Health & Medicine - County Woman Newspapers

Mercer County Woman
Fabulous Foods
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Braided Challah (Egg Bread)
This simple bread can be made by hand or by using a bread machine
on “dough” cycle. Challah is an egg bread that is oven-baked for the Jewish
Sabbath, and can also be enjoyed at any time of the year.
3 Eggs
1/3 Cup Water
(room temperature)
1 1/2 tbsp butter
(room temp)
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose
flour
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tbsp cornmeal or
semolina flour
1 egg yolk
(beaten)
Put wet ingredients and eggs in the bread pan first except for the extra egg yolk; cut up the butter into
small pieces and drop in. Add dry ingredients except for the cornmeal or semolina, making sure the
salt is added anywhere but on top of or near the yeast. (If you’re making this by hand, add the dry
yeast to the water first, stir, and let it sit for a few minutes until you see a few bubbles.) Set the bread
machine to “dough” cycle, and when it is ready, punch down. If you don’t have a bread machine, mix
and knead the ingredients well and set the dough aside in a covered container to rise until it is doubled
in size (usually about an hour). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.ΔCut the dough into 3 equal parts,
and roll into “ropes.” Braid the ropes together, pinch the ends and turn them under. Sprinkle the
cornmeal or semolina flour on your baking pan or stone (prevents the bread from sticking). Brush the
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braided dough with egg yolk. Bake until nicely browned, 30 to 35 minutes.
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Banana Pecan Bread
A favorite recipe that is also a simple one, and a
great way to avoid throwing away old bananas.
You don’t need to add water or milk to this recipe;
there is plenty of moisture in the bananas.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 overripe bananas, mashed
(the blacker, the better)
dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cream the sugar
and shortening, then add the mashed bananas.
Mix. Add the flour and the rest of the dry
ingredients. Don’t overmix! Pour the batter into a
greased loaf pan, and bake at 325 degrees for an
hour and 15 minutes. The banana bread is done
when you insert a toothpick or fork and it comes out
clean. Makes 1 Banana Bread loaf.
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51 March / April 08