Vegan Challah Recipe

This recipe will yield a fluffy airy Challa.

I used to make this Vegan Challa every week for my daughter (Jewish) school. Since she couldn't enjoy Challa with the rest of her friends (original recipe contains eggs). After few weeks, most of the kids preferred this Challah over the Challah that was served in school #win

Dry ingredients:
5 cups of white all purpose flour or whole wheat/spelt or a mix in any ratio.
1 TBS of dry yeast
1/2 TBS of fine salt

Wet:
1/3 cup soy milk or almonds milk
1/4 cup Canola oil
3 TBS agave nectar
Put all the wet ingredients, mix together with a fork in a two cup measuring cup and add water until you have 2 cups of liquids.

Directions:
1. Put all dry ingredients In a kitchen-aid with a dough hook. Mix.
2. Mix the wet ingredients and add to the dry ingredients.
3. Mix for 2 minutes in low speed (2) or until the dough forms together.
4. Let it rest for 5 minutes (to allow the gluten strands to develop)
5. mix for additional 5 minutes in low speed (2). The dough should separate from the bowl and slightly stick to the bottom of it. If it doesn't stick slightly to the bottom after 5 minutes, add water by the tablespoon. if it is two sticky, add flour by the tablespoon.

6. Take the dough out and transfer it to a slightly floured surface.
7. Kneed it for two minutes.
8. Create a ball shape.
9. lightly oil the ball of dough and put inside the kitchen-aid bawl.
10. cover with a plastic bag and let it double in volume in a warm place (between 60-90 minutes).
11. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
12. Once doubled in volume, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, cut to two with a knife or a baker's bench knife (for two Challah) and cut each half to as many strands as you want.
13. Braid the Challa from the strands (here's a nice video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TOKt18P7z4)
14. put on a baking pan on a parchment paper.
15. brush the breads with some canola oil.
16. cover with a plastic bag and let it rise for one hour (~20% less time from what it took for the dough to double in volume).
17. brush with a mix of 1TBS soy milk 1TBS of oil.
18. Bake for about 40 minutes.
19. The challa should be ready when you knock on the bottom of it and hear a hollow sound.
20. let it cool for one hour.

This is how you braid Challa for Rosh Hashana dinner:

 

Tunisian Harissa Recipe

This is a recipe for authentic Harissa I’ve learned to make from my grandmother. In many Tunisian recipes I’ll post in the future, I will call for Harissa. You can make it very spicy or not spicy at all.

The size of the chilis to use is about the size of the California chilies (google it).

You can make a lot of it and freeze in Ziploc bags. it will last for a year in the freezer so once you’re done with it, you don’t have to worry about making it again for a long time.

The recipe:

1. Take a very big bag of California chilies (or similar – California are more on the mild side – so it is a good start) – about 40.

2. Clean them well from all seeds and stem, leaving the red part only.

3. Wash well and soak in water for 30 minutes. drain in a colander, the water will be still dirty from dust etc’

4. Soak the chilies for additional 30 minutes.

5. drain the chilies and put it in a Cuisinart with S shape blade (as see in the pic above)

6. Add a LOT of garlic (approximately 25-35 cloves) and grind it all into a smooth paste. If it is slightly hard to grind into a paste and you have big pieces of chilies left, add water by a teaspoon until it becomes a paste.

7. Transfer the paste into a bowl. Add about two tablespoons of grey Atlantic salt and mix well.

8. Wait 10 minutes – let the salt dissolve in the Harissa.

9. Add about quarter of a cup of Canola oil and mix well.

10. Divide into 10-15 portions in a Ziploc or small plastic containers. freeze all but one to put in the refrigerator.

11. Pour a bit of canola oil on top of the Harissa in the container that you put in the refrigerator.

Harrisa is good as is. put it on bread with a slice of tomato or Tofu, add a bit of lemon when you serve next to your favorite spreads and bread or serve next to almost any dish.

There are, of course many Tunisian dishes that use Harissa that I plan to post their recipes in the future.