Reinhart's Thin Wheat Crackers

I can never resist a cracker recipe when I stumble on one both for their ease of preparation and for the high marks they get in the munch-ability category. They are just so darned good, with everything and at anytime! That is why immediately after the graham cracker episode I continued on to make these Thin Wheat Crackers from Whole Grain Breads. These were not only delicious and ridiculously foolproof but of all the crackers I've made (and there have been a bunch) these most successfully brought me back to my childhood Shabbatot where we would have my father's famous eggs and onions, almost always with a side of crackers. Indeed, when I wasn't stealing a few from the little baggie I stored them in, I ate them along with some egg salad that I quickly made for the occasion. Yum.

Reinhart's Graham Crackers

Every now and then, I find myself in a whole grain baking kick. I have no idea where this inspiration hits from, but when it strikes, it strikes hard. This week, the book of choice was Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads. Flipping through the pages in the cracker chapter, I contemplated the Graham crackers. Years ago, almost at the start of this blog, I made Graham crackers and about a year and a half ago I made chocolate Graham crackers. Both of those were more cookie like crackers than cracker-crackers (know what I mean?!) so I thought that license enough to repeat myself. These Graham's are made entirely of whole wheat flour and without fat. The original calls for honey but I ran out in the middle and made up the difference in date syrup. A bit of cinnamon adds that comforting, homey, redolent of childhood flavor. So how'd they pan out? These crackers were definitely crackers. Because of the lack of fat here, they are very, very crunchy. I think I would add a tablespoon of oil or margarine next time to ensure that I don't break any teeth. That said, the flavor was definitely there and I enjoyed them spread with peanut butter. Add some fresh apple slices and you have the perfect afternoon snack. They didn't last that long though because between my munching and using them as a pie crust for a wonderful pie I made, they disappeared super fast. Try them, you'll see why.

Tomato Onion Pepper Foccacias

I made these breads to break my fast on Tisha B'av quite a while ago and am only getting around to posting now. This recipe is slighty adapted from a recipe from A Passion for Baking. The original calls for tomatoes, olives and onions but I swapped out the olives for peppers, a favorite of mine, especially when roasted. These foccacias are quite easy and fast to throw together and last quite a while. What I couldn't eat at the break fast I took for my flight home. Delicious.

Picnic Wraps

Yesterday, while contemplating what kind of bread to bake for Shabbat and flipping through the Baker's Companion, inspiration hit. Why not make wraps for lunch? I had a can of tuna waiting to be used and it seemed like the perfect afternoon meal. Quite a while back, when I was still in Bar Ilan, I made some flour tortillas and remembered being quite impressed with how they turned out. Making these Picnic Wraps, then, from the Crackers and Flatbreads chapter, was a go. With just four basic ingredients, these wraps were really simple and easy to make. You start with some flour and oil, add some salt and water and knead to make a smooth dough. There is a bit of resting involved but you can use that time to do other things. My biggest issue is figuring out how to get them to stay in a circle while rolling. As you can see from the picture above, I got something resembling a circle, but not quite a circle. And there's more where that came from. Fortunately, the both looked and acted like the real thing so really not complaining. Looking forward to breaking my fast on these tomorrow night.

Adventures with Rye Part 10: Rye Pumpkinseed Breadsticks

As a little gift to myself for successfully completing basic training (I only cried four times!), I bought myself a few of the latest Israeli baking books (they were all on sale!). One of them is the second book by Micky Shemo, devoted to the baked goods of Shabbat and the holidays of the year. I was psyched to come across it (being a big fan of his first book, and all) and picked it up right away. I've been thumbing through it at least once a day and decided to break it in this erev Shabbat by making some breadsticks from the Tu Bishvat (the new year for the trees) chapter. I made some changes, making these decidedly un-Tu Bishvat like, but totally delicious. These breadsticks are made with rye flour and were supposed to contain raisins, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I omitted the raisins and idiotically bought two packages of pumpkin seeds instead of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I sprinkled sesame seeds on the shaped sticks. Even with these changes, they came out delicious, with a delicate sweetness from the rye and seeds. I was expecting these to be crunchier instead of bready, but still I liked them and happily munched them until they were gone. Reheat them as necessary to get rid of any staleness and freeze for longer storage. These are heading off to Yeastspotting!

Neo-Neopolitan Pizza

During the nine days, there really isn't much to eat besides lots of dairy and carbs. (This week is a vegetarian's dream!) I still stay away from pasta so that wasn't an option. So, I decided to make pizza. Normally, I stay away from that to, but as my food choices are limited and I haven't had a slice of it in ages, I decided to go ahead and make some dough. I've made pizza plenty of times before and posted about it, too but this time I decided to go with a different recipe. I made Peter Reinhart's Neo-Neopolitan Pizza from his latest, Artisan Breads Every Day. What I loved about this recipe is that it makes enough dough for five pizzas and that you can freeze what you don't use right after mixing! I divided the dough into five portions, froze four in individual baggies and threw them in the freezer, leaving the fifth portion to ferment overnight. The next day, I made the sauce recipe that he provided and froze what I didn't use into individual portions. I felt so mommy-like with all this planning ahead! The dough comes together so easily in the mixer, and besides for a stretch and fold, doesn't require much. After it had risen overnight, (and when I was ready for dinner) I stretched the dough out onto a baking sheet and topped with sauce and cheese. I needed to bake the pizza for much longer than I did because I got no color on the sides and bottom, even though it was perfectly cooked. I think I'll bake directly on the stone next time. All in all, it was a delicious pizza and I'm really glad to have more pizza nights in the near future. This pizza is headed to Yeastspotting! Hope everyone has a meaningful fast!
UPDATE: I just made another pizza, baked directly on the baking stone. It made all of the difference. The flavor really comes out of the crust and it is just so delicious. Homemade pizza has never tasted this good. Lesson learned- always use the baking stone. 

Israeli Bageleh

Two weeks ago, I spent our last out Shabbat with the girls in one of Israel's four holy cities, Tzfat. Recalling from last year that the food wasn't all that great, I decided to make my own bread. Since this was a last minuet decision, I needed something quick. While I was pondering what to make, it hit me to make regular pita. This thought led me to my beloved A Blessing of Bread by Maggie Glezer, which I've used extensively in the past but haven't touched in a while. Flipping through the pages, I saw this recipe for Bageleh, a ubiquitous bread here in Israel. These breads are made with her pita bread base, shaped as bagels, dipped into sesame seeds and flattened. Anything with sesame seeds is a winner in my book. I used the KitchenAid to put these together and the mixer made quick work of this dough. It turned out wonderfully soft and silky. They are immediately shaped and coated with water, dipped into sesame seeds and allowed to rise. Once they rise, they are flattened with a rolling pin, allowed to proof again and then baked on a baking stone. My breads lack the glorious color that commercial ones have because of the lack of sugar added (lack of fermentation time also doesnt help here) and the fact that there's no egg wash here. Nevertheless, these breads score major points for deliciousness. I enjoyed them throughout Shabbat plain or dipped into "salatim" or dips but feel free to slice them in half and use them for sandwiches. Below is the full recipe, but I only made half. This recipe has been Yeastspotted. 

A Week of Whole Grain Baking, Day 7: Chocolate Graham Crackers

This week long, whole grain bake fest involved a lot of cracker making. While I was at it, I decided to try my hand at the sweet kind, namely the Graham Cracker. Having made regular graham crackers ages ago, pretty much at the beginning of my blogging days, I decided to go with the chocolate graham. Besides, who doesnt love chocolate? Right. Aaaand, it would make a bigger dent in the barley flour-- let's not forget the reason for this week of wholesome baking. Anyway, the dough comes along pretty easily by hand and then takes a time out in the fridge. It then gets rolled out, docked and baked. The smell of them baking pervaded the entire hallway with a luxurious chocolate scent. Yum! And they taste as good as they smell, a deep chocolate flavor with a nice crackery crunch. I cut some of the cracker dough in half and so the smaller pieces got burned and threw them away; with such a deep colored dough, it's kind of hard to tell when theyre done. My next batch, I took them out earlier, which made for a softer, hbendier cracker, which my girls actually loved. The last batch, I made normally. I plunked a jar of peanut butter down next to the crackers, encouraging the girls to eat them together. Most girls did. Classic combination. Feel free to eat them plain or crush them up in a food processor to use as a crust in your favorite pie. Or make a chocolate smore. Whip out your cookie cutters and make animal crackers. Let your imagination run wild!

A Week of Whole Grain Baking, Day 6: Sesame Crackers

These are, hands down, some of my favorite things ever. Cracker + sesame? YUM! If you don't know this already about me, I love sesame, especially toasted sesame. I knew these were going to be winners before I even made them, so I don't know what took me so long. I guess I just needed the push of getting rid of flours to get me going. Seriously, I don't think I stopped munching on these from the time they came out of the oven until they were finished. These deserve to be made again (shocking!) this time with the addition of the optional sesame oil, to boost the sesame flavor. If you don't have it, don't fret- the toasted sesame really adds tons of flavor. By now you should be so used to the process of cracker making that you could do it with your eyes closed. Go on. Make them.

A Week of Whole Grain Baking, Day 2: Wheat Thins

I am on a cracker kick. Once I tried my hand at making crackers (my first try was the rye batch), it seems I just can not stop. (And I probably won't stop until I try at least a couple other combinations, too!) Anyway, this past weekend, we had an in Shabbat, our last together before the girls head to Poland and/or home for the holiday. Since I had time, I decided to bake for myself. Just like last time, I made some bread (more on that later) and these crackers. The whole grain of choice in these Wheat Thins are whole wheat flour. They are flavored with a bit of sugar, paprika and vanilla. The vanilla and sugar add a bit of sweetness that is quite pronounced, so I would omit the vanilla next time, cut back the sugar, and sprinkle some salt on the top to highlight the savoriness of the cracker. They taste most like their real counterparts when they are well done, so don't be afraid to let them get there. These are quite addictive- you won't stop at just a handful. I know I couldnt.

Adventures with Rye Part 7: Crispy Rye Crackers

I'm not really sure why I never thought to make crackers before. They are as easy as pie (dough) and awesome. Awesomely addictive, that is. In addition to the spelt pitas that I made for Shabbat last weekend, I made these, figuring I'd need something to much on Shabbat morning. Well, they didn't make it that long. I know I only made half a recipe, but still. This recipe comes from Whole Grain Baking (another duh!). It was hard to pick a cracker recipe but knowing that I still had rye flour sitting in the fridge, I opted for these Crispy Rye Crackers. Just like pie crust, you mix some dry ingredients together, in this case, rye flour, regular flour, and a bit of cocoa powder. Stir in some caraway seeds (YUM!), rub in some fat, drizzle in some water and molasses. Chill, roll, bake. Done. I topped half of the batch with fleur de sel, but I think I preferred them without. I would say these would be great for tuna fish or whatever else you got laying around, but they are also so good by themselves. They are so munchable, you can't stop at just a few. Definitely going to try more crackers in the future. Sesame? Can't hardly wait.

Spelt Pita

This past Shabbat, we had a school weekend in a beautiful community called Nof Ayalon. Knowing that the food we would be eating for lunch was yeshiva food, I took the opportunity to once again bring my own bread with me so at least I knew I would be eating something. I whipped out my Whole Grain Baking and decided to make the Spelt Pita. It's been a while since I last tried my hand at making pita (the last try was the successful Whole Wheat Pitot) and I still have a bag of spelt flour hanging around from when I discovered a health food store that sold presifted every type of flour imaginable. (I have since found a much closer store that carries everything in more. I even found rye flakes!) It seemed the natural choice. One might ask, why make pita when you live in Israel? Now, it's true that pitot are Israeli's most loveable bread, especially if you love falafel. With their built in pocket, they are ready for any sandwich filling and they are ubiquitous. Still, there's something to be said about homemade bread- it's just fun! Especially watching them balloon in the oven. That never gets old. And I've never seen a spelt pita in any store. So there. Back to the recipe. I made a half recipe and it was quite simple. Make a sponge, add remaining ingredients, knead, let rise. I stashed my dough in the fridge overnight and baked them off Friday morning. I rolled them a bit too thin, so next time I would make them smaller so that they are more bready and sandwich like. I wasnt able to enjoy them right out of the oven, they would be soo good that way, but nonetheless they were really good. The spelt lends a noticeable sweetness and mellowness and I love the speckled, branny look it gave the dough as well. These breads are off to Yeastspotting!

Sullivan Street's Potato Pizza

It's that time of the week again....erev Shabbat and thank G-d because I dont think I could be more tired even if I tried. Yesterday had me up at six am for a bris in Jerusalem. I think I was in bed at ten thirty pm. See? I knew turning twenty three was the beginning of old ;) In any case, I'm ready for the weekend. Anyway.... The event was nice and a great opportunity to see and meet a lot of the family that I have here in Israel but have never been introduced to. And burning dumpsters. At eight in the morning. Go figure. Ok, back to baking. This Potato Pizza is Jim Lahey's (of no knead fame) recipe that is featured in Maggie Glezer's awesome Artisan Baking Across America. It is also the second recipe that I made for the break fast this week. I must say that even though I myself personally didn't try it, I am so excited about it. Why? Well, look how beautifully it turned out. It's quite the looker, isnt it? But more so than that because it was a really fun dough to work with and it turned out perfectly. The dough is more of a batter that is beaten into submission for twenty minutes (much like Rose's focaccia which I want to tackle too) in a mixer (LOVE KITCHEN AIDs!!) to form its gluten and then allowed to ferment for four hours before being poured into a pan allowed to rise again and topped with thinly sliced potatoes (I HEART mandolines!) onions and rosemary. The result was the crispiest pizza bottom, I know because you could just tell! and a lovely interior structure. And my friends loved it, too. I made it in one rectangular pan and it was more than enough. It was difficult to get it to spread all the way to the corners but I did my best and it turned out fine. Making two pizzas out of it would have just made my life more difficult than actually necessary. Don't forget lots of salt and a salad to serve on the side. Here's to the weekend! Oh and check out Yeastspotting!

Sullivan Street's Potato Pizza

as I made it from Artisan Baking Across America

Dough:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp granulated sugar

Topping:

1 or 2 large potatoes

onion

fresh or dried rosemary

olive oil

salt

Place the flour and yeast in the mixer bowl. Using the paddle beater, mix for a few minutes until evenly combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the water. Mix for three minutes until completely combined and a batter forms.
Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat for twenty minutes or until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Fear not- it will.
Can you see that lovely gluten network that formed? Add the salt and the sugar and beat an additional two minutes.
Here's the finished batter/dough.
Allow to ferment for four hours or until puffy.
Pour the dough into a generously olive oil greased sheet pan. Spread as gently as you can to the edges, taking care not to pop any bubbles. If you are having difficulty, allow to rest at ten minute intervals as you need to stretch completely.
While the dough is proofing, mandoline the potatoes and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for fifteen minutes. Squeeze out all of the liquid. Slice the onions while they're sitting.
Combine the potatoes, onions, fresh or dried rosemary and salt. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Top the pizza by overlapping the potatoes onto the dough. Sprinkle on the onions. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
Bake for forty minutes, rotating halfway through. This is what it should look like. I removed the pizza from the rack to cool completely without soggying up the bottom. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Semolina Pizza Dough

As I sit here writing this post, I am trying very hard, and failing, to study for the exam that I have tomorrow morning. Ever try studying in extreme heat? I fall asleep every few pages of notes. Not cool. Of course, I wouldnt mind being in the heat elsewhere.... say in upstate New York where my family has spent every summer since before I was born, over twenty two years. Sadly, this is the very first summer that will not be spent lounging around poolside, making spontaneous trips to Wal Mart and enjoying Fialkoff's pizza. Fialkoff's is a small pizza place in the mountains that operates only during the summer. The owners fly in from Israel and make the most awesome pizza around. They are so popular that there are constantly lines out the door, making it quite stuffy in there and to meet the demand they are often open until very, very late. Saturday nights they don't close until around two, making it a really hot spot for young married couples and teenagers with nothing to do on Saturday night. Sigh. I miss Clearview. Funnily enough, the owners opened up a place in Jerusalem but closed down shortly after. With so many pizza places around, their clientele being in America, and the inability to produce the same product without American ingredients, they couldnt survive. What makes their pizza special? I dont know. It just has this certain je-ne-se-quois about it. Their sauce is delightfully spicy and... it's just really good. But I could do without the price tag. Every year, the prices go up and the size of the slices go down. Still, the summer wouldnt be the same without it. And so, to feel like I'm there, sort of, I decided to make my own pizza. That's right- it's simple, oh so easy and far more economical. It is also simply delicious. The crust comes from King Arthur Flour (of course) and uses both semolina and regular flours, resulting in a nicely chewy crust. The dough rises and after it doubles is deflated and refrigerated to develop yummy, complex flavors. I opted to make a pan pizza, as it is far less complicated. This pizza was devoured really fast by my friends and me. It was nice to have something homemade for a while and even nicer to be creating new summer memories here in Israel.

Semolina Pizza Dough
from King Arthur Flour's Baking Companion

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups semolina flour
1 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups water
Sauce
Cheese
In a large bowl, place all of the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine. Add the olive oil,

pour on the water,

and stir to make a shaggy dough.

Knead until youve formed a smooth, soft dough. Dont overknead, as the gluten will continue to develop when it rises in the fridge.

Allow the dough to rise for forty five minutes outside the fridge. Refrigerate the dough for four hours or up to 36 hours.

Here's the newly risen dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Form into a rectangle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to your highest setting.

Place the dough on the parchment. Roll the dough to fit the baking sheet.

Place the sauce on the rolled dough,

and spread evenly.

Place the cheese on top of the sauce.

Bake until it looks like this!! Enjoy!!

Whole Wheat Pita

Call me a rebel, but for the Shabbat lunch I recently hosted I wanted to do something different instead of the usual challah. Pizza stone in hand, I decided on whole wheat pitas. Pitas are something new that I've never really tried and I've been wanting to try them now for a while. I know that you can get pitas on the cheap here in Israel, but nothing takes the place of making them homemade and getting a kick out of seeing the breads balloon. Oh yea, it works. This recipe comes from Maggie Glezer's A Blessing of Bread. I haven't mentioned her in a while but I haven't forgotten her, either so fear not! I made these pitas using all whole wheat flour and the dough kneaded, rolled and handled like a dream. I let the dough retard overnight in the fridge and then let it rise for an hour the next day at room temp. These are best fresh out of the oven but freeze for optimal storage.

Whole Wheat Pitas

1 kilo whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
water as needed to make a workable dough

Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl.Whisk to combine.Add the oil and water. This is the dough using the original amount of water called for- 2 1/3 cups- but to account for the whole wheat flour absorption, you can see that far more is necessary. That's why I say add until a workable dough is formed.

This is a shaggy dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead until the dough becomes smooth and silky but is still a bit tacky.Place in a greased bowl and refrigerate overnight.Here is the risen dough.Preheat your baking stone to the highest temperature. Turn the dough out,and using a bench scraper, portion the dough into pieces. Round the dough pieces and allow them to rest.

One at a time, roll out the pitas. Keep the remaining dough covered until you're ready to work with them. Place each dough piece on the baking stone. Theyre beginning to rise! And balloon! They really balloon. Cook each pita about 3-4 minutes or until fully ballooned. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Here is my stack of deformed pitas. I need to learn how to roll a circle. You think it'd be simple, no? Enjoy with some hummus and Israeli salad or falafel if you like. Bitay'avon!