Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Jacob Kowalski’s Pastry Suitcase
BINGLEY: Mr. Kowalski –
JACOB: – You gotta try the pack, okay, it’s my grandmother’s recipe, the orange zest -just-
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Kowalski’s Suitcase – Challah and Paczki
Challah was another recipe in Jacob Kowalski’s recipe book handed down by his grandmother and is the third recipe in Kowalski’s pastry suitcase recipe series. In this recipe I make a four strand braid but feel free to do another braid if you prefer. If you’re interested in the other recipes in this series, click here for soft pretzels and here for the poppy seed roll. I hope everyone has been enjoying these recipes so far!
I’ve been brainstorming the last few days and I’ve decided that in order to get out of the holiday blues, I’ve got to look forward to all the amazing movies coming out this year and also the Oscars! I had a big Oscars Award recipe series last year and it was probably one of my favorite projects and I really excited to do it all again this year.
Also, I’m trying out a new recipe layout! Tell me what you guys think! I found the old format was a bit difficult to read so hopefully you like this one more.
If you are interested in a recipe for the paczki, I found a great recipe from Jenny Can Cook! I’ve never made paczki before and I stumbled upon her recipe first. I love the fact that it isn’t fried! It makes the recipe so much easier because I honestly hate the guilt that comes with fried food. Drop by her website to find the great recipe. Also, add some orange zest to make it just like Kowalski’s grandmother.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Kowalski's Challah
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour (20oz | 567g)
- 1 cup warm water, 110F (8oz | 227g)
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (2oz | 57g)
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Combine all the dries in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix just until combined
- In a bowl, combine your warm water, eggs, and melted butter. Stream the liquids into the dries on medium speed.
- Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes or until it forms a smooth ball of dough. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm area for one hour.
- Transfer the dough to lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 5 equal size pieces. Take one dough and divide it into 4 pieces (4oz each). If you want, you can divide the dough into 3 pieces and create an easier 3 strand braid. Divide the rest of the dough.
- Roll out each dough into 10" strands. To create a four strand braid, pinch the ends together. Counting from the left, take strand #1 and #3 and place them over the strand to their right (#1 over #2, #3 over #4). Now take the new #3 strand and place it to the left over #2. Repeat this step. Keep the strands quite tight.
- When you have all your braids, transfer them to a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until proofed.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- When the braids are ready, brush with egg whites. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
