Rosh Hashanah begins this Wednesday at sundown so in preparation for the holiday I decided to experiment with my recipe for Honey-Vanilla Challah. The result? Apple-Honey Challah, spiced with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg. The modifications to my original recipe weren’t extreme but they were enough to make this loaf particularly suited for Rosh Hashanah (ראש השנה), which is a two day Jewish holiday that marks the creation of the world. Often described as the “Jewish New Year,” the literal translation of the Hebrew is “head of the year” - but there are some similarities between the American conception of a “New Year” and the Jewish one. Just as many Americans use the New Year as a time to make “new year’s resolutions” in order to plan for a better life, likewise Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect upon the mistakes we’ve made during the past year and to think about ways to improve our lives in the future. Yom Kippur comes after Rosh Hashanah, and the ten days in between are known as the “Days of Awe” (Yamim Noraim). It is believed the during these days the fate of everyone is determined for the coming year.

Food plays an important role in Rosh Hashanah, acting as a symbolic representation of our hopes for the new year. For instance, during a ritual called “tashlikh,” which means “casting off,” many Jews put pieces of bread in their pockets and walk to a river or other natural source of flowing water. They toss the bits of bread into the water, thereby ‘casting off’ their sins. Another popular tradition involves eating apples and honey, which represent our desire for a ’sweet new year.’ I couldn’t resist combining this latter custom with my favorite hobby: baking bread. Apples? Honey? Bread? Yes please. Can you blame a gal for neglecting her Hebrew homework in pursuit of such a scrumptious creation?

Challah is usually baked into braids made with three, four or six strands of dough, the resulting spiral symbolizing the ascent to heaven. But on Rosh Hashanah challah is shaped into round loaves of bread whose circular form represents the continuity of life. Other festival shapes include crowns (symbolizing God’s place as ruler of the universe), ladders (recalling Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:10), keys (symbolizing the gates of heaven) and on Yom Kippur, a bird shape (symbolizing the forgiveness of sins and that one’s prayers soar to heaven.) (Source) Below I’ve included instructions for making round loaves of challah, woven loaves and the traditional braid. I was tempted to write out directions for other shapes, but then I saw how long the instructions were getting and stopped myself. Enough already Ari! I can get a little carried away sometimes.

In the days leading up to and during Rosh Hashanah it’s customary to say to people, “Shana Tova Umetukah,” which means “May you have a good and sweet New Year.” So if you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, shana tova umetukah, and if you’re not celebrating the holiday I hope you’re inspired to bake a loaf of apple-honey challah anyways. This bread slices exceptionally well and is perfect for making french toast, bread pudding, or simply enjoying on its own. As you can see from the first photo in this post, I added a dollop of fruit butter to mine. Blueberry peach butter, apple butter, pumpkin butter… its all good. And when paired with a giant cup of steaming coffee? Perfection. I’ll definitely be making another loaf of this challah on Wednesday morning for Rosh Hashanah dinner.

Other Baking and Books recipes for Rosh Hashanah:

• Honey-Vanilla Challah
• Honey-Rose Ice Cream with Pomegranate Syrup
• Chocolate & Apricot Challah

Apple-Honey Challah (My Recipe)
Ingredients: Makes 1 Loaf

• 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of warm milk (whole is best, low-fat is ok too)
• 2 eggs + 1 for the glaze
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze
• 3/4 tablespoon dark wildflower honey
• 1/2 cup diced organic dry apples

In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey - residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the apples, which should be added in handfuls. Switch to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time - just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on.

Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Braiding: There are several ways to braid your dough, using anywhere from 3 to 6 strands (or more!). It’s traditional for Rosh Hashanah loaves to be round, but challah is delicious regardless of shape so go with whatever shape feels right to you.

• Three strand braided challah. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, not quite touching. Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center - left over, right over, left over - until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly - you don’t want any gaps. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under.

  Once you have braided your dough in this fashion you can bake it as is, or twist the braid around itself, pinwheel fashion, thereby achieving the round challah look. Tuck the tail end of the braid underneath the coil and gently pinch the dough together to seal it closed. Another 3 braid option is to place the braided dough in a 9 x 12 inch loaf pan so that your bread has a rectangular bottom and a braided top.

• Woven round challah, which is what I did to the bread pictured in this post. To achieve this look divide your dough into 4 equal portions, then roll each out into smooth, thick strips about 15 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Arrange these ropes into a tic-tac-toe shape, with one pair of ropes perpendicular to the second pair. (You should have two ropes of dough running directly away from you, and two ropes running parallel to you.) Instead of just laying the top ropes on the bottom ones, weave them under/over: with the ropes running parallel to you, take the rope farthest away from you and weave it under the leftmost vertical rope, then over the rightmost vertical rope; take the parallel rope closest to you and weave it over the leftmost vertical rope, then under the rightmost vertical rope. Push the ropes together so that there isn’t any open space in the middle of your beginning weave.

  Now take the bottom of the rightmost vertical rope (probably the one directly in front of your right hand) and weave it over the rope next to it on the right (counter clockwise). Take the rope that was just woven over, and weave it over the rope next to it. Continue until you reach the first rope, then reverse the process and weave the ropes left, in a clockwise fashion. If you have enough dough, weave the ropes one more time right, counter clockwise. By this time you should have short stumps of dough sticking out - one by one, pull them clockwise and gently pinch them against the larger mass of already woven dough. Finally, using both hands, gently grab your woven dough and slowly flip it over. You’ve just created a woven challah. Yay!

  Helpful link: There is a useful tutorial on how to weave a round challah here.

• You can also bypass the entire braiding process by cutting your dough into four or five large chunks and stacking them side-by-side in a large loaf or bundt pan. This simple method also produces a beautiful loaf of bread!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes. If you are using a loaf pan, likewise loosely cover your dough with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. If you are using a loaf pan you can test your bread by covering the pan with a clean kitchen towel then, while wearing oven mitts, flipping the pan over so that the bread falls into the towel. Thump the bottom. If it does not sound hollow place the pan back on the bread, flip it over, and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

When your bread is done transfer it to a baking rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing - or at least wait until it’s warm, not hot - then enjoy!

A woven round challah

Whether enjoyed hot or cold, chai is one of my favorite ways to indulge my adoration of black tea. I’ve tried all sorts of commercial blends, my favorite being Oregon Chai, and have recently taken to brewing it from scratch using black tea leaves, green cardamom pods, cloves, fresh ginger and cinnamon. However until this past weekend, I had never experienced the delights of chai ice cream.

To be honest, the chai ice cream recipe featured in this post is decadent in its creamy tribute to one of the world’s favorite spiced teas - but it was such a pain to photograph. Omg. I spent nearly an hour battling the hot, humid weather, which naturally began melting the ice cream within seconds of my scooping it. Frustrated, I’d shape it with a spoon then stick the bowl in the freezer before attempting to take another photograph. Telltale signs of this war can be seen in the droplets of water clinging to the bottom of the ice cream bowl - humidity made visible. Yet on the upside, one of the bonuses of taking food photos is that when your subject annoys you revenge can be taken by eating it as soon as you’ve gotten that one, usable image. Which is exactly what I did after I snapped the above picture.

Vendettas aside, eating a bowl of this ice cream was supremely satisfying, combining the pleasure of sipping an iced chai with the texture of perfectly churned ice cream. I used my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and churned the mixture of cream, egg yolks, chai spices, milk and sugar for 25 minutes - more time than that, I’ve learned, creates larger ice crystals and sacrifices texture as a result.

Being a curious cook who likes to learn about the origins of her treats, I’ve looked into the beginnings of chai - pronounced like the ‘ch’ in chocolate and rhyming with ’sky’ - discovering that though Americans usually associate the word “chai” with a specific drink made with black tea, milk, sugar and spices, the word is actually a generic term for tea. Indeed the ‘chai lattes’ we’ve grown so fond of in the US are technically called “chai masala” - ‘masala,’ meaning ‘a mixture of spices,’ and ‘chai,’ meaning ‘tea.’ According to some the drink is more than 5,000 years old and was invented by the King of Siam, who fiercely protected his recipe. Others claim that the drink has roots in the Hindu healing system of ayurveda, which uses spices and herbs to cure physical ailments. However, historians like Lizzie Collingham maintain that chai masala is a relatively recent addition to the Indian repertoire, originating in the 1700’s when England decided to colonize India. Being avid tea drinkers the English were interested in expanding their tea supply beyond China, and so created large-scale tea plantations in India. The local population was so unfamiliar with tea that when farmers were sent to harvest the leaves they had to be schooled in the technique. In an odd bit of history England eventually launched a campaign to teach Indians how to drink tea, sending soldiers or traders to remote houses with teapots, leaves and sugar in hand. At some point during this process Indians began adding more milk and sugar than their English instructors recommended, and in an act that surely shocked more than a few English ladies they began adding various spices or honey to the mix as well. Hence our chai masala was born.

Today chai masala is frequently prepared in Indian homes and can also be found in popular public locales, such as train stations or city streets, where it is sold by vendors called “wallahs.” Wallahs make their chai over open fires, mixing the milk, sweetener and spices with a dramatic pouring of the liquid from one large cup to another, before serving the chai in clay cups called “chullarhs.” (I’ve heard that the chullarhs are smashed on the ground once the patron has finished his or her drink, but I’m not sure if this is true.) Recipes vary from whallah to whallah and from family to family, with spices such as cinnamon, star anise, ginger, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves and fennel being common ingredients.

The chai recipe used to make the ice cream pictured above used cloves, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom, though if you’re adventurous you can certainly experiment with other combinations. Black tea leaves and whole spices are added to the milk, cream and sugar, then strained from the mixture before chilling and freezing. The resulting balance of flavors is both elegant and comforting. If they are chai drinkers, your friends & family will adore this ice cream.

Edit:// I almost forgot to mention that today is my 1 year blogaversary! One year ago today I made my baking obsession official by buying this domain and sharing a recipe for sugared monkey bread. Ah the memories, the posts, the friends I’ve made - including you. Thank you so very much for sharing my baking and books adventures with me.

Chai Ice Cream
Reprinted with permission from A Passion for Ice Cream: 95 Recipes for Fabulous Desserts, by Emily Luchetti.

Ingredients: Makes about 5 servings

• 5 green cardamom pods
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/2 tablespoon black tea leaves (loose leaves, not sachets)
• 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the cardamom pods on a baking pan and crush them with the side of a knife. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes. In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the milk, cream, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks, tea, and ginger. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let the spices and tea steep for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, and the salt. Slowly pour the hot liquid into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour. Return the liquid to the pan and cook, over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant plastic or wooden spatula, until the liquid reaches 175 degrees F (I used a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature) and lightly coats the spatula. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (I used cheese cloth secured with a rubber band) into a bowl, discard the spices and tea, and cool over an ice bath until room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze until scoopable, about 4 hours, depending on your freezer.