baking tricks Archives - Splash of Sherri

A couple of weeks ago I made a sweet potato challah that’s vegan, delicious and super easy! It came out totally amazing – not to mention pretty to look at! By now, you must know how much I love to bake, photograph, and of course eat challah – it’s my own personal trifecta. It came out so good, I couldn’t wait to make two more the very next day. The reason I made a vegan sweet potato challah to begin with was for a friend who just had a baby. She is a vegetarian and also doesn’t eat white sugar, her husband is vegan (so no eggs or honey for him). No sugar, no eggs, no honey – challenge accepted!

There are a few vegan challah recipes out there, but none seemed right to me. Plus, I knew I didn’t want it to taste or look like white bread. I really wanted it to have a good challah flavor, good chew, and a nice color. I remembered making a vegan sweet potato challah when I was in Israel with a wonderful baker named Rina, https://www.rinabarina.com/. It was a lovely golden color, a little sweet, had nice body, and was really delicious.

I tried using her recipe but I got all tangled up converting grams to ounces and was afraid if I didn’t do it right it would be a total loss. Instead I used a recipe I created last year for a local challah bake. It’s a simple and easy dough so starting with it made sense. I’ll have to share that one too another time. After a couple of tries, it was perfect!

Since I had to replace the sugar, I decided to use a combination of date syrup which is also known as silan and maple syrup for additional sweetness. Silan is made from dates and is rich and thick like molasses. It has a deep caramel and brown sugar flavor. On a side note, it is delicious mixed in coffee and drizzled over ice cream! It’s also loaded with so much natural goodness it deserves its own post and I will definitely get to work on that for a later date (get it? Later DATE!).

The flavor of the sweet potato is subtle but definitely a bonus. Not only does it add a beautiful golden color, it also adds some sweetness, and great nutrients. You’ll be surprised to find you don’t miss the eggs, sugar, or honey at all. What I’ve created is a really easy challah recipe with quick rise times. It’s nice to change things up a little on Friday night every now and then so try my vegan sweet potato challah and you’ll thank me! Oooh, I wonder how it would taste as French toast the next day, which I know is the opposite of vegan but a girl can dream! Enjoy!

ingredients
3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour (I use King Arthur)
2 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ cup cooked and pureed sweet potato (roasted ahead/instructions below)
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¼ cup extra light olive oil
¼ cup Silan* (date syrup)
1/8 cup real maple syrup plus ½ teaspoon to add to yeast
sesame seeds (optional)

vegan “egg wash” for the top of the bread
2 tablespoons nondairy milk (I used almond milk)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon olive oil
Pinch of salt

a couple of quick tips
Before measuring the date and maple syrup, spray the measuring cup with oil, the syrup will slide right out. This recipe makes one 2 pound challah or two 1 pound challahs. If you can, use a scale to weigh the dough so the strands are all about the same size. This is more a secret than a tip,0 but I like to take a little dough off as a baker’s treat and make a little challah roll for myself!

how to roast a sweet potato
Roast your sweet potato the day before, or a couple hours before you decide to make the challah so it has plenty of time to cool. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (a toaster oven works well too). Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Wash and scrub the potato, poke it with a few holes and wrap in foil. Place on the tray and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending on the size. It’s done when a fork pierces through easily. While you’re at it, roast a couple extra and save for a delicious snack or side dish. They keep well in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 days.

and now for the challah
In a 2 cup measuring cup (or bowl) add 1 cup warm water, yeast plus a ½ teaspoon of maple syrup and stir. Wait about 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to bloom (this is when it foams up).

In a large 5 quart bowl add 3 ½ cups flour and salt and whisk together. In a medium size bowl stir together the pureed sweet potato, oil, date syrup and maple syrup. Once the yeast has bloomed, add it to the sweet potato mixture.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the wet ingredients. You can use a mixer with a dough hook but I like to mix it by hand. Mix together with a spoon when it becomes too difficult to mix, use your hands and then start to knead the dough.

I knead it right in the bowl, or you can turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides. If the dough is too wet, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it comes together into a smooth ball. It should be soft but not sticky.

Add a little oil around the sides of the bowl and roll the dough ball around in it, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for at least one hour or until doubled in size.

A trick for keeping your counter clean when rolling out the dough is to place plastic wrap directly onto your countertop. Sprinkle a little flour and turn the dough out onto the counter. Press the air out to deflate the dough.

From here you can make a 3 or 4 strand challah. The 3 strand is the most common braid but I’ve been going with the 4 strand for a while.

3 strand single challah: divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each out into snake about 16” long. For 2 challahs divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each out into snake about 12” long. Or make a 4 strand single challah: divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each out into a snake about 14” long. For 2 challahs divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll out into a 10’ snake.

For each challah, line them up and pinch them together at the top then braid. Place the braided challahs onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and brush with the vegan egg wash. Let rise for 30 to 40 minutes. After it’s rising for about 15 minutes preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Before going into the oven, glaze challahs again and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Time will vary according to challah size. It is done when a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean or, the underside is slightly brown and sounds hollow when tapped

* You can find date syrup in health food stores, most kosher groceries, international markets and of course on Amazon. If you can’t find date syrup aka Silan, replace it with additional maple syrup.

Is it ever okay to use a box mix for baking?

That’s a really good question. If you asked my mother, her answer would be absolutely, positively not! Of course she love to bake and was an excellent baker. When I was growing up I don’t even remember her using brownie mix. To be fair, we also lived near good bakeries so if she didn’t bake it herself, there was always a good back up plan. However, it is from her I learned it doesn’t take much more effort to make good fresh food from scratch. While I do agree with that, there are times when the ease of opening a box and adding an egg and oil to dry ingredients is quite appealing, quicker and often cheaper.

When I first moved to Ohio, I was invited to a cookie swap. I had never been to one before so I asked my friends what type of cookies I should bring. The instructions were easy, bake the kind of cookies you would like to receive. When I arrived, it was amazing to see the variety of cookies everyone baked. I made my best decorated sugar cookies and they were a huge hit! Another friend of mine baked fancy biscotti that were so yummy. All the women really outdid themselves except for one. She walked in, placed her plate on the table and said “I hate to bake – I’m not a baker!” Her first mistake was telling everyone she’s not a baker and hates it, then admitting she used a box mix. Her second mistake was that she burnt them and still brought them anyway! Clearly, using a box mix doesn’t mean you’re going home with a first place ribbon or in this case new friends!

So is there ever a time a box mix is okay to use? Yes, I think there is. I have used boxed brownie mixes on occasion, usually when I have to make 50 or 100 of them for school events. There are a couple brands that are very good but even then I add extra cocoa powder to the base, candy, extra chocolate chips, and top them with something special to dress them up for a night out on the town. One of the best ways I have found to dress them up is with homemade frosting. Please note: there is never an excuse to use canned frosting! Come on people, butter and sugar whipped till creamy! I dare you to read the label on the can and tell me why all 19 ingredients are needed for something that should be sugar and butter. I’m gasping for breath here! Rule number one, if you are going to use a box mix, everyone else doesn’t have to know! Let it be your secret! Rule number two, make them look good enough and taste good enough so people don’t know it came from a box. You can always add extra chips, vanilla extract, dried fruit, nuts or something else that you like. Rule number three, read the instructions carefully and follow them, they are written for a reason. Finally, not really a rule – just obvious, if you burn them, throw them out!

What about cupcakes and cakes? A friend suggested I used a box of cake mix to make cupcakes. I had never done that before and was leary about it. She shouted their praises of ease and deliciousness and said they’re foolproof, just try it.

Out I went to the grocery where I returned with a box of devil’s food cake. I dumped the package into a bowl, added the wet ingredients, blended 2 minutes and voila – cupcakes! However, what they didn’t tell me on the box was that the recipe really only makes 20 cupcakes, 21 at best. Now I was 4 cupcakes short for the class! I had to go back to the store, buy another box, clean all of my baking utensils, and start allover again. Then I ended up with 40 cupcakes! What in the world was I going to do with so many cupcakes? The whole ordeal took me most of the day. Plus there are those little lumps they say will disappear but don’t. However, if you are going to use a box, here is the exception to the rule… read the book Hello Cupcake written by Karen Tack, she gives plenty of support and tricks on how to use a box cake mix so that it comes out great. I have tried her tricks and agree. So if you are decorating cupcakes to the nines, go for the box. If you are making cake-pops, go for the box. For any other reason… only from scratch!

Here is what I look for in any prepared food. The ingredients have to be recognizable, no artificial ingredients, no hydrogenated oils, fat and sodium amounts have to be in a what I consider a healthy range and a good brand is important. I like specialty brands like Stonewall Kitchen, Barefoot Contessa, and Ghiradelli. Trader Joe’s also makes some very good box mixes. In every case, you just have to read labels very carefully and the amount of ingredients should be minimal. If you can’t pronounce a word, you shouldn’t be eating it. Several years ago, my brother-in-law Ben read ingredients on a candy wrapper at Halloween and said “carnuba wax, I think I use that on my car”! There is a lesson to be learned there!

Okay, so tell me… Are my corn muffins made from a box or from scratch?

Splash of Sherri

Tag: baking tricks

sweet potato challah – vegan, delicious, and super easy!

Box Mix or Homemade? You Tell me!

Is it ever okay to use a box mix for baking?