for Christmas I was given a grow your own pink oyster mushroom kit and this was what they looked like once they had grown. so pretty aren’t they? it only took two weeks to grow this big I am definitely going to buy my self another kit. I used them with some other mushrooms I had to go with some eggy bread. I made molly yeh’s scallion pancake challah loaf from her book molly on the range, then made eggy bread with it using some quails eggs I had left over and topped it with the sautéed garlic mushrooms. (yes I bought the quails eggs because they where cute rather than functional so feel free to use about 4 normal hens eggs) this dish makes a perfect brunch. I am sharing this bread recipe as part of a series I am hoping to keep up through out the year, “a loaf recipe a month” I don’t know how well I will stick to it as I’m a bit flaky at the best of times, I was inspired after Michelle from hummingbird high, who shared a pie a month recipe on her blog last year. the great thing about this challah dough is that it is really versatile and easy to work with so it can be used for other recipes too. this is what I would class as comfort food, and I think its called for this time of year. I went to the moors yesterday and it was sooooo cold this would of been perfect to have when I got back (I didn’t have any of these ingredients so I settled for a packet mac and cheese).

 

SCALLION PANCAKE CHALLAH FROM MOLLY ON THE RANGE

makes one loaf

from Molly on the Range

1/2 recipe dough from Basic Challah (recipe follows), made through the first rising

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

3 scallions, minced

Kosher salt and black pepper

Crushed red pepper

Egg wash: 1 large egg yolk, beaten with

1 tablespoon water

Toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and roll each part into a 12-inch log. Gently flatten each log so that it is about 3 inches wide. Brush each with sesame oil and sprinkle with scallions, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Roll the logs up lengthwise like a jelly roll and pinch the seams to seal. Lay the logs seam side down next to one another and pinch them together at one end. Then braid the logs and pinch them at the other end. Place the loaf on the lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Brush the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and black pepper.

Bake until the loaf is golden brown and has an internal temperature of 190ºF. Begin checking for doneness at 28 minutes. Let cool slightly and enjoy.

MOLLY’S BASIC CHALLAH

from Molly on the Range

Makes 2 loaves

4 ½ teaspoons (2 envelopes)

active dry yeast

1 ½ cups warm water

1 teaspoon plus ¼ cup sugar

6 ½ cups flour, plus more for dusting (or sub in up to 2½ cups whole wheat flour)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 large eggs

⅔ cup flavorless oil

¼ cup additional brown sugar

Egg wash: 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and give it a little stir. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it becomes foamy on top.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together the flour, salt, and remaining ¼ cup sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and additional sweetener.

When the yeast is foamy, add it to the dry mixture immediately followed by the egg mixture and stir to combine. Knead, either by hand on a floured surface or with the dough hook until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough, 7 to 10 minutes, adding more white flour as necessary (but resist any urge to add too much!).

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let it sit at room temperature until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours. (It will take slightly longer if you’re using whole wheat flour.) Alternatively, you can stick it in the refrigerator overnight and then let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before shaping.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half and, working with half of the dough at a time (keeping the other half covered), pat the dough out into a long rectangle, roughly 3 inches by 12 inches (this doesn’t need to be exact). From this, cut 3 long and skinny rectangles and roll them out a bit to get 3 long snakes. Pinch them together at one end and then braid the snakes and pinch them at the other end. Transfer the loaf to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining half of the dough. Let them rise, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375º F.

Brush with a thin even layer of egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and have an internal temperature of 190ºF. Begin checking for doneness at 28 minutes.

serves three

to make eggy bread I used 8 quails eggs and 1/3 cup of milk and mix it together and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I sliced the loaf and dipped the bread (three slices will do) and then fried it until golden in a hot pan with a little oil.

for the garlic mushrooms

• selection of mushrooms I used oyster mushroom, king oyster, shiitake
• 1 banana shallot
• 2 gloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp. butter
• fresh sage and thyme and rosemary
• salt pepper

finely chop some leaves off a sprig or rosemary and add it to the pan with 4 sage leaves, and the leaves from some thyme (approx. 1 tsp) add the shallot (finely chopped) and crushed garlic and Sautee then add the sliced mushrooms and some butter and gently fry until the mushrooms are softened then season with salt and pepper. you can add a little cream if you like.

place on eggy bread and add some shaved parmesan