Jewish Foods, by Course:
Breads

Foods, by Course: Table of Contents | Side Dishes | Main Dishes

The original meaning of the phrase "breaking bread," which dates back to Biblical times, referred to the physical act of breaking bread. Even in antiquity, bread was considered so essential to the maintenance of human life that there was no act more social than sharing one's bread with others. In those days, bread was never sliced, it was literally "broken" - or torn apart - to be shared.

Sharing of bread has become an important social ritual, and by the time of the first Kings of Israel, complex rituals had evolved as the order and precedence of sharing one's bread. So important in the Holy Land was this food staple, and the rituals involved in eating it, that we find no less than 600 references to bread in the Bible. Although most people ate the common kinds of flat bread, the rich could choose from as many as forty types.

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Challah

Prepared especially for the celebration of the Sabbath and holidays, challah is a rich, egg-based white bread possessed of a delicate aroma, taste and texture that sits very nicely indeed on the palate. Generally braided but sometimes served in loaf form, the ideal challah is well browned on the exterior and has a fluffy, deep yellow or pure white interior. An excellent accompaniment to a meal, challah is also appropriate for sandwiches, but when served with a light coating of honey and butter, it is indeed a delicacy.

1/2 oz (15 gr.) active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Combine the yeast and sugar with 1/4 cup warm water and set aside, uncovered, for 5 - 10 minutes.

Into a large mixing bowl, sift 4 cups of flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour-salt mixture and drop into this the oil, the whole eggs and 1 1/4 cups of the warm water- yeast mixture. Mix, working the liquids into the flour. When well mixed, knead on a floured board until the dough is smooth. If too runny, add flour until the mixture becomes elastic.

Place the dough in a large bowl, brush the top with oil, cover with a towel and let stand to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Punch the dough down, cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into three equal parts and, with floured hands, roll each piece into a strip, all of equal length. Braid the strips and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise again until double in size. Brush the top with the egg yolks and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Bake in a moderately hot oven until well browned (about 40 - 50 minutes). Yields 1 large or 2 small loaves.

Frikase

Frikase are Tunisian buns with the texture of a doughnut.

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons oil

25 grams dried yeast

3/4 cup warm water

Oil (according to your taste i.e. - corn oil, sunflower, vegetable oil) for deep-frying

Canned: Tuna, olives, potatoes, pickled lemons

1 hard-boiled egg

Mix all the ingredients of the dough until you get a flexible and smooth dough. In case the dough is very sticky you can add a little flour, but the dough must be airy. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size. Afterwards kneed the dough again, and divide it into 8 parts. Roll it into a long bun shape and put it on a baking pan and cover with a towel for 30 minutes (for additional rising)

In case you use dry yeast, mix it with the flour before adding the liquids. If you use fresh yeast, mix it with the hot water before adding it to the flour.

Heat oil in deep pot, and fry the dough on each side until it turns a golden color on all sides. Put the Frikase on a paper towel to drain oil, and let it chill before serving. Fill it with any filling materials that you find tasty.

Georgian Cheese Bread

This bread comes from Georgia, where it was made by Jews to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, and by Christians to celebrate the holiday of Pentecost.

1 cup lukewarm milk
2 packages (60 gr.) dry yeast
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. sugar
about 4 cups of flour
125 gr. butter, softened
675 gr. mild Camembert or Brie-type cheese
375 gr. feta cheese or other tangy goat cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
about 2 Tbsp. melted butter

In a small glass, mix together 1/2 cup of the milk, the yeast and 1 tsp. of the sugar. Let stand at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes and then add this mixture to the remaining milk.

Place 3 cups of flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the milk, remaining sugar and the softened butter. Stir with a rubber spatula until a firm dough ball is formed.

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. When the dough is elastic and no longer sticky, transfer to a greased bowl, turning it so that it is coated on all sides. Cover with a lightly dampened cloth and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours).

Punch the dough down and let rise again until doubled in bulk (about 30 minutes).

Grate the Camembert cheese and crumble the goat cheese. Combine the two, add the egg and mix well.

Punch the dough down again and then roll out on a lightly floured surface to a circle of about 50 cm. in diameter. Fold the dough into quarters and place the point in the center of a 23 cm. pan with sides about 5 cm high. Unfold the dough and let the excess hang over the sides.

Spoon the cheese mixture onto the dough and then pick up the excess dough hanging over the edges and pleat it over the cheese. Make sure all the pleats go in the same direction. Gather the ends of the dough in the center and twist into a small knob. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Brush the top of the dough with melted butter and bake on the center shelf of an oven that has been pre-heated to 190° Celsius (375° Fahrenheit), until the bread is golden (about 1 hour). Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Iraqui Pita Bread

1 kilogram flour
3 tablespoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
700 milliliters warm water

Kneed the dough and let it rise until it doubles its volume. Kneed again and again, and let it rise. Divide into 20 pieces and make into balls, and let it rise again. With oily hands, flatten into pita shape. It is recommended to bake in an electric pan or in a pot.

Lachuh

Ingredients:

1 kilo (2.2 lbs) flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cube of yeast or 1/2 tablespoon yeast powder
2 tablespoons finely sifted flour
Bowl with oil inside
Warm water

Tools:

1 big bowl for dough
2 big frying pans with covers
Soup Ladle
Wooden spoon

Put yeast into one cup of warm water. Make the mix inside the big bowl. Add 5 warm cups of water; add salt, sugar, and dissolved yeast. In a small pot, boil 2 cups of water, add finely sifted flour, and stir for one minute. Add 1 cup warm water, add to big bowl. Add to the big bowl 1 kilo flour adding gradually and stirring until you get a liquidly mixture. Cover with towel and let it sit and rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Stir every once in a while, and add water if needed. If you use a hand mixer, it will be fast, and give a fine mixture.

Baking the Lachuh: Smear frying pan with oil (it is recommended to work with 2 frying pans to shorten the procedure). Put in frying pan, one ladle of mixture, and shake pan to cover entire surface. Put the frying pans on high light, until dough surface is hardened and filled with bubbles. Cover the frying pan, and keep cooking on a low light until the bottom is browned. Repeat with the rest of batter.

Between each lachuh, cool the frying pan bottom in a bowl of water. You can keep the lachuh in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks in a plastic bag, and reheat in the microwave.

Makes 6 servings

Oven Baked Flat Bread (Saluf)

This is not an easy bread to make, as the flipping of the flattened loaf onto the sides of a hot oven is an art form that needs to be mastered. The practice will be well worth the effort. Should one's initial efforts fail, any flat bread (such as pita) may be substituted.

3 Tbsp. fenugreek seeds, crushed
1 1/2 tsp. tomato puree
1/2 kilo flour
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

Combine the fenugreek seeds with the tomato puree and 3 Tbsp. of water and mix together well. Cook over a low flame and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

Sift together the flour and yeast and then knead the mixture together with just enough lukewarm water to make a moderately thick dough. Cover lightly and let stand to rise for half an hour. Repeat the kneading and rising process 6 times in all, kneading at half hour intervals.

Heat the oven to its highest possible temperature. Turn off the heat and, taking care not to burn yourself, wipe the walls of the oven with a wet cloth. Immediately after the last kneading flatten the dough and make two thin loaves. Over each spread 3 Tbsp. of the fenugreek mixture and, with a rapid motion, stick the breads on the walls of the oven. Let cook just until the bread peels off the walls and falls to the floor of the oven.

Note: Keep in mind that many Yemenis will make two portions of bread for each diner, one to be served in the soup and the other on a separate plate to be dipped into samneh. To prepare samneh, simply melt 1 cup of butter together with 1 Tbsp. of whole fenugreek seeds. When the butter has completely melted, skim the surface and carefully pour the butter into a small sauce dish, leaving behind the solids that have settled to the bottom of the skillet.

Serves 4-6.

Sources: Embassy of Israel; Israeli Foreign Ministry; Ruth's Kitchen; Jewish Agency for Israel; Manischewitz; Rogov's Ramblings- Reprinted with permission.

Daniel Rogov is the restaurant and wine critic for the daily newspaper Ha'aretz. He is also the senior writer for Wine and Gourmet Magazine and contributes culinary and wine articles to newspapers in Europe and the United States.