All posts tagged: skill level: medium

Heavenly Delicate Challah Topped with Sweet Crumble

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Name and pronunciation: chałka [how-kah]Description: challahType of cuisine: Eastern European Jewish —  This is one of the most important types of bread of my childhood, so it took me ages to this recipe perfectly right. My prefect challah is delicate, but not too puffy, never ever dry and with shiny, dark gold crust. — 2 challahs • Preparation time: about 35 minutes • Resting time: 1 hours plus 30 minutes • Baking time: about 20 minutes — Tips: 01Challah can be made sweeter if you want it as a dessert or a sweet snack, or less sweet if you would like to use it for an open, savoury sandwich. Adjust sugar accordingly – use 5 or even 6 tablespoons of sugar, if you like your bread a little sweeter, and reduce it down to 2 tablespoons, if you prefer your bread less sweet. 02If you decide to make your challah less sweet, you can also top is with poppyseeds or sesame seeds, instead the sweet crumble. — Ingredients: Challah:✽ 550 g all-purpose flour✽ ½ cup warm milk✽ ½ cup warm water✽ 30 g …

The Best Doughnuts with Lemon Glaze with Strawberry and Rose Filling

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Name and pronunciation: pączki z różą [punch-key z roo-Jean; “Jean” prononuced in a French way] Description: doughnuts with rose filling —  I love Polish doughnuts! They are absolutely delicious, not too sweet and much less dense than many other types of doughnuts. Also, they are always in a shape of balls and most often with lovely filling inside. They resemble berliners, but are more delicate inside. The most traditional type of Polish doughnuts is one with a rose jam filling and topped with thick glaze and candied orange peel. — 10 doughnuts • Preparation time: about 45 minutes • Resting time: 1 hours plus 30 minutes • Frying time: about a minute for each doughnut — Tips: 01Make sure you use enough flour for dusting your doughnuts before proofing. They will be very delicate and you do not want them to stick. 02When placing your risen doughnut in the oil, handle them very gently. They need to stay perfectly round and fluffy. 03While I absolutely love my doughnuts with a filling, my family prefer plain doughnuts, only glazed. It is perfectly …

Our Eastern Kitchen - Pierogi with Green Lentils - Recipe - Food Photography

Pierogi with Green Lentils and Coriander

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Name and pronunciation: pierogi [pee-yeh-ro-ghi] – there is no need for the “s” at the end so often used in English. “Pierogi” is already a plural form. Description: dumplings Type of cuisine: Polish — I absolutely love pierogi with green lentils. They are flavourful and have a great texture, actually resembling meat, so even the most dedicated carnivores are guaranteed to enjoy them. I add fresh coriander, so it is not strictly traditional Polish filling, but it is a real staple in our house and we eat tonnes of them! — Approximately 40 servings • Preparation time: about 60 minutes • Resting time: 30 minutes (optional) • Cooking time: 1-2 minutes — Tips: 01With fresh pierogi, you have a choice between serving them just cooked, or frying them. After cooling or freezing, you should fry them. 02Both fresh and fried pierogi are perfect when served with fried onions or sour cream. 03Because you need to add two layers of dough to each bite, make sure that the filling is slightly saltier and a little bit spicer than you need it. This way …

Our Eastern Kitchen - Delicious Pierogi with Cottage Cheese - Recipe - Food Photography

Delicious Pierogi with Cottage Cheese

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Name and pronunciation: pierogi z serem [pee-yeh-ro-ghi z seh-rem] – there is no need for the “s” at the end so often used in English. “Pierogi” is already a plural form. Description: dumplings with dry cottage cheese Type of cuisine: Polish — This is a true taste of my childhood. My late maternal grandmother made the best pierogi with cheese. This recipe is based on how she made them. — Approximately 40 pieces • Preparation time: about 60 minutes • Resting time: 30 minutes (optional) • Cooking time: 1-2 minutes — Tips: 01With fresh pierogi, you have a choice between serving them just cooked, or frying them. After cooling or freezing, you should fry them. 02Both fresh and fried pierogi with cottage cheese are perfect when served with fried onions or sour cream. — Ingredients: Dough: ✽ one portion of pierogi dough Cottage cheese filling: ✽ 250 g Polish dry cottage cheese  ✽ 250 g potatoes ✽ 1 large onion ✽ 1 teaspoon salt (to taste) ✽ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (to taste) ✽ 2 teaspoons black seed (Nigella Sativa, to taste) — Method: 01Make a portion of dough and …

Our Eastern Kitchen - Easy Sourdough Bread - Recipe - Food Photography

Easy Sourdough Bread

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Name and pronunciation: chleb na zakwasie [h-leh-p • nah • zack-fah-sheh] Description: sourdough bread Type of cuisine: Eastern European — There are many different recipes for a sourdough, some more difficult than others. This is a perfect one to start your wild yeast adventure. Sourdough bread always takes a while, but this method does not take a lot of effort, just time, which is a great advantage. — Approximately 1.5 kg loaf (or two smalls ones) • Preparation time: about 30 minutes • Resting time: 3 x 12 hours • Baking time: 45 minutes — Tips: 01I find it easier to bake two smaller loaves than one large one. 02To bake, use any cake form, but bread crust needs moisture and high temperature, so I get best results using cast iron pots. 03Always line your forms with parchment paper. 04If your oven does not have a steam function, place a bowl of hot water next to the forms. 05Use bread flour of any kind you like. I usually mix white and whole-wheat flours 50/50, but you can also add …

Our Eastern Kitchen - Cebularze - Polish Onion Bread - Recipe - Food Photography

Polish Onion Bread

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Name and pronunciation: cebularze [tzeh-boo-lah-zhuh; “zhuh” is pronounced like French “je”]Description: onion breadType of cuisine: Polish — This onion bread is an integral part of my region’s cuisine, so I was very surprised when I learnt that only people from my area knew about it. In recent years, it got more and more popular in other parts of Poland and all my friends absolutely love it! — 8 servings • Preparation time: about 30 minutes • Resting time: 60 + 30 minutes • Baking time: 40-50 minutes — Tips: 01You can prepare the onions the night before and leave them in a fridge overnight. They get very aromatic and flavourful this way. 02Be careful not to leave them in the oven for too long. The dough needs to be soft and, since it is quite thin, it becomes crispy rather quickly. 03 Read my tip for rising perfect dough. — Ingredients: Onion topping:✽ 3 large onions✽ 3 tablespoons poppy seeds✽ 2 tablespoon olive oil✽ 1 teaspoon salt Dough:✽ 500 g all-purpose flour✽ 250 ml (approx. 1 glass) warm milk✽ 7 g dry yeast (one little packet)✽ 60 g unsalted …