For a sweet Jewish new year- dailynews.com-
On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which begins on Monday evening, Sept. 6, eating fruit to symbolize the wish for a sweet year is the custom in many households. The time-honored Rosh Hashanah dinner begins with apples dipped in honey and often with pomegranate seeds and dates; some families include fruit in the main courses and in some of the side dishes as well.
Breads and desserts made with fruit are holiday favorites. At kosher bakeries and many supermarkets the challahs for Rosh Hashanah …
Breads and desserts made with fruit are holiday favorites. At kosher bakeries and many supermarkets the challahs for Rosh Hashanah are round or spiral-shaped instead of being braided, and are often studded with raisins. Although we enjoy eating these store-bought breads, we find that homemade challah is the best. This year we plan to make sweet challah rolls with an apple and currant filling from the new book on Jewish baking by Beth Lee.
Since Rosh Hashanah falls this year in early September, summer fruit is still around, and we will be using it in our Rosh Hashanah desserts. We’re going to bake blond brownies studded with blueberries and we’ll serve them with fresh peaches. Grapes in the form of wine play a role in the traditional holiday dinner but this biblical fruit is also delicious baked in a cake.
The recipe is from “The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook” by Beth Lee (Rockridge Press).
Sweet Challah Rolls with Apple Currant Filling
These fruit-filled cinnamon-spiced little gems are ideal for Rosh Hashanah, and in fact are perfect all year round. The rolls are dairy-free and nut-free.
Yield: 8 rolls
INGREDIENTS
Dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet or 1/4 ounce) active dry yeast or instant yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Filling:
1 cup (about 4 ounces) peeled, chopped sweet firm apple
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup currants or raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
Egg wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
PROCEDURE
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, flour, and sugar. Add the warm water, egg, oil and salt.
Using a dough hook, mix ingredients on medium-low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, making sure the dough is thoroughly combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. When ready, the dough should be smooth and pulling away from sides of bowl. If dough is overly sticky, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary.
Remove dough from bowl, form it into a round, and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Use your finger to poke a 1-inch hole through the center of the dough. Cover dough loosely with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
4.While dough is resting, make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the chopped apple, lemon juice, currants, cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To shape the rolls, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Flatten a piece into a roughly 6-by-4-inch rectangle and spread a heaping tablespoon of filling down the center. Close the dough up around the filling and gently roll it out with your hands to a roughly 9-inch rope. Loosely coil the rope, tuck the end under, and pinch to seal. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough to create 8 rolls. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Loosely cover the rolls with a kitchen towel, set in a warm location, and let rise for about 30 minutes, or until dough slowly springs back when poked with your finger.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For egg wash: Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to coat each roll with the egg wash, getting into all the nooks and crannies.
Bake the rolls for 5 minutes at 375 degrees, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake them for about 22 minutes longer, until the rolls are golden brown all over, even on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Tip: To vary the rolls, Lee recommends using different dried fruits to make the filling. Alternatively, skip the stuffing and top the rolls with sesame or poppy seeds instead; or make one large loaf by dividing the dough in three parts, forming them into ropes, filling them if you wish, braiding the ropes and and baking the loaf for 5 to 10 minutes longer.
source dailynews.com
