Fennel And Orange Scented Challah Food

FENNEL AND ORANGE-SCENTED CHALLAH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 cup of lukewarm water.
• Using the paddle attachment, stir orange zest, juice and oil into yeast mixture, then add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, and remaining sugar and salt. Switch to the dough hook and gradually add 6 cups of flour, kneading for about 5 minutes and adding more flour as needed to make a slightly sticky, smooth and elastic dough.
• Grease a large bowl, turn dough into it and then turn the dough over to grease the top. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• When the dough has almost doubled, punch it down, remove it to a lightly floured counter, knead it briefly until smooth and divide it in half. Roll each piece into a cylinder about 27 inches long, making sure there are no seams in the dough. Bring one end of the dough up to the other and twist to form a spiral. Push both ends together to make a squat 12-inch loaf. Repeat with other piece of dough and arrange loaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. You can also twist the long spirals into a circle if you like; the dough is very malleable.
• Beat remaining egg and egg yolk and brush about half the mixture on the loaves, reserving the rest. Let the dough rise uncovered another half-hour or overnight in refrigerator.
• If dough was refrigerated, bring to room temperature. Heat oven to 350 degrees and in a small bowl, combine fennel, poppy and sesame seeds. Brush the loaves with egg again and sprinkle with seeds.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and firm when tapped with a spatula. Cool on a rack.

FENNEL AND ORANGE SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, fennel and salt; whisk to combine. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture. Press and work the butter into the flour with your hands until the mixture has a shaggy texture and the butter pieces are no larger than peas.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, orange zest and egg yolk. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula. Continue to gently fold the dough until it just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, making sure to scrape out all the contents of the bowl. Lightly knead the dough together until the ingredients are evenly incorporated and the dough is smooth. Using your hands, press the dough into an 18-by-3 3/4-inch rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise using a bench scraper, so you have 2 long rectangles. Next, cut the dough every 3 inches crosswise, creating 12 small rectangles. Cut each small rectangle in half diagonally. This will give you 24 scones in the shape of a triangle.
• Place the scones on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches between each. Brush the tops with the egg white. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through cooking, until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes. Serve warm with creme fraiche and jam.

ORANGE FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Cut the fronds from the fennel bulbs and reserve some of the feathery leaves for later. Cut each fennel bulb in half and remove the cores with a sharp knife.
• Fit a food processor with the thinnest slicing blade. Cut the fennel bulbs into wedges and place horizontally into the feed tube. Process in batches. Peel each orange, remove the pith with a knife, and slice. Set aside.
• For the dressing: Whisk together the oil, juice, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. Place the fennel slices, oranges slices and arugula in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together. Sprinkle with salt and add some fennel fronds for decoration.