So, yesterday was our 22nd wedding anniversary. When that fact sank in, we looked at each other and said – simultaneously – “Wow. And we haven’t killed each other, yet.” See? That’s why we’re married. I thought the occasion called for something a little special, and since I’d made some challah bread in a loaf-shape a couple of days before, French Toast came to mind. Not just any french toast, mind you – Stuffed French Toast. I think even the most mundane foods seem extra-special when you stuff them, no?
Stuffed French Toast

For the filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 heaping tablespoons jam (I used my own Freakin’ Flamingo Strawberry Daiquiri Jam, but any
flavor will do)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend everything together in a small bowl with an electric mixer, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It should be stiff enough to make mounds and not be runny at all. Set aside.

For the French Toast:

One 1 lb. loaf Challah bread (slightly stale)

3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. sugar (I used natural cane sugar, but regular white will do)
pinch of salt

Butter for frying

Slice the bread into 1 1/2-inch slices. You should get 8 – 10 slices. Scoop out the middles with your fingers, making sure not to go all the way through to the other side. Match up your bread slices so that you have matched up pairs of similar size with “pockets” facing each other.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well-blended. Add the milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt, and whisk well.

To assemble:

Spoon the cream cheese/jam mixture into the pocket of one of the challah slices (a couple of heaping tablespoonsful). The mound of filling should actually come above the top of the pocket. Cover with the second slice of bread, so that the pocket of the second slice fits over the first. Press together gently, but firmly. They should stick together.

Melt some butter in a large frying pan (I prefer non-stick) over medium heat.

Place the sandwich into the egg mixture and allow to soak for about a minute. (These are thick slices and take a little extra time) Turn and soak the other side. Remove the sandwich from the bowl, allow some of the excess liquid to drip off, and place into the now hot frying pan. Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until GBD (golden brown & delicious). You can prepare several at a time.

I like to dust them with powdered sugar and finish with a little extra jam on top.

So, here’s to another 22 years together! If we don’t kill each other, first….. Nah.

Here it is, Recipe Monday, and timing being what it is, it’s also reveal day for the December HBin5 recipe.

To review, Michelle over at Big Black Dog, organized a new bread baking group, baking from the new book by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe François, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. We’ll be starting to bake from the book officially next month, but till then, Dr. Jeff provided us with a special recipe to play with in December.

This month’s recipe is Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest, and it ain’t your mama’s challah. Or mine, for that matter. For starters, the flour used is primarily whole wheat, and there’s much less egg. Honey is used as the sweetener and there’s dried fruit and orange zest. Very festive!

Being out of regular whole wheat flour, I used white whole wheat, and my fat of choice was canola oil (which is what I use in my regular challahs). Instead of Craisins, I used a mixture of dried fruit packaged as “Antioxidant Fruit Blend”, containing dried cherries, cranberries, plums, and raisins. I also used flax seed meal instead of the wheat germ, and used demerara sugar as my topping. Otherwise, I made the dough exactly as in the recipe.

Conclusion? Well, frankly, I think I need to make this again to be sure.

In all honesty, I think my dough “aged-out.” That is, the recipe says that it should be baked within 5 days, or you should freeze it. I had good intentions, really I did. It was the cookies! I blame the cookies!

I didn’t freeze the dough, and I didn’t bake it until 8 days later. I didn’t get the rise I was looking for, except in those little ones I made in my mini-bundt pan, just for fun. And the flavor is pretty strong. MJ said it tastes almost rye-like, and I agree.

On the other hand, this dough was a pleasure to work with, and although a bit softer and stickier than “normal” bread dough, it was much easier to shape than last month’s Pumpkin Brioche. As I said, I will make this again and bake it within the proper amount of time, to see if I get a better rise and milder flavor. I want it at its best.

Want the recipe? Click here to get all the instructions and try it yourself!

If you’d like to join in and try baking healthy breads in a whole new way, click here to visit Big Black Dog and learn about our monthly “Bread Braid”.

And yes, it’s Sunday. But didn’t you want to bake this today? That’s what I’ve been doing all weekend, and it’s great therapy!

Challah is a slightly sweet egg bread originally eaten by Jews at their Sabbath and Holiday dinner tables, but for many years enjoyed by everyone. Challah is undeniably the best bread you can use for french toast and bread pudding, too. This recipe is quite simply the easiest and most authentic recipe for Challah that I’ve ever baked. I can’t claim it as my own – I’ve adapted it from Secrets of a Jewish Baker by George Greenstein. MJ found the old paperback edition on the dollar rack at a used bookstore, obviously unappreciated by the previous owner. I believe it’s been reprinted and should be widely available, and if you bake bread – or want to – I highly recommend that you buy this book. And not just for the Challah.

This recipe is so good, my 89 year old, old-country mother (Lord, don’t tell her I told you how old she is – she’ll kill me! and is quite capable of it, too.) asks me to bake these for her as my gift to her for just about any gift-giving holiday (birthday, Mother’s Day, Chanukah). She even called me two weeks ago to ask me to bake them for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). I know she’s counting on the leftovers for her freezer.

You can certainly make these into the classic braided loaves, but for Rosh Hashanah, it’s traditional for the Challah to be baked in a smooth, round turban, signifying the endless nature of God and the cycle of life. It’s also the easiest way to shape this bread, so if you have difficulty braiding, just make these simple coiled turbans. It’s just as delicious!

Challah

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)
1 large whole egg, lightly beaten
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 1-1/2 tsp. sugar
4 to 5 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt

flour for dusting worktop
oil or spray for greasing bowl
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water for egg wash
coarse cornmeal for dusting baking pan
poppy or sesame seeds for topping

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Add the egg, egg yolks, oil, sugar, 4 cups flour and salt. Mix well until the the dough comes away from the side of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead well, adding additional flour 1/4 cup at a time, until it is firm and smooth. This is a firm dough, so keep adding flour a little at a time while kneading, until it is smooth and elastic – about 10-15 minutes. You may need a little more than 5 cups.

Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl, turn so the entire surface is coated, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place, until it has tripled in volume. I like my laundry room. A good test is to poke your finger into the dough. If the indentation stays, your dough is fully proofed.

Turn the dough back out onto your work surface, punch it down, and divide it in half. Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a large baking sheet by sprinkling it liberally with the cornmeal.

With your hands, roll each dough half into a long, fat snake, slightly larger at one end and tapering to a smaller end. With the larger end at the center, start coiling the rest of the “snake” around it. When you reach the end, tuck it underneath the coil, pressing it into the bottom of the bread.

Place each coil onto the prepared baking sheet, and brush with the egg wash. Put the baking sheet back in your warm, draft-free spot, and allow the breads to rise again, until doubled (about an hour). Brush the fully risen breads with the egg wash again, and sprinkle on the seeds, if using.

Bake for about 35 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, cover them with a “tent” of parchment paper or torn-open brown paper bag. This will prevent them from browning too quickly. Breads should be a nice dark mahogany brown, and the bottoms should be well-browned. They should sound hollow when the bottoms are thumped and there shouldn’t be any “give” when you press on the top. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

When thoroughly cooled, you can place the breads in a plastic freezer bag to store or freeze for future use.

*Note: I cannot tell a lie – I use my KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. If you do, too: after mixing the ingredients and adding sufficient flour to get the dough to form a ball around the dough hook, run the mixer at low speed, “kneading” the dough for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it during this time, since as a firm dough, your mixer may want to take a walk.

Remember the Honey Cake recipe I posted on Monday? Well, you know I was a little concerned about letting MJ have any on the holiday. He’s doing super-well: he’s lost 55 pounds and we’re kind of slowing down the weight-loss a bit, but still limiting his sugar and carb intake. I wondered what I could do about a Honey Cake. The answer? Raw agave nectar.

Agave nectar (yes, from the cactus) is all the rage now, because it has a much lower glycemic level than sugar, while being 1-1/2 times sweeter. The raw agave nectar is much darker than the light version, and while not as thick as honey, makes a very good substitute. When you also substitute Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or half brown sugar + half Splenda) for the straight-up brown sugar, this traditional holiday cake suddenly becomes a far healthier dessert for people with blood glucose issues, such as Type 2 Diabetes, with no loss in flavor or quality!

MJ said that he really couldn’t tell that it wasn’t “honey” cake, and absolutely loved it. I did, too! Yay!

So as your extra-special bonus, here’s the honey cake recipe again, but this time, with the appropriate substitutions. Now you’ve got something to serve friends and family with health issues, that’s really delicious, and no hint of that artificial sweetener aftertaste.

Wishing you a Healthy & Happy New Year!

Agave “Honey” Cake

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup raw agave nectar (dark)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar Blend Splenda or 1/4 cup dark brown sugar + 1/4 cup Splenda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce
1/2 cup hot strong coffee

Handful of sliced almonds (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325º F.

Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat together the wet ingredients in a large bowl until blended, about 3 minutes.

Beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with coffee, until batter is smooth. *If you screw this up and mix the coffee in with the other wet ingredients, don’t worry about it.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. If using sliced almonds, sprinkle them on top of the batter in 2 columns, on either side of the center. Bake until cake is brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour (test with a wooden skewer).

Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack; cool completely.

Wrap cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature or if preparing ahead, seal in freezer storage bag and freeze.

Makes about 8 servings.

If you have any questions about either of these recipes, please leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer them here. Or give me a Tweet. Enjoy!