Bobalki - a Slovak Xmas Eve Tradition

Growing up my family didn't have too many holiday traditions. Sometimes we had a Christmas tree, and sometimes we didn't. Sometimes we lit a menorah, and sometimes we didn't. But one thing you could count on was the Christmas eve meal: mushroom soup, fish, peas and onions, orange slices, walnuts, and bobalki. All paying homage to my mother's 100% Slovak heritage.

Honestly, bobalki was not something we really loved growing up. But a few years ago my mother realized that she had been skipping a weird step at the end, which ended up making all the difference and now bobalki is something we ask for even when it's not Christmas eve. For those who don't know, bobalki are little dough balls, that are not themselves very sweet, but are covered in honey and poppy seeds. Be forewarned that there are A LOT of poppy seeds, so if you're eating in mixed company, you may want to serve them with a side of floss. :o)

I hope everyone has a wonderful new year's eve and a fulfilling and healthy 2012!

Bobalki

Note: pouring boiling water over the dough balls in point #5 is the weird step often forgotten, but is vital to ensure the balls are not dry and dense.

1 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp plus 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1 pkg dry, active yeast
3 cups flour

1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 tbsp milk
1/4 cup honey

1. Boil 1 cup water, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, and salt. Cool until room temperature. Meanwhile, dissolve yeast and 1/2 tbsp of sugar in 1/4 cup warm water.

2. Place flour in a large bowl and add water/sugar mixture and yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly and knead for about 10 minutes. Adding a little more flour to ensure the dough isn't sticking to your fingers. Cover for about an hour, until dough has doubled.

3. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Tear off pieces of dough and form them into 1/2 inch balls.

4. Place balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet, so they are touching each other. Heat oven to 375 F and cover the cookie sheet with a piece of oiled plastic wrap, wait about 30 minutes until balls have almost doubled. Bake 15-20 minutes until balls are light brown.

5. Set sheet on a cooling rack and let balls cool completely; pull balls apart. Place balls in a colander and pour a little boiling water over them—not so much that they become mush.

6. Grind poppy seeds and milk in a food processor. Add poppy seed mixture to honey and pour over the dough balls, stirring to ensure even coverage. Serve immediately.

Honey Wheat Bread

Because of our money-saving mode, we have been taking our lunches every day. Which isn't a huge deal for me, because my lunch is basically a granola bar and some wheat crackers. But poor Tom has been stuck with that plus the same old chicken sandwich with horseradish sauce every day for the last 2 months. Sometimes he'd be really crazy and substitute peanut butter and jelly. Insane, right?Well, he finally reached his breaking point (who could blame him?) and yelled uncle. Really he yelled "I can't eat this s*&!t anymore," but I digress. So we spent a little while brainstorming what he could eat and decided on some pretty tasty options, and one of the main changes is using homemade bread. Which I'm super excited about.
The first recipe I decided to try is a honey-wheat bread, and for a yeast bread* it's pretty simple. Next time I will be better about forming it to fit the pan, as I didn't pinch the folds together well enough and some of my slices were perfectly baked in 3 separated parts. But all in all a success. Oh, and the taste? Amazing!

*If you're new to yeast breads, this is a good one to start with. It calls for instant yeast, which doesn't have to be proofed in the same way as regular active yeast. Make sure you buy the right stuff though!


Honey Wheat Bread adapted from Essentials of Baking and The Bread Baker's Apprentice

2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp. honey (I used clover honey)
1 1/2 tsps. salt
3 tbsps. instant non-fat dry milk
1 1/2 tsps. instant yeast
2 tbsps. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature

1. Combine flours, salt, dry milk and yeast in a medium-sized bowl. Add the butter, honey and water. Stir until all the ingredients come together and form a ball. If your mixture is still a bit dry (mine was) slowly add a bit more water until it combines.

2. Dust the counter with whole wheat flour and transfer the dough ball onto the counter. Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes. (You can use a dough hook & mixer for 6 minutes, but kneading is probably the most relaxing thing in the world, so why would you?). Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the kneaded dough into the bowl. Roll the dough around to coat it with oil and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel.

3. Leave the dough out at room temperature until it has doubled in size. Between 1 to 2 hours. To tell if it has truly doubled, insert two fingers into the dough, if the indentation stays (doesn't bounce back) you're good to go.

4. Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a rectangle, about 6 inches x 10 inches. With the short side of the dough closest to you, fold the dough up to the middle of the rectangle. Pinch the seam (really, do this!). Now fold the short edge farthest away from you, to the edge closest to you and pinch the seam until the dough comes together.

5. Lightly oil your 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan (mine is glass, but metal works just as well). And place your formed loaf inside, making sure that the ends of the loaf touch the ends of the pan. Spray a little cooking spray over top of the loaf and cover with plastic wrap.

6. Proof at room temperature until the dough rises just over the lip of the pan. This took about 40 minutes in my summer-hot apartment, but could take up to 90 minutes. Just keep an eye on it.

7. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack in the middle.

8. Bake the bread for 30 minutes, it should be golden brown on top. Tip it out of the pan and insert an instant read thermometer in the underside, the temperature should be about 190°F in the middle.

9. Let rest for about 2 hours before slicing. I enjoyed a slice (or two) and then froze the rest for sandwiches during the week.