A few weeks ago, I was browsing Netflix..a common passtime for EVERYONE now, looking for the next best thing to watch after 9pm. I had completely watched all the episodes of House of Cards and Anthony Bourdain's series (probably watched them all 3 times each) and wasn't at all impressed with this month's suggestions for Romantic Comedies. Luckily in the "Just Added" section, a newer docuseries called Cooked based on Michael Pollan's book was available. It was just 4 episodes and I was really too impatient to go out and buy the book. I tried to check it out in the library, but then of course time got away from me. Sorry Mr. Pollan, I promise I will get around to it sometime. So, I gladly checked this show out. Let me tell you, I watched every episode twice and have since annoyingly recommended to everyone I know who appreciates food. It is a brilliant series. Each episode outlines amazing points about the importance of getting back to the art and skill of cooking. How we have slowly but surely, especially in America, become a society of convenience, hooking ourselves to foods that are more chemical than real. Getting back to the earth, air, fire, and water, is what this series is about. Cooking is something we are meant to do as humans. It separates us from the animals and is embeded into our DNA. I highly recommend it. Check out the trailer here.
One of the episodes, the 3rd one to be exact, covered the amazing phenomenon behind baking bread. One of the scientists quoted in the episode makes this amazing point. Bruce German, a food scientist at UC Davis, says “If I gave you a bag of flour and water you could live on it for a while but eventually you would die. BUT if you take that same bag of flour and water and bake it into bread, you could live indefinitely.” How true that statement is. Bread is actually the key to survival in many countries. To think that mixing flour and bread and adding heat can create such an amazing chemical reaction, is completely beyond me. In addition to the elements of survival, we know that bread brings us joy as human beings.
The Journal of Social Pyschology researched the power of positive smells. In an article in 2012, a study in France found that when people were in an area where the smell of baking bread was apparent, those people were kinder to strangers. People in the study purposefully but accidentally dropped things on the sidewalk, seeing if anyone passing by would help to pick them up. Those that were in "smellshot" to a bakery as opposed to a clothing store were more kind and helpful. Here is that article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/02/the-smell-of-fresh-baked-_n_2058480.html. People love the smell of bread so much that companies like Sensory Decisions are making perfumes that smell like bread. Essentially though, it is not just the smell of bread that brings people joy. It is the memories of eating it. Eating bread is a staple food and makes us think of home and tradition. Even with today's diets claiming that carbohydrates are bad for the body, leading to weight gain or are preventing you from losing weight or ruining your fitness challenge blah blah blah.... bread is sort of embeded in our DNA. I wouldn't completely shun it out of your life forever.. AND NO there is no conclusive evidence in science today that Gluten...a wheat protein made while dough rises and is kneaded, is definitely bad for you as some claim...or as South park says "It will make your d**k fly off". In many cultures, bread is eaten with every meal. It is essential to the culture and society. Sometimes, it is all you have and all you can depend on.
Speaking of cultures, as some of you know I am a professor of health and have been teaching for the last 3 years. Every semester, I talk with various students after class about this and that. Many times, it is issues that these young people have that they cannot talk with with anyone else. Everything from abuse to unplanned pregnancies. No one else will listen, and I am glad to be there for them. Other times, it is just talking about food, which is my favorite thing to talk about. One of my students this year was kind enough to tell me more about her Jewish heritage and her love of cooking. We got on the topic about our favorite Jewish foods. I myself am half and love exploring this part of my genetics. Matzo ball soup, pastrami, Passover dinner, and of course challah bread. She turns to me and says that her grandmother makes the absolute best fail proof challah bread ON THE PLANET and that she would be happy to bring me the recipe. This week, I tested it out and got in touch with my own heritage.
Grandma recipes, people, are like gold. Grandma's usually don't write things down and sometimes they take recipes to the grave with them. When that happens, a beautiful masterpiece disappears forever. BUT, I felt so lucky and...I will be honest, giddy, to be able to receive this recipe.
Right now, I have some time on my hands. So, I decided to try my hand at making Challah. Now, for those of you that don't know, Challah is the Jewish Sabbath and holiday bread and the word "challah" means piece of dough. Usually it is divided into 3 strands and braided. Some people even make round challah's, challah's shaped like hands, challah's shaped like ladders. It is all culturally significant. According to Shamash.org, Some people believe that the 3 sections of the challah represent The Creation of the World, the Exodus from Egypt and the Messianic Era. Traditionally, a piece of the bread is broken off and burned with the challah bread while it is baking. Burning the small piece signifies sacrifice. The Jewish culture is steeped in tradition and symbolism. BUT MOST OF ALL, it is a culture of deliciousness. There is even a blessing to go with the bread before it is baked that was included in the recipe I was given.
Now, I am a foodie and a cook and I have made some difficult things in my experience. Bread has never been one that I have attempted because of the preciseness that is required. With cooking, you can estimate. You can say, screw it, I will add more of this and not as much of that. I don't particularly measure NOR do I enjoy measuring ingredients. Alas, baking is not something that you can estimate. Baking is like the bipolar person at the office. One little thing can offset everything and then you just want to run for your life.
However, as a proper cook, learning to bake is essential. Especially bread. Getting down to my human roots as Michael Pollan encourages and getting in touch with my Jewish heritage was part of the reasoning for this project as well. So there I went, and made this recipe for the first time. The original recipe made 8 loaves, WAY more than I could ever eat. My student said she usually gives them away to people. However, I have cut the recipe in half so that it makes 4 loaves.
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RECIPE:
No Fail Challah Bread
Makes 4 loaves
2.5 lbs bread flour (plus alot extra for kneading)
1 TBSP kosher salt
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups VERY warm water
1/5 packages dry yeast.
Canola oil spray
Mix yeast with VERY warm water and a TSBP of sugar and leave to activate (takes about 10 minutes). In a large mixing bowl, put salt, flour and sugar in and mix. Add eggs and oil. Then add the yeast and water mixture. Blend well with a spoon or with hands.
This is the tricky part of this recipe that I had to figure out on my own. The recipe as is makes the dough very sticky initially. SO, you will need to add a little flour at a time to make the dough less sticky and "kneadable". Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes. Your arms may get tired, but don't be a wuss. Transfer dough to a large bowl that has been sprayed with canola oil and let dough rise for 2 hours. I just put a wet paper towel over the bowl. My mother also suggested putting the bowl of dough into the oven without turning it on. Apparently, dark places slightly above room temperature make for good dough rising environments. After 2 hours, take the dough out and divide it into 4 equal lumps. Before braiding, take a small piece of dough and set aside. Repeat the following blessing.
BORUCH ATAH HASHEM ELOKAINU MELECH HAOLEM ASHER KIDESHANU BEMITZVOTAV VETZIVANU LEHAFRISH CHALLAH
Next: Hold the small dough lump you tore off into the air and say "HARAI ZEH CAHLLAH" (this is challah).
Next: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
On a floured surface, use a good knife and divide each dough lump into 3 long dough pieces. I keep the top of the dough lumps together and just divide the strands from there. However, you don't have to. Braid the dough like you would your sister's hair. Go over not under. Repeat with the other dough lumps. Place braided Challahs on a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with canola oil. Bake until the bread surface is a deep golden brown. THERE IS NO SET BAKE TIME...remember...this is a grandma recipe. They just know! Cool on a baking rack.
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Anyway, I did this procedure and even though I made kind of a mess in the kitchen, there is nothing that compares to the satisfaction of FIRST seeing the dough double in size, SECOND watching your dough puff up and brown in the oven and THIRD..smelling that fresh baked bread smell as it fills your house.
I swear, we need to have people with PTSD take some baking classes or just bring them to bakeries more often. The smell alone is a destressor for the mind and body.
The final element of satisfaction of course was tasting this bread. Surprisingly, it was just right. Fluffy and slightly sweet. I don't know how in the heck I managed to do it without messing up the bread the first time around, but hey...,maybe it was that Jewish blessing?
Anyway, I am hoarding bread like Golem because this Challah is truly precious. I am grateful to have been a part of this experience. Bread is life. Bread is home. I think now since the barrier of bread making in my kitchen has been broken, there is only more experiences like this to come. What will be next? Who knows but I am hungry just talking about all of this.
