Challah and Chocolate Fudge Cake: Sherry’s Recipe

Challah

Keep your workspace draft free. Drafts and rising dough or yeast mixture are incompatible.

Begin with: Yeast mixture

Place 4 ½ tsp. of dry yeast in ½ cup of lukewarm water (too much heat will kill the yeast, if it is cold it won’t rise). I warm the water for 12 seconds in the microwave.

Immediately and gently stir in 1 tsp sugar, this feeds the yeast. When the yeast mixture rises to top of the cup (5 minutes or more), it can be used.

Wet ingredients (Everything should be room temp, or lukewarm)

In a small bowl, stir the ingredients below with a wooden spoon:

1 Cup water

½ cup olive or canola oil (authentic Jewish challah is not made with butter; butter is dairy and often the holiday and the Sabbath meals are meat)

3 eggs (while in their shells, put eggs in a bowl of warm water to bring them to room temperature)

Dry ingredients (an additional cup (or more) of flour will be needed for kneading)

In a very large mixing bowl, mix together and then make a well in the center of the flour mixture:

5 (approximately) cups unbleached white flour

2 tsp. salt (to taste)

¼ to ½  cup sugar

Mixing the wet and dry ingredients

Pour wet ingredients and yeast mixture into the well then stir in flour. When the mixture becomes too stiff to stir, put on floured counter and flatten. Then sprinkle flour on top. Fold dough over and using the heel of your palm knead. Continue adding flour under and on top, folding, and kneading until all of the 6^th cup is kneaded in. Cover with a damp (wrung out) towel. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Resume kneading until the dough is pliable, adding flour if it is still sticking to the surface.  When the dough can stretch when pulled and resumes shape if you push it down with thumb it is ready to rise in an oiled covered bowl. Turn dough over so the oil covers the top of dough, put plastic wrap over the top.

Placing the dough in the refrigerator to slowly raise is a good thing. Several hours are needed for the dough to raise when cool. The other option is for the dough to rise in a warm draft free place for about an hour. Then punch the dough down. Divide in two halves. Shape into braided loaves.

While the dough is rising, make an egg wash.

1 egg yolk mixed with one tsp. water

I use the 4 strand method (look up online). If desired you can fold it into a round shape. Let loaves rise for ½ hour.

Brush egg wash on top of loaves using an oiled pastry brush. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, or poppy seeds if desired.

I use a cast iron skillet. Bake at 350 in a regular oven for 35-40 minutes, or at 325 degrees in a convection oven for 28-30 minutes) testing by seeing if it is hollow sounding when  you tap it with your knuckles.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE (serves 12)
preheat oven to 350 degrees


2¼     cups sifted cake flower

2       teaspoons baking soda

½       teaspoon salt

½       cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2¼     cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3       eggs

1 ½    teaspoons vanilla

1       cup sour cream

1       cup boiling water

1. Melt chocolate in a small bowl over hot, not boiling, water; cool

2. Grease and flour two 9x1 ½- inch layer cake pans; tap out excess flour.

3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt onto wax paper.

4. Beat butter until soft in large bowl. Add brown sugar and eggs; beat with mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and cooled melted chocolate.

5. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating well with a wood spoon after each addition until batter is smooth. Stir in boiling water.  (Batter will be thin.)  Pour at once into prepared pans.

6. Bake in moderate oven (350°) 35 minutes, or until center springs back when lightly pressed with fingertips.

7.  Cool layers in pans on wire rack, 10 minutes; loosen around edges with a small knife or spatula; turn out onto wire racks; cool completely.

8.  Make CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING.  Put one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with about one fourth of frosting; add second layer; spread remainder on side and top of cake, making swirls with spatula. 

Note: If you like raspberry and chocolate, you can use raspberry preserves between the layers, with or without the fudge frosting.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING

Makes enough to fill and frost two 9-inch layers.

4       squares unsweetened chocolate

½       cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1       package (1 pound) 10X (confectioners) sugar

½       cup milk

2       teaspoons vanilla

1. Combine chocolate and butter in small heavy saucepan.  Place over low heat, just until melted.  Remove from heat.

2. Combine confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla in medium-size bowl; stir until smooth; add chocolate mixture.  Set bowl in pan of ice and water; beat with wood spoon until frosting is thick enough to spread and hold its shape.