Daring Bakers' Challenge May 2012 - Challah

May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads.

So, whadda you do when it's crazy humid and a bazillion degrees outside?  Why, crank up the oven and bake some bread, of course. (Yes, I am Polish.)

Using the honey white recipe Ruth provided, I created one standard braided loaf and one 4-strand loaf with pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon.  If I don't end up eating the entire pecan-cinnamon loaf tonight, I foresee a French toast breakfast tomorrow.

All those years braiding Barbie's hair finally paid off.  And if I do say write so myself, that is a gorgeous loaf of bread, isn't it?

I stretched out each strand and sprinkled the pecan, brown sugar, and cinnamon mixture.  Then I pinched the dough back together and created a 4-strand braid.

 

Chocolate Malt Mini Cupcakes

I just love the sweet, nutty taste of malted milk powder – Whoppers, creamy chocolate malt shakes, those wonderful speckled malted eggs (and if you ever find yourself in Charleston, SC, I highly recommend the vanilla malt from Kaminsky’s).  While searching for the perfect malted cake recipe, I was reminded of the fabulous chocolate malts at the Bethany Beach Ice Cream Parlor. 

 

Back in 1984, our family spent the summer at Bethany Beach, DE.  For nine glorious weeks, we’d get up every morning, throw on our swim suits, grab some breakfast, and walk to the beach.  During the hottest part of the day, we’d head back to the house for lunch and my sisters and I would walk into town, stopping at the post office, the shops, or the 50₵ miniature golf course.  Then we’d head back to the beach for several more hours.

The days were fun, but the evenings were my favorite.  Except when we went to the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach or a bonfire with friends at Dewey Beach, every night after dinner we’d walk to the ice cream parlor.  They had those white, round wrought iron tables and chairs and cases filled with dozens of flavors of ice cream along two walls.  The place smelled of waffle cones, hot fudge, and just a hint of coconut suntan lotion.  It was a magical place.  If family and friends didn’t find us at home in the evenings (this was before cell phones), they knew to look for us at the ice cream parlor.

The chocolate malts at Dumser’s in Ocean City, near where most of my family lives now, are very tasty, but nothing so far has compared to those malts in Bethany.

Chocolate Malted Mini Cupcakes (tweaked slightly from Chow.com)

2 c malted milk powder

¾ c cocoa

1 ⅔ c flour

1 t salt

¾ t baking soda

3 eggs

1 1/3 c sugar

⅔ c vegetable oil

2 t vanilla

1 t instant coffee

1 ⅓ c milk

Heat oven to 375° and put liners in mini cupcake pans.

In a medium bowl, combine malted milk powder, cocoa, flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and instant coffee.

Alternately add flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Whisk just until all ingredients are incorporated. 

Pour batter into tins and bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean.

Makes about 7 dozen mini cupcakes.