Bialys

Bialys were once the life-bread of Bialystok, Poland. They resemble a bagel, although the hole does not go all the way through—the depression is usually filled with minced onions and poppy seeds. Also, bialys, unlike bagels, are not boiled prior to baking. A terrific read about the history of this special bread is The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World, where the author, Mimi Sheraton, sets out to find an authentic bialy in Bialystok, only to find that nearly all of the original bakers are gone.

This also makes an exceptionally good pizza dough. After the first 2-hour rise, punch down, let rest for 10 minutes, then shape into pizza doughs.

Bialys (makes 16)

Proof the yeast, by mixing together the following, and letting sit about 5 minutes until foamy:

• 2 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2-1/4 tsp. yeast (1 package)

Add and knead for 10 minutes:

• 1 Tbs. salt
• 5 c. bread flour (I use King Arthur’s in the blue bag)

Cover and let rise for 2 hours.

Punch down the dough, divide in half and roll into two 8″ long cylinders. Cut each into 8 pieces. Let them rest for a few minutes on a lightly floured board, while you prepare the filling.

Filling

Mix together the following:

• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. poppy seeds
• 1/2 tsp. salt (preferably course kosher salt)

Shape, fill and bake the bialys:

Grease two cookie sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Pat the pieces of dough into flattened rounds about 3-4″ in diameter, shaping slightly higher in the middle. Place them back on the cookie sheet, cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Using a small glass or jar that is 2″ in diameter, press a deep indentation into each bialy. The glass will probably stick to your dough, so you can grease it (just dip in lightly into your filling mixture) and flour it before pressing into the dough. Spoon 1/2 tsp. of filling into the indentation.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until just lightly browned. Do not let them get dark brown, since bialys are meant to be sliced and toasted before eating.

The flattened rounds of dough at the end of their rise.

Grease and flour a 2" glass, then press into the risen dough.

These are filled and ready for the oven.

Sliced and toasted. Bialys are good with butter, cream cheese, lox, jam, or...?

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If you’re a crispy, these are for you: Mandel Bread

This is a second posting of my family’s mandel bread recipe, baking them today from my new home in Virginia.

Mandel bread is another of those Jewish staples, something that you’ll often see at an oneg Shabbat (a social gathering after temple services) or for the high holidays. They are crisp, light, butter cookies, which are twice-baked; something like biscotti but much more delicate. The name comes from mandelbrot which means almond bread. While some bakers put almonds in their mandel bread, my mother was partial to pecans. This is her recipe. If you compare what follows to her recipe card, you’ll notice that I’ve increased the salt a bit, since Ruth used salted butter and I prefer unsalted for baking.

Mandel Bread

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 Tbs. Crisco
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 c. nuts
• 1 c. chocolate chips (optional)
• powdered sugar

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture. Stir in nuts and chips. Refrigerate dough for two hours or overnight. Divide into eight portions. Roll each into a 1″ diameter log, place on greased cookie sheet and slightly flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins. Slice into 1/2″ slices, turn each onto its side, return to oven until toasted. Remove and flip over the slices, returning once more to the oven until toasted a light brown on all sides. Let cool before storing in an airtight container. If you want to by fancy, dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

On a damp day, my grandmother, Mollye, would leave them on the cookie sheets in the oven to cool, so that they would stay crisp.

Ruth Gordon's recipe card for mandel bread.

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What to do with concord grapes: Conserve and Grape Pie

Our first house, a log home in Ft. Collins, Colorado, had grapes growing out back by the car port. They were concord grapes, which are intensely flavorful—most known for grape juice—but not terrific as table grapes. My grandfather favored a grape pie, and I’m sharing the recipe here. The pie has an extremely intense flavor. Doug and I turned our harvest into grape conserve, which was my first try at production scale canning. Our friend Joyce was visiting and we put her to work, helping to cook the grapes, run them through the food mill, slice the fruit and can the conserve. The resulting conserve is wonderfully tart and complex, and really terrific on a biscuit.

Concord Grape Conserve (makes about 3 half-pint jars)

• 2 lbs. concord grapes (to make 1-3/4 c. pulp)
• 1-3/4 c. sugar
• 1 medium lemon, cut off the ends, slice very thin, cut into quarters
• 1 small orange, cut off the ends, slice very thin, cut into quarters
• 1/4 c. raisins (optional)

Wash the grapes (wash them very well if they are not organic), and remove the stems. Place the grapes in a saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of water. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the seeds come free from the grapes. Run the grapes through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds, leaving you with the pulp. Clean out your saucepan. Measure the pulp, return to the pan, and add an equivalent amount of sugar.  Add the lemon and orange slices, and raisins if you like. Cook into the mixture becomes slightly thick and dark, and sheets off the spoon. Place into hot, sterilized jars, water process for 10 minutes.

Papa’s Favorite Grape Pie

• 1 quart concord grapes
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. grated orange rind
• 2 Tbs. tapioca

• graham cracker crust

Wash and stem the grapes, cook over medium heat until the seeds come loose. Run through a food mill, discarding stems and peels. Combine grape pulp with remaining ingredients and pour into a prepared graham cracker crust, then chill until set. Serve with whipped cream.

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Kreplach—what’s not to like?

These are best when served right from the pan, and plopped into a bowl of chicken soup.

My mom would make kreplach every Yom Kippur. I don’t think I’d tasted one in over 20 years, but in my mind I could TASTE them, and finally I broke down and made some. With thanks to Cousin Betty and sister Maralee for helping to jog my memory, since all I had was a scrawled note of my mother’s with the recipe for the dough.

Every culture has their dumplings: pierogi, gyoza, wonton. The Jews have their kreplach. The triangular kreplach from my mother’s kitchen are made with a dough that is part mashed potato and part noodle. For the frugal-minded cook, a little piece of a leftover roast is the basis for the filling. They are first boiled, then fried, and there is nothing better.

Fry these until they are nicely browned and crisp.

Kreplach (makes about 40)

For the filling, mix together:

• 1 c. cooked beef, loosely measured, then ground
• 1/3 c. grated raw onion
• 1-2 Tbs. oil, if your meat is very dry
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp. seasoned salt

For the dough:

• 1 egg
• 2/3 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 medium potato, mashed

Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil.

Using a fork, beat the egg, mix in the flour and salt, then mash in the mashed potato. On a lightly floured board, knead the dough for about a minute, adding only a little more flour as necessary. Divide the dough into two halves. On your floured board, roll into a rectangle, about 8″ x 10″. Cut into 2″ squares. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the corner of each square. Put a little water into a small dish, dip your finger, and wet two adjacent edges of the dough square. Fold one half of the dough over to meet the wet edges, then press to seal well.

Continue filling and sealing all of the kreplach.

When the water has boiled, drop the kreplach, in batches, into the boiling water, lowering the temperature so that they cook at a low, easy boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove, using a slotted spoon, to a cookie sheet.

In a large, deep skillet or frying pan, pour in about 1/8″ of vegetable oil. When the oil is very hot, place the kreplach, again cooking them in batches. When they are browned turn them over to cook on the other side. Remove to drain onto a paper towel. Serve while very hot and crisp, with a bowl of homemade chicken soup.

Tomorrow you will eat a salad.

Gently boil for 5 minutes before frying.

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