What are you Baking the Week of September 3, 2023?

[chocomouse]

I made coconut-lime scones.

[Mike Nolan]

Today's bagels came out strange, they flattened out. Taste pretty good but look ugly.

I was using Jeffrey Hamelman's technique, overnight retardation, then a quick boil and into an ice bath. They looked over-proofed when I took them out of the fridge.

[BakerAunt]

Tomorrow, my bonus daughter and her boyfriend head back to San Diego, so for our last dinner of the visit, I made sourdough pan pizza with homemade tomato sauce and the usual toppings, except that I left off the black olives and green onion.

Earlier in the day, I baked blueberry cobbler for dessert. It is traditional that she will eat some for breakfast tomorrow.

[RiversideLen]

I made a hamburger and kale.

*************

Oh heck, I posted this in the wrong thread.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I made eight challot (plural of challah which I have to start using since I'm working with three rabbis right now). Seven were just over a pound and the eighth was about 12 ounces. My spreadsheet calculations are working well now. I still need food costs (I know Mike has that). My estimate is that my loaves cost between $4.50 and $5.00 a loaf. I switched from local honey to Costco honey. The local stuff is great but it is $21 for 32 ounces. I will buy it for my family but the Costco stuff will work for my free loaves.

I may also switch back to KAB bread flour because I can buy 15 lb bags $20 at Costco and BRM is now up to $6.99 for 5 lb bags and I can only buy it in 5 lb bags.

These were round challot for Rosh Hashanah. I may experiment to with adding apples. Many add raisins but for whatever reason I am not a fan of raisin challah.

And my loaves were, again, over proofed but they still came out round. They just lost some of the coils.

I'm going to start making these in the kitchen at my synagogue. I'll make the dough on Wednesday afternoon, give it a 24 hour cold rise, and then bake and proof Thursday afternoon for Friday delivery. I wanted to come in at 1:00 am Friday morning but they're concerned about having someone in the building alone.

[BakerAunt]

I'm glad that your challah project has begun again, Aaron. It certainly requires careful logistics to produce those loaves.

[Italiancook]

Aaron, I had to Google to find out why challah is round for Rosh Hashana. Thanks for the education!

You probably explained this question last year, but I don't recall the answer: How do you determine who receives each loaf of challah? Do you rotate so that each family eventually receives one?

[aaronatthedoublef]

Hi IC,

I don't determine who receives a challah. We have a group at our synagogue who keeps track of who might need a challah on Friday to brighten their Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew).

So they are anonymous to me and I am anonymous to me. Part of it is the eight forms of tzedakah. Tzedakah is translated as charity but it is a little different and there is not exact English translation. It's from the Hebrew root for "righteous". Giving is the right thing to do and people in need have a right to help from people who can afford to give.

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/45907/jewish/Eight-Levels-of-Charity.htm

But also, imagine if someone from your church or whatever organization you belong to dropped off a fresh loaf of bread when they knew you were in need. You didn't know who made the bread you just knew people were thinking of you and wanted to do something nice for you.

The next time you went to church anyone you met could have been the person who made you a gift of bread. It could be anyone. It makes the whole place seem warmer. So I want everyone to receive credit.

[Author]

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