Take your cue from ‘Master Chef’ star Pauline Shoval, who loves to bake for her family.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: AUGUST 2, 2017 19:32Baking Class 370(photo credit: Pauline Shoval)
Pauline Shoval, one of the contestants on Season 3 of Channel 2’s Master Chef, has launched a new career following her success on the popular Israeli TV show. Shoval, a new immigrant from France and mother of two, is busy writing cookbooks, leading workshops and hosting on TV. She has combined her passion for cooking and baking with a newly found love for healthy-living workshops. She is constantly creating new recipes for her workshops, where she teaches participants how to prepare healthy and tasty food.“I’ve always loved working with dough. Bread and baked goods have so many different flavors, and they can be served with every meal. I love the smell of baking and the endless varieties that I can create,” says Shoval.Below are some of the recipes Shoval likes to prepare for her family. “If you prepare these treats at home, your house will be filled with the most intoxicating aroma of freshly baked bread,” she promises.BRIOCHE FOR BREAKFASTServes 4-6Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked brioche. Preparation is a little time-consuming, but the taste is heavenly.✔ 250 gr. white flour, plus a little extra ✔ 3 small or 2 large eggs ✔ 1 egg yolk ✔ 125 gr. butter, cut into small cubes ✔ 2 Tbsp. sugar ✔ A pinch salt ✔ 4 gr. dry yeast or 12 gr. fresh yeastThe night before: Mix the yeast with 1 Tbsp warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. In another bowl, mix together flour, salt and sugar. in a clean bowl, beat the eggs.Mix the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Add the eggs a little bit at a time, each time mixing well.Knead the dough until it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (this step can be done in an electric mixer if you prefer). Add the butter a little bit at a time, each time mixing well. If necessary, you can add a little more flour.Form a ball from the dough and place back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours. The dough should double in volume. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and push it down with your hands to get all the air out. Roll out the dough into 3-cm thick rectangles.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Place the rectangles on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.In the morning: Remove the dough rectangles from the fridge and gently roll into balls. Grease a muffin pan with butter and place one ball in each section. Let rise for 1 hour in a cold oven.After 1 hour, remove the baking pan from the oven and heat oven to 190°. Beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp. water and brush the brioche, making sure not to cover the edges so that they don’t stick to the pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes.Take pan out of the oven. Remove the brioche from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.Tip: If serving the next day, warm the brioche just before serving.ONE-HOUR BREADMakes two large loaves or 16 rolls✔ 5 ½ cups flour ✔ 2 Tbsp. sugar ✔ 1 tsp. salt ✔1 Tbsp. yeast ✔ ¼ cup oil ✔ 2 ¼ cups warm waterMix together flour, sugar, salt and yeast in an electric mixer, add oil and water and continue mixing for 5 minutes. Remove from mixer bowl and divide dough into equal parts, depending on how many loaves or rolls you want. Shape into buns or loaves and place on a floured surface. Leave to rise for 30 minutes.Heat oven to 180°.To make the crust better, sprinkle a little bit of water on top of the loaves before baking. Bake for 30 minutes.STUFFED INDIAN DUMPLINGS ✔ Package of frozen Turkish filo pastry, defrosted ✔ 2-3 medium-size boiled potatoes, cut into small cubes ✔ 1 package frozen peas ✔ 1 small onion, finely chopped ✔ ½ tsp. red chili powder ✔ 1 tsp. turmeric ✔ 1 tsp. coriander seeds ✔ 1 tsp. cumin seeds ✔ Salt to taste ✔ Fresh sage for garnish ✔ 4 Tbsp. olive oilTo prepare the filling: Fry the cumin and coriander seeds in 2 Tbsp. olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped onion and continue frying for 5 more minutes. Add the salt, chili powder and turmeric and sauté for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and toss until they are completely covered with the spices. Add the peas and sauté 1 or 2 minutes.Heat the oven to 170°.Open the filo dough and cut into 4- or 5-cm wide strips. Put 1 tsp. of filling on each strip of dough, fold and pinch closed so that it forms a triangle.Brush top with a little bit of olive oil and bake in the oven until ready.Tip: The dumplings can be prepared ahead of time and frozen.ZEPPOLE – ITALIAN DOUGHNUTS✔ 500 gr. boiled potatoes, warm ✔ 800 gr. flour ✔ 5 eggs ✔ 100 gr. butter, at room temperature ✔ 3-4 Tbsp. orange liqueur or orange flavor extract✔ 2 Tbsp. dry yeast ✔ Zest of 1 lemon ✔ 1 tsp. salt ✔ 1 cup sugar for topping ✔ Vegetable oil for frying ✔ 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamonMash the potatoes well.Heap the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the middle. Place butter, potatoes, yeast, liqueur, salt, 2 Tbsp. sugar and the eggs in the well.Using a fork, mix the ingredients together until smooth dough is formed. Form the dough into a ball, but not too dense.Transfer to a pan, cover loosely with baking paper and let rise for 20 minutes. In a shallow soup plate, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.Shape the zeppole either as walnut-sized balls or pretzel-shaped. For the latter, prepare small “snakes” that you can twist into the form of a pretzel.When all the zeppole are shaped, place on a lined tray, cover with a towel and let rise again for 30 minutes in a warm place.Heat oil in a deep frying pan over a medium flame. When the oil is warm enough (you can check by tossing in a small piece of dough), fry the zeppole on both sides until they turn light brown. As soon as a zeppole is ready, remove from oil and dip in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and serve.CALZONE FOR FAMILY PICNICSMakes 10✔ 1 kg. prepared pizza dough (choose any recipe you like) ✔ Flour ✔ Olive oil ✔ 500 gr. canned tomatoes ✔ 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced ✔ 2 large onions, chopped ✔ 2 large eggs ✔ 4 sprigs fresh thyme ✔ Olive oil ✔ 1 Tbsp. sugar ✔ Salt ✔ Pepper ✔ Sweet paprika ✔ Half bunch of basilFor the filling: ✔ 2 roasted peppers ✔ 1 roasted eggplant ✔ 5 hard-boiled eggs ✔ 500 gr. mozzarella cheese ✔ 200 gr. mushrooms ✔ 200 gr. olives ✔ Fresh ground black pepper ✔ 300 gr. spinach leaves, washedTo make the tomato sauce: Heat some olive oil in a pot and then fry the onion and the garlic until they are browned. Add the tomatoes, salt and a little sugar. Add the thyme and paprika. Cook over a low flame for 20 minutes until it thickens. Add the basil, salt and more sugar if you desire. The sauce can be prepared in advance and kept for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.To make the calzone: Divide the dough into 10 pieces. Shape them into balls and let them to rise for 1 hour.Heat the oven to 200°. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into 25-cm. circles. In the middle of each calzone, put 1 Tbsp. of sauce, 1 Tbsp. of eggplant and half an egg. Alternatively, you could fill the calzone with roasted pepper and Bulgarian cheese, or with mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, spinach, a fresh egg and mozzarella – or any other combination you desire.To close, fold the dough in half and press edges with your fingers to secure. Cover with a towel and leave calzone for 30 minutes in a warm place.Before baking in the oven, brush each calzone with a little olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they turn light brown.Recipes courtesy of Pauline Shoval: www.paulineshoval.com
