tomato sauce gets baked right in for complete coverage so all you have to do is add cheese and toppings, then slap it together. There are no points awarded for cleanliness, so get in there and have fun!

The trick is knowing your spacial limitations. There is no loaf pan that I know of designed precisely for such unconventional culinary experimentation, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find creative solutions. I quickly ran out of dough before my standard 8 x 4-inch pan was filled, which ultimately came at my benefit. Simply tuck in the open end using foil as a brace and insert a ramekin with water for support. Now, you have both the perfect package and a built-in steam bath to help it rise to even greater heights.

What else can you add to your pull-apart pizza bread?

I’m glad you asked! Like the classic, fillings are as limitless for toppings. Dig into any of your favorites, such as:

  • Sun-dried tomatoes
  • Sliced olives
  • Diced red onion
  • Plant-based pepperoni, sausage crumbles, or bacon
  • Sauteed mushrooms
  • Diced bell peppers
  • Fresh basil, parsley, or scallions
  • Baby arugula or spinach
  • Diced pineapple

The only way you can go wrong is if you don’t try it in the first place. Even bad pizza is pretty good, and I can assure you, this one far exceeds all expectations.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments