Who would have thought that banana bread would become the unofficial baked treat of this Coronavirus pandemic? It’s a fact. Banana Bread recipes have been the most searched baking recipes on both Google and Pinterest since this COVID-19 pandemic started. For me, baking has proved to be very therapeutic these past two months. Food that is warm and sweet is comforting, which probably explains the reason for all of this quarantine baking that everyone has been doing during this stay at home time. All of us have needed a little bit more comfort these past seven weeks and by the way,  what better way to use overripe bananas anyway? During this period, I’ve baked quite a few loaves of banana bread, and it just hits the spot any time of the day. The recipe below is from my dear friend Susan. It’s super easy to make, has very few ingredients and is absolutely delicious.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1-¼ cup flour 

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 stick unsalted butter (softened)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3 ripe bananas (mashed)

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 cup nuts chopped (walnuts or pecans)

Method:

1. Sift flour and soda together in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add sugar and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, mash bananas and add eggs and vanilla. Beat together.

4. Cut the butter into the dry mixture and mix.

5. Combine both dry and liquid ingredients together and mix until blended.

6. Pour batter into a loaf pan.

7. Bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes or until done. 

I’ve always wanted to try to make challah bread from scratch but unlike banana bread, something about it has always been very intimidating to me. Maybe it was the time element. Maybe it was the yeast factor. Who knows?  My grandma used to make it every week for our Shabbat dinners and holidays. Following in her tradition, my mom also made homemade challah for our Friday night family dinners and holidays. My sister makes it for her family and for whatever reason, I’ve always been fearful of making it...until the pandemic hit. Then I was determined. I figured it was the best time to challenge myself since I had all the time in the world. It truly was the perfect time to learn something new and attempt to make something I’ve always wanted to.

Several weeks ago, I made my first challahs. I took this baking challenge very seriously because I didn’t want to mess it up. It was exciting getting to watch the dough rise and kneading the dough. It brought back memories of helping my grandma bake challah and getting to braid it for her. It was a sweet afternoon, and something about it was very therapeutic as well. I guess it was lots of special family memories and just the whole process in general. The challah turned out wonderful and there truly is  nothing like the smell of homemade bread in your home. It’s truly the best and if you haven’t had it before, challah makes an incredibly yummy french toast. Do you want to know what the hardest part of this whole challah baking experience was? Finding yeast. It was nowhere to be found in a grocery store during this pandemic because everyone was baking. Once again, a big shout out and thank you to Amazon! 

Challah Bread

(recipe courtesy of Leah Koenig’s Modern Jewish Cooking cookbook)

Yield:

Makes 2 Braided loaves

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon sugar, plus ⅓ cup

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees)

• 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons salt

• ½ cup of vegetable oil

• 4 eggs

• ¼ cup honey

• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds for topping (optional)

Note: A ¼-oz packet of yeast contains 2-¼ tsp. So for 1 Tbsp, you will need all of one packet and a little bit of a second.

Method:

1. Stir together the yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and warm water in a medium bowl. Let stand until foaming, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ⅓ cup sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl.

3. Add the vegetable oil, 3 of the eggs, and the honey to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast mixture. Gently stir until the dough begins to form, then turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead well, adding more flour, a little at a time, as necessary, until a supple dough forms, 8 to 12 minutes. Rub about 1 tsp. oil around the bottom of a large bowl, add the dough and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a dishtowel and let stand in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1-½ hours.

4. Gently deflate the dough with your hands by pressing it in the center and turning it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half with a knife, then divide each half into thirds. Roll each third into a long rope. Pinch the top of three ropes together and braid, pinching at the bottom to seal. Repeat with the remaining three ropes.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the braided challahs on the prepared baking sheet. Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the loaves with one coat of egg wash. (Put the remaining egg wash in the refrigerator.) Cover the loaves loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes more. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6. Uncover the loaves and brush with a second coat of egg wash. (Don’t skip the second coat; it adds a deep, beautiful color to the loaves.) Sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using). Bake the loaves for 30 to 40 minutes until deep golden brown and cooked through, or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaves registers 195 degrees. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Challah is best the day it is made, but will keep for up to 3 days and can be rewarmed in an oven or sliced and toasted. 

With Mother’s Day this weekend, and many retail stores still closed, making a homemade bread is a great way to wish someone you love a Happy Mother’s Day! The time and effort put into making bread is a gesture that is thoughtful and more meaningful than any random trinket that can be bought. Whatever your plans are this weekend, I hope you have the opportunity to spend time with your loved ones, either in person or virtually.

Enjoy!

Virtual Hug,

xx Barbara