hello friends!  i just want to start by saying thank you to all of you readers who leave comments every week - you are such an inspiration to me and i can not begin to tell you the power of your words and support - thank you so very much and i love getting to know you through this process...

so - i promised a recipe last week and alas, failed to deliver.  so i am hoping that this makes up for it.  it is two of my favorites and this weekend for the first time, we used these two together.  the first, is my recipe for challah bread.  challah is a jewish egg bread that we recite a blessing over on shabbat {every friday evening in the jewish tradition}.  however, anyone can obviously make this bread, eat this bread and enjoy this bread.  it is dense, rich and full of flavor - perfect for sandwiches, french toast, my chocolate challah bread pudding or - one of my favorite ways to indulge, is warm out of the oven and slathered in butter.  the second recipe i am sharing today is one of my new summer favorites:  fried green tomatoes.  my poor tomato plants quake at the site of me - i have allowed very few of the those delicious little loves to blush into maturity - we have been picking them just as they begin to swell, and just before they turn red - only to fry them - poor little guys.  i fell in love with fried green tomatoes where most people do - in the south.  i have yet to measure the ingredients exactly - but you will get the idea - and experiment with the flavors and seasonings you add...

challah {makes 1 ginormous loaf or two smaller loaves}

~ 6 c. flour

~ 1/2 c. turbinado sugar

~ 1/2 T. sea salt

~ 1 oz. yeast

~ 1 1/4 c. water {between 100-110 degrees F}

~ 1/4 c. oil

~ 3 cage free organic eggs

combine the water and oil in a large bowl, add the yeast and allow it to activate for 5-10 minutes.  the kitchen will begin to smell of beer and the surface of the water/oil will appear cloudy and bubbly.  in another bowl combine the flour, salt and sugar and set aside.  whisk the eggs in another bowl - then add to the yeast mixture - then slowly - while mixing, add the flour mixture.  work the dough with a dough hook or wooden spoon until it comes together and forms an elasticky dough.  turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead {push the dough into the work surface with the heels of your hand - folding the the dough towards you and in half - repeat several times}.  form a large ball with the dough.  in yet another bowl, spray a non-stick cooking spray or butter lightly, then add the dough.  cover with a damp towel and set aside for two hours.  the bread should more than double in size.  in the meantime, prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper - i always spray just a bit of non-stick on the pan before laying the parchment to prevent it from sliding.

after the initial two hours, turn the dough onto a floured surface once again. form in a long, fat log and divide the dough in half.  set one half aside.  start kneading the first half - working all of the air bubbles from the dough, adding more flour when needed.  again, shape this half into a large log, but divide it into three equal sections.  working with each section individually, roll it between your palms to create one long skinny log shape - it should be about an inch thick and about 12 inches long.  when all three sections have been prepared this way, lay them together on one of the baking sheets.  pinch all three ends on one side together and begin to braid the logs.  when you are finished tuck both ends under.  repeat this process with the other half of the dough.  preheat the oven to 325 and allow the loaves to rise an additional 30 minutes on the counter top.  once they are ready to go into the oven, whisk one egg with 1/4c. water and brush over the loaves before placing them in the oven.  bake for 25 minutes.  when the loaves are ready, pull them from the oven and reapply the egg wash liberally.  you can top them with poppy seeds, sesame seeds {both are very common treatments but must be applied immediately after the egg wash or they will not stick to the surface of the bread} or they can be left plain.

if you have never made bread from scratch before, this might seem a bit overwhelming.  but i encourage you to try - it is an art, it is poetry, it is therapy - you will either fall so deeply in love with the process your nose will forever be tipped in flour - or you will loathe it and buy a bread machine.  

as mentioned the uses for the bread are numerous - this weekend we used two thick slices to contain these little gems:

fried green tomatoes:

~ 5-6 green tomatoes {or 2 large}

~ 2c. flour

~ dried minced garlic

~ salt

~ pepper

~ 1 cage free organic egg

~ 1/2 c. organic whole milk

~ olive/canola oil

slice the tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick.  in one bowl combine the flour, garlic, salt and pepper - set aside.  in another bowl, whisk together the egg and milk - set aside.  in a heavy pan {cast iron tends to work best} pour enough oil to obtain about 1/2 inch depth and heat on high.  add the tomato slices to the wet mixture - then the dry - ensuring they are thoroughly coated - then drop them in the hot oil. {note:  it is easiest to work two or three slices at a time.  additionally, to ensure your oil is ready flick a VERY small amount of water into the oil - if the surface of the oil pops it is ready to fry in} all of the slices should fit in a larger pan - fry each side until golden brown {about 3-5 minutes per side} then drain on a paper towel and cool slightly before serving.

the sandwich:  two slices of challah, mayo, field greens, fried green tomatoes and red onion - enjoy!

xoox~jla

Comments

[nicole]

hello, jen. I hope you know that you're OUR inspiration. this is a beautiful post, thank you for sharing.

[Jen]

Oh jen...you are such an inspiration and these photos and recipes are the best.

[melanie]

i'm hungry now :) fabulous post

[Kelly]

I've always wanted to try challah bread, thanks for the recipe. My tomatoes didn't grow yet this year (still hoping). I think we planted too late and our yard doesn't get enough sun.

[Denise]

I've had this itch to make bread for the last six months. My mom was suppose to give me a lesson this summer, but it never happened. I might have to just brave it alone with your recipe at hand. :) And your photos are so beautiful, as always.

[gina]

omg!!!! i wish i could jump through my screen and gobble these up.
your photos are beyond breathtaking.
thanks for sharing.

[nadia]

what a wonderful post, the images and recipes look and sound delicious!

[dawn]

that's what we had with grammy this past weekend... we're living parallel plates...

[Carin]

the fried green tomatoes look FABULOUS! your blog is WONDERFUL!!!!!

[waynette]

I'm going to buy some green tomatoes at my local farmers market this weekend and use your recipe above... yum yum.

[emily]

i've been making the same challah recipe for ten years. i bookmarked this one months ago, and finally, three weeks ago made it for the first time. i've made it each week since, and just put my dough in the bowl to rise for tonight. thank you!

[MsGourmet]

What a fabulous sandwich!

[Farmgirl Susan]

Hi Jen,
I just discovered your beautiful blog via design sponge - and when I saw the mention of SMALL magazine in the post, it reminded me I hadn't checked the Small Bites for the current issue. What a nice surprise to find you there, too!

I'm taking it all as a sign that I was meant to stumble upon this post. First of all, I'm crazy for colanders so I LOVE the one above. And secondly, despite being an avid gardener, I've never gotten around to making fried green tomatoes (I usually turn mine into green tomato salsa/relish). I don't think I've actually ever eaten them either. Yours are the most scrumptious looking ones I've ever seen, and since my tomato plants are still embarrassingly small despite it being July, I see plenty of green tomatoes in my future. I'm also an avid bread baker so I love the idea of a fried green tomato sandwich.

Thanks for the delicious inspiration. All of your photos are just gorgeous.