Baking Powder In Matzo Balls Recipes

MATZO BALL SOUP

Steps:

• For the chicken soup: Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot. Add the chicken and return the pot to a simmer. Place a plate on top of the chicken to keep it submerged and then cover the pot with a lid. Lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is done, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the chicken from the pot, then pull the meat off and shred it. Discard the skin and bones. Strain the soup into a heatproof bowl. Skim off the fat and return the soup to the pot.
• For the matzo balls: In a large bowl, combine the matzo meal, salt, baking powder, baking soda and granulated garlic. In a medium bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks, the chicken fat and the onion. In a separate bowl, beat the 3 egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir the chicken fat mixture into the dry ingredients, then stir in one-third of the beaten egg whites until incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining whites until there are no remaining streaks. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the batter and refrigerate for about 20 minutes or overnight, until firm.
• Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Combine the vegetable oil with some water in a small bowl to keep your hands moist. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of the matzo ball mixture into your hands and form into a mound. Place the mound on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining matzo ball mixture. Use the oil and water mixture to keep your hands moist while you roll each scoop of batter into a ball. Handle the balls as gently as possible.
• For the finishing touches: Return the chicken stock to a simmer and add the celery, carrot, onion, rutabaga, dill, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the matzo balls. Cover and cook over moderate heat, turning the matzo balls a few times, until they are plumped and cooked thoroughly, about 25 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken and cook until the chicken is heated, about 2 minutes. Remove the dill and parsley sprigs. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

FLOATER MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper.
• In another small mixing bowl, use another fork to mix together the eggs and schmaltz (or oil), stirring briskly to make sure they are well blended.
• Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and add the minced dill or parsley. Mix all ingredients together with a fork until just combined. Do not over-mix.Put the bowl of matzo ball mixture into the refrigerator and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Bring your 5 quarts of chicken stock (or saffron water stock outlined in Notes section) to a boil over medium heat.While your broth or water is warming, form the chilled matzo ball mixture into 1-inch balls (roughly walnut-sized). Don't overwork the mixture when you roll the balls.
• When your broth or water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and drop the matzo balls gently into the liquid.
• Cover the pot with a lid and let the balls cook for 30-50 minutes until fluffy and soft. Keep the pot covered-- no peeking until at least 30 minutes have gone by! If you've followed instructions carefully, the balls should be floating on the surface of the water like billowy clouds of deliciousness. If they still seem dense or tight, they haven't cooked long enough. The should look soft and airy.
• Test for doneness by slicing a test matzo ball in half. It should look the same all the way through the center - tender, with no dark spot in the middle. If the middle is darker than the edges, it will need to simmer a little longer - it's not quite cooked yet. Don't be afraid to cook longer if it seems dense in the center, as it really won't be light and fluffy unless it is fully saturated with broth and cooked all the way to the center.
• If you're not using baking powder, you may wan to use avocado or safflower oil instead of schmaltz. I've noticed these oils tend to render a fluffier result, though they are not as flavorful as schmaltz. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, putting the whites in one of the medium mixing bowls and the yolks in the small mixing bowl. Use a fork to stir together the egg yolks and oil, stirring briskly to make sure they are well blended. Gently stir in 1/4 cup of seltzer.
• In the second medium mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together the matzo meal, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper.
• Pour egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients, and add the minced dill or parsley. Mix with a fork until just combined. Do not over-mix.
• Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer to stiff peaks.
• Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. Do not over-mix; you want the egg whites well integrated, but over-mixing will deflate them.Put the bowl of matzo ball mixture into the refrigerator and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Bring your 5 quarts of chicken stock (or saffron water stock outlined in Notes section) to a boil over medium heat.While your broth or water is warming, form the chilled matzo ball mixture into 1-inch balls (roughly walnut-sized). Don't overwork the mixture when you roll the balls.
• When your broth or water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and drop the matzo balls gently into the liquid.
• Cover the pot with a lid and let the balls cook for 30-50 minutes until fluffy and soft. Keep the pot covered-- no peeking until at least 30 minutes have gone by! If you've followed instructions carefully, the balls should be floating on the surface of the water like billowy clouds of deliciousness. If they seem dense, they need to cook longer.
• Test for doneness by slicing a test matzo ball in half. It should look the same all the way through the center - tender, with no dark spot in the middle. If the middle is darker than the edges, it will need to simmer a little longer - it's not quite cooked yet. If you formed your balls any larger than the recommended size, you may need 10-15 minutes (or longer) than the suggested cooking time. Go by texture and doneness. It won't be light and fluffy unless it is fully saturated with broth and cooked all the way to the center.
• Serve two or three matzo balls per bowl with hot chicken soup ladled over them. If you don't plan on serving the whole pot of soup at one sitting, make sure you remove the matzo balls from the broth and let them come to room temperature before storing them in a separate sealed container kin the refrigerator. If left to sit in the broth, they'll become mushy.
• Once your matzo balls are fully cooked, line a baking sheet with wax paper or plastic wrap. Use a slotted spoon to remove the matzo balls from their cooking liquid and place them gently on the lined sheet. Let cool to room temperature.
• Place the matzo balls in the freezer and let them freeze until they are firm to the touch, around 2 hours or so. Once they are firm, you can place the matzo balls into a freezer bag (I use reusable silicone freezer bags).
• Label them with a label maker, if you want, so it will be easier to remember what you have on hand in future. They can be thawed and reheated directly in hot soup (or a pot of soup stock) just before serving.
• Additional Notes: You can cook matzo balls directly in your soup broth (which will give them excellent flavor), but it will soak up a lot of the yummy stock, leaving you with very little broth for serving.

FLUFFY MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Whisk eggs, chicken broth, olive oil, parsley, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Fold in matzo meal until thoroughly mixed.
• Cover and refrigerate until matzo mixture softens into a soft dough, 3 hours to overnight.
• Roll matzo mixture gently into 12 golf-sized balls, moistening hands if dough is too sticky.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add matzo balls; cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

MATZO BALL SOUP

Steps:

• Make the stock.
• In a large pot, bring 2 quarts chicken stock to a simmer. Add the chicken and return just to a simmer. Cover the chicken with a small heatproof plate to keep it submerged (add more stock if needed). Cover the pot and reduce the heat; gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the chicken and let cool slightly, then roughly cut up the meat and set aside; discard the skin and bones. Strain the stock into another large pot.
• Skim the fat off the surface of the stock using a spoon.
• Make the batter.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the matzo meal, granulated garlic, baking powder, baking soda, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs with the 3 yolks, schmaltz and minced onion. In a separate clean bowl, beat the 3 egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir the schmaltz mixture into the dry ingredients, then stir in one-third of the beaten egg whites until incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain.
• Form the matzo balls.
• Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. In a small bowl, combine the vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon water. Using the oil-and-water mixture to keep your hands moist, roll scoops of batter (about 2 tablespoons each) into balls, handling them as gently as possible (makes 8 to 12). Arrange on the baking sheet and refrigerate 20 minutes so the outsides dry slightly.
• Make the soup.
• Tie the dill and parsley sprigs together with kitchen string. Return the chicken stock to a simmer. Add the carrot, celery, diced onion, rutabaga and herb bundle; season with salt and pepper. Return to a simmer and add the matzo balls. Cover and cook over moderate heat, turning the matzo balls a few times, until they are plump and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Stir the chicken into the soup and cook until just warmed through. Remove the herb bundle and season the soup with salt and pepper.

KOSHER PERFECT MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Follow these instructions carefully.
• Measure and mix dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Individually break the eggs into a clear glass, discarding any with blood spots, and then pour into a second bowl.
• Add oil or schmaltz (and water or broth for firm matzo balls) to the eggs and stir gently with a fork until the yolks are broken and the oil just mixed.
• Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture and gently mix with the fork.
• DO NOT OVER MIX.
• Treat it like a muffin mixture; if you over mix they will be tough.
• Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on the stove.
• After matzo ball mix has set, gently remove teaspoon fulls of the batter and roll into 1-2" balls and drop into the water.
• When all the balls are in the water leave it to boil until all the balls float to the top, then lower the temperature to a rolling simmer for 40 minutes and your matzo balls will be ready.
• DO NOT STIR AT ANY TIME.
• The matzo balls may be removed from the water with a slotted spoon and served in soup, with a stew, as a side dish with gravy or placed on a cookie sheet and frozen covered for a later use.

MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• 1. Fill a large, wide stockpot three-quarters full of water, add 1 tablespoon of the salt, and bring to a rapid boil.
• 2. While water is boiling, crack eggs into a large bowl and beat thoroughly. Beat in schmaltz, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and baking powder. Slowly fold in matzo meal, mixing vigorously until completely blended.
• 3. Wet hands and, folding the mixture in your palms, shape perfect balls about 1 1/4 inches in diameter (they will double in size when cooked). Gently place the matzo balls in the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place 1 or 2 in each bowl of soup. Serve immediately.