Challah Bread from Scratch & Clearing the Log Jam

Nikoli’s Kitchen

I know it has been such a long time, but WELCOME BACK to Nikoli's Kitchen! In this week's episode I talk about where I've been and the "log jam" that is my brain, and I talk about making Challah Bread from scratch on a livestream and turning it into French Toast with strawberries and a cream cheese mascarpone drizzle! Thank you so much for tuning in, and make sure you come back every week for a brand new episode!

Featured Recipe for this Episode:

Challah Bread:

560 grams all-purpose flour (about 4-1/4 c)*
1 T yeast**
2 t salt
3/4 c lukewarm water
1/4 c + 2 T honey***
1/4 c + 2 T vegetable oil
4 eggs at room temperature

Challah bread recipe was followed (mostly) precisely from https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/challah.html. Please head to the blog and check it out for the full instructions. My adaptations are below-

* When I made this I didn't realize the website contains both metric measures and cup measurements. I also over-measured the flour at about 4-1/2 c. The dough still turned out very sticky, though, and I didn't have to adjust any other ingredients.

* The recipe from the blog recommends using the dough hook to mix and aerate the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, and salt), however, this doesn't really work as well as I'd like. I just used a hand whisk to mix the dry ingredients before putting the bowl onto the mixer. I also whisked together the wet ingredients before adding them to the dry mixture.

** I used normal yeast in the recipe and not rapid-rise yeast. It needs a longer rise time in this case which I did not allow for, so my challah was more dense. Make sure you allot for the additional rise time if you don't have rapid-rise yeast.

*** I recommend using a nice, fragrant honey to elevate the flavor profile of this. I used a raw wildflower honey for mine.

Sliced Strawberries:

32 oz strawberries, thinly sliced
1/4 t salt
1/4 c powdered sugar

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and toss or stir until the strawberries are well-coated. Refrigerate.

Mascarpone Cream Cheese Drizzle:

8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
4 oz mascarpone cheese
2 c powdered sugar
2 T heavy cream
1 T vanilla
1/4 to 1/3 c whole milk (more or less to desired consistency)

Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Start mixing at low speed (to avoid a mess). Once things start to blend together, increase speed to medium up to medium-high and mix until well-combined, adding more milk to reach the desired consistency (make sure you turn your mixer back down before adding).
Mine ended up being a little too thick for "drizzling" so I'd recommend a thinner consistency, maybe as thick as syrup but still pourable.

French Toast:

3 eggs
1 egg white (leftover from the recipe)
1 T vanilla
1/4 c whole milk

Whisk together all ingredients.
Cut 3/4" slices of your cooled challah bread and soak in the egg mixture for at least a minute, flipping them over halfway through. You need the egg to soak into the bread.
Cook until well-browned on both sides.
Serve topped with sliced strawberries and a drizzle of your mascarpone cream cheese topping.

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Guest Appearances

Catch me weekly on Two Peas on a Podcast with Gerald at https://www.twopeasonapod.com/!
I had the greatest time talking to Joey, Mark, and Aubrey on So Wizard about the Neil Breen movie Fateful Findings! Check it out at https://www.sowizardpodcast.com/episode-466-fateful-findings/ (Note: NSFW).

Credits

Intro "Early Bloomer" by Magnus Ludvigsson. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out his incredible music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ZdkboTg5bXbk7siTMxVc7.

Outro "Midnight Swing" by Jules Gaia. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out more of his wonderful tunes at https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GXiq6QQjWFEgHjd3TRaCt!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:
"Motif in F Major," "A Matter of Trust," "Infinite Possibilities," "Would You Remember," and "Greater than You or I" by Gavin Luke.
"The Girl from North" by Magnus Ludvigsson.