I just finished mixing dough from four Voilà! Hallah Traditional mixes.  Tomorrow is going to be busy, so I decided to prepare the dough and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator. I like working in the quiet of the night.  But, just when I began, thunder started roaring outside.  The storm was quite angry.  I was startled few times by booming thunder and, every time, I prayed the storm will pass us without an electrical outage.  At least not until I am done with mixing the dough.  So far so good. Other than the faint roll of a sporadic thunder in the distance, it is drizzling quietly outside.  I am glad for any bit of rain we get now.  The grass is parched; the leaves on the trees are already changing their color.  The drought is bringing the bambis to the front yard more than anytime I can recall.  I can’t tell who’s been eating the potted tomatoes on the porch. Sometime I suspect the baby deer; other times I blame the chipmunks.  It’s disappointed to see the petunias eaten, the tomatoes gone, or some other plant dug out. But I figure we have to share; they must not have much to graze on in the park.  Besides, it’s the price of encroaching on their natural habitat.  Short of building a high fence around the yard, there is no way to stop them.  I guess some may say there is, but it’s not an option in our neck of the woods. Back to Hallah.

I plan to take the dough out of the refrigerator first thing in the morning.  I will then let it stand on the counter for a while to warm up.  I expect I’d have to gently press it down to inflate, so it won’t bake with large air pockets.  I will than divide it into four and make three Hallah loaves and one ‘roses’ round babka.  

Last Friday, I baked the ‘roses’  babka in the photo above.  I added dark chocolate bits to the preserves and almonds.  Follow the directions of baking Hallah mix up to the point of shaping the dough.  Stretch the dough into a large rectangle, as you would with pizza dough.  Spreading the filling  of choice, roll the long side of the dough.  Cut the dough cross-wise into 9 equal parts with a sharp knife.  Place the piece cut side up in a round pan.  Let rise again for 45 minutes, apply egg and follow the baking directions on the box.

Tip:  I like to bake eggs that are at room temperature.  Cold eggs can stunt the activation of the yeast.  Even when I plan ahead, I sometimes forget to take the eggs out of the refrigerator in advance.  Problem is solved by placing the eggs for five minutes in a ball with warm tap water.

Enjoy!

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