There's something about the advent of fall's cool weather that makes me yearn for yeast cakes. You'd think that hot days would be the ideal time to prepare yeast cakes since they rise so much better in warm weather, but for some reason it's the cold that brings out my appetite. Dough needs a tremendous amount of attention. Although dough is fun to knead (and preparing dough with an electric mixer obviously involves significantly less work), in order for it to rise it needs to rest in a moist, warm place. In the olden days, people would cover the bowl with a blanket and place it in the warmest place in the house. Nowadays, most people just cover it with plastic wrap or a wet towel. And if you're short on time, some people even prepare the dough a day ahead and let it rise in the fridge overnight – which is actually a pretty convenient way to prepare halla for Shabbat. Another trick that makes busy Fridays easier is preparing the dough in whatever shape you want in the middle of the week and then freezing it so it can be baked on Friday. So I guess one reason why I suddenly yearn for yeast cake and home-baked halla when the weather turns cold is that I love the warmth that seeps into the house from the yeasty-smelling oven. This week I'm going to show you how to prepare basic dough that you can use for a variety of breads and cakes with different shapes and fillings. Shabbat shalom. Translated by Hannah Hochner. Kugelhopf with almonds Use a floured and greased kugelhopf pan or a 24-cm. babka pan Ingredients: ■ 500 gr. flour, sifted ■ 25 gr. yeast ■ ¾ cup sugar ■ 3 eggs ■ 130 gr. butter, soft ■ ¼ tsp. salt ■ 1½ cups milk For filling: ■ 100 gr. nougat or date spread ■ ½ cup light orange (or other flavor) jam ■ 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped ■ ½ cup light raisins ■ Zest of 1 orange, grated ■ ½ cup blanched almonds, sliced ■ 200 gr. marzipan, cut into cubes For decoration: ■ ½ cup powdered sugar Directions: To prepare the dough, place the flour, yeast and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix with a dough hook for one or two minutes. While mixing slowly, add the eggs, butter, salt and milk until dough becomes rubbery. Grease a second bowl and transfer the dough to it. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place so the dough can rise for 30 minutes. To prepare the filling, mix all the ingredients except for marzipan. While mixing, add the marzipan and mix until smooth. On a floured work surface, roll out dough into a circle that's 0.5 cm thick. Spread the filling on top and then roll up starting from side closest to you. Fold in ends so no filling can be seen. Place on a baking tray, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for at least 90 minutes. Bake at 170°-180° for 35 minutes. Let cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yeast cake For the following recipe I've included instructions to prepare three separate fillings. Ingredients: ■ 1 kg. flour, sifted ■ 50 gr. yeast ■ 1 cup sugar ■ 1 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla sugar ■ 1 tbsp. lemon zest, grated ■ 2 eggs ■ 200 gr. butter, melted ■ 1¾ cup milk, at room temperature ■ 1 tsp. salt Chocolate/cinnamon filling: ■ 1 cup cocoa powder, sifted ■ 1½ cup brown sugar ■ 1 package vanilla sugar ■ 200 gr. butter, melted ■ 1 tsp. cinnamon, ground For egg wash: ■ 2 eggs, whipped with 1 tsp. oil and 1 tbsp. water Cinnamon/nut filling: ■ ½ cup brown or demerara sugar ■ ¼ cup cinnamon, ground ■ 2 Tbsp. nuts, finely chopped ■ 3 Tbsp. light raisins ■ Butter spray or 70 gr. butter, melted Cheese/raisin filling: ■ 2 containers 5% white spread cheese (place on cheesecloth for an hour to drain liquid) ■ 1 egg yolk ■ 1 tbsp. vanilla extract ■ ½ cup sugar ■ 2 tbsp. vanilla instant pudding powder ■ 1 tsp. lemon or orange zest, grated ■ ½ cup raisins For syrup: ■ 1½ cup sugar ■ ¾ cup water ■ 1 package vanilla sugar ■ 1 tsp. lemon juice For decoration: ■ 1 cup powdered sugar Directions: Put flour, yeast, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer bowl. Using the dough hook, mix for a minute or two. While mixing slowly, add lemon peel, eggs, butter, milk and salt. Keep mixing until dough is rubbery. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes, or place in fridge overnight. For rugelach, prepare the chocolate/cinnamon filling and store in the fridge. On a greased surface, separate the dough into 10 or 12 portions. Roll out each piece into a thin circle. On each circle, spread an even layer of filling. Cut out triangles starting at the edge. Roll up each triangle starting from one side and ending with the point. Place the rugelach on the tray with an equal amount of space between each one. Brush with egg wash. Bake at 180° for 20 minutes or until the rugelach are golden brown. To prepare the syrup, put all the ingredients to a small pot and cook over a low flame until sugar is completely dissolved. Drizzle syrup over rugelach while they are still warm and just out of the oven. To prepare cinnamon rolls, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. On a floured or lightly greased surface, separate the dough into four portions. Roll each piece into 0.5-cm. thick circles. Lightly spray with butter spray or brush with melted butter, then spread a layer of cinnamon filling. Roll each one, starting with the side closest to you. Cut into slices. Place evenly on baking tray. Tuck ends underneath rolls. Brush with egg wash and let rise another 20 minutes in a warm space. Bake at 180° for 20 minutes or until the rugelach are golden brown. After you take them out of the oven, brush with syrup. To prepare the cheese/raisin filling, put the ingredients in a bowl. On a floured or greased surface, split the dough into 2 or 3 sections. Roll them out thinly and then cut the dough into 10-cm. squares. On each square, spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling. Take two diagonal corners and pinch them together over filling. Then do the same with the other two corners. Place pastries on the tray and let them rise for 20 minutes in a warm place. Brush with egg wash and bake at 190° for 20 minutes or until they are golden. After you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Poppy-seed rolls To make these parve, substitute margarine for butter and water for the milk. Makes three rolls Ingredients: For dough: ■ 500 gr. (3.5 cups) flour, sifted ■ 25 gr. fresh yeast ■ ½ cup sugar ■ 150 gr. butter, softened ■ 1 egg ■ Pinch of salt ■ ½ cup milk For filling: ■ 2 cups poppy seeds, ground ■ 50 gr. butter ■ ¼ cup milk ■ 3 Tbsp. honey or silan ■ ½ cup + 2 tbsp. date spread ■ ½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped For egg wash: ■ 1 yolk ■ 2 drops of oil Directions: To prepare dough, place the flour in a bowl and then add yeast, sugar and butter. Knead mixture and then while mixing, add egg, salt and milk. Continue mixing until well mixed. Cover and let rise 60 minutes or until dough doubles in size. Cut into 3 equal portions. To prepare the filling, put the poppy seeds, butter, milk, honey and 2 tablespoons of date spread in a pot and cook for 3 or 4 minutes over low flame. Mix well. Separate the filling into three equal portions. Roll out one-third of the dough on a floured work surface into a 0.5 cm thick circle. Spread on the circle one-third of the date filling, one-third of the poppy seed filling, and one-third of the nuts. Roll up. Follow the same directions with other two portions. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the oil and brush on rolls. Place rolls on greased pans and bake at 180° for 35 minutes.
(photo credit: PASCALE PERETZ RUBIN AND ANATOLY MICHAELLO)