raisins – SweetSourMoments

I’ve made this recipe several times, and have always been happy with the outcome… I can say that this is fool proof brioche recipe since even me who just started baking bread not long ago can not mess it.

The original recipe is by Simply Delicious, Brioche Loaf.

If you don’t have bread maker or fancy standing mixer, hand mixer and elbow grease will also do, hopefully this tutorial will help.

In a bowl combine 125ml warm milk, 70 gr sugar, and 10 gr dried yeast.
Let it stand for 5 minutes until creamy and start to froth slightly.
Add 4 eggs, beat with mixer until well incorporated, light, and creamy.
Slowly add 500 gr all purpose flour and 2 tsp salt, continue to mix until all the flour has been incorporated, then continue for another minute. At this stage, the mixture will start to form sticky rubbery dough and your hand mixture might not be able to go further. It’s ok, next step we will continue with hands so you can put aside the hand mixer.

5. Add 175 gr butter, cubed. Butter has to be slightly soft for our hands to knead it.

6. Knead for 7 minutes. At this point you might wish for kitchen aid mixer to the rescue or doubt yourself whether you are in right direction ( just like I did). Don’t worry, it is a tricky and sticky dough, just try your best to knead it 🙂

7. Remove from the bowl and place it in buttered bowl.

8. Cover with clingwarp, allow to rise for 2 hours. Place it in fridge to stand overnight.

9. The next day, remove it from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.

10. Add some raisins ( soak the raisins in warm water first), divide the dough into small buns, place them in muffin tin, cover with cloth and allow to rise for 2 hours.

11. Preheat oven to 180C.

12. Brush the buns with eggwash, bake about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your bun, until golden brown.

13. Remove and let to cool.

14. Enjoy!

The idea of making Rugelach actually came from nowhere. I just wanted to make something that I had never heard, tasted, and seen before. Thanks to uncle Google, I saw this recipe at Epicurious and thought it was a good challenge. To see how is the success rate, I brought it to my colleague who I assumed is very familiar with this cookies. He recognized the name right away, so at least from the appearance point it was in a right direction. Then he said “good”, which I translated to “passed” for this challenge.

I did make adjustment in sugar measurement because the recipe has apricot preserves which is sweet and raisin which is also sweet ingredient, and I am not the type of “sweet” person ~smile~

1. Whisk together 2 cups flour, ½ tsp salt, and 2 tbsp sugar.

2. Mix together 8 oz cream cheese and 1 cup unsalted softened butter until combined well.

3. Add flour mixture into butter mixture, mix them with wooden spoon until fully incorporated and form a dough ball.

4. Wrap the dough ball in a plastic wrap and flatten into 7 x 5 inch rectangle. Chill in refrigerator until firm for 3 hours ( the original version says 8 – 24 hours ).

5. Preheat oven to 350°F.

6. Divide the flatten dough into 4 piece.

7. Roll out each piece into 12 x 8 inch rectangle on well-floured surface ( refrigerate the remaining pieces in plastic wrap until you finish with the previous one, this is to keep the dough in firm shape ).The finished 12 x 8 inch piece then transferred to parchment paper and put back into refrigerator. Do this until all 4 pieces are finished.

8. Prepare the filling for 4 rolls:

whisk 1/3 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon
chop ¾ cup raisin
chop 1 cup walnut
¾ cup apricot preserve

9. Onto each piece of dough, spread apricot preserves evenly, sprinkle chopped raisin, sprinkle chopped walnut, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar.

10. Roll the dough, place seam side down, pinch both ends, brush the top with milk, sprinkle the top with 1 tsp sugar, cut crosswise halfway through the roll at 1 inch intervals.

11. Bake for 45 minutes, cool on rack, cut into slices, serve.