Challah Onion Pockets Recipes

CARAMELIZED ONION CHALLAH

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons chicken fat (schmaltz) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, cover and cook until very soft, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook until brown, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool completely.
• Melt 8 tablespoons schmaltz and cool to 110°F.
• Place yeast and sugar in bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1/2 cup water and mix until yeast is dissolved. Gently mix in remaining 1-1/2 cups water, salt and cooled schmaltz. Mix in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides.
• Change to dough hook and knead 20 minutes or until very smooth. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; knead 1 to 2 minutes. Place in large oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in cool place to rise until doubled, about 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
• Punch dough down, turn out on lightly floured work surface and knead in onions. Return to bowl, cover with plastic, and let rise 1 hour. Transfer to large plastic bag, leaving room for dough to expand, and refrigerate overnight.
• Grease a 12" springform pan and line with parchment. Heavily flour work surface.
• Using floured hands, divide dough into 3 equal-size pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle and roll each into a 4-foot long cylinder. Take breaks during rolling so dough can rest. Pinch cylinders together at one end and braid loosely, pinching ends together. Starting at finished end, coil braid into circle, brush end with egg mixture and press into braid. Transfer to prepared pan. Cover with bath towel. Let rise until doubled and very light, about 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
• Place baking stone in oven. Preheat oven to 375°F Brush bread with egg mixture. Place bread in pan on top of baking stone. Bake 20 minutes. Gently remove bread from pan and transfer to the stone. Brush again with egg wash. Bake 50 to 55 more minutes, or until challah is well browned. Cool on wire rack.

ONION POCKETS ROLLS

Steps:

• 1. Make the dough; In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour ,sugar and yeast, then mix with a whisk or the flat (paddle) beater at Low (Kitchen Aid 2) speed. Add the warm water,egg and oil mixture at the same time and blend until the dry ingredients are evenly hydrated and the dough forms a shaggy mass, 1 to 2 minutes. Spinkle in the salt and mix for 1 minute longer.
• 2. If kneading by machine: switch to the dough hook and knead on low (KA2) for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead by hand for 30 to 60 seconds.
• 3. If kneading by hand: turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and stretches when pinched and pulled, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• 4. Form the dough into a ball and put it in a lightly oiled mixing bowl, turning it upside down so that there's a thin coating of oil on the top surface. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let the dough ferment for 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled in bulk.
• 5. While the dough is fermenting make the onion filling. Add the boiling water to the dried onions and cover with plastic, let sit for 30 minutes. Drain through a strainer and pour out on to a double layer of paper towels and blot moisture out. Combine to onions, the oil, poppy seeds and salt, then mix well. Set aside.
• 6. After dough is fermented and doubled in size, divide into 2 18 oz. pieces, roll into a thick sausage shape and stretch to 12 inches.Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes to relax the gluten. Ater the resting period, place the first piece of dough on a well-floured surface so that the wide side faces you. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough first from side to side to a width of 18 inches and then roll it lengthwise to about 10 to 12 inches. Brush the top of the dough generously with vegetable oil, leaving about 1/2 in of the edge unoiled. and spread 1/3 of the filling evenly across the upper two-thirds of the dough rectangle. Starting at the edge nearest you, fold the dough in thirds, letter-style, and seal the upper edges by pressing it gently with the heel of the hand. You now have a strip of filled dough approximately 18 inches long and 3 inches wide. Set aside and repeat this process for the second piece of dough. Spread the remaining filling on parchment paper or wax paper and press the dough strip onto the filling so that it adheres to the dough. Turning the strips right side up and cut each into 6 pieces. Put each piece on a piece of parchement paper that you have placed in large cooking sheet or stone, let rise for an additional 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F and bake, using the top third of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until rolls are mottled brown. Let cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes and eat warm. Please take pictures, I want to see!!!
• 7. P.S the bottle behind the rolls is the Czech moonshine I spoke of!