The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home

by Nick Zukin

½ cup / 6 ounces / 200g honey

  6 tablespoons (¾ stick) / 3 ounces / 100g unsalted butter, melted

  3 large eggs, lightly beaten, plus 2 large eggs for egg wash

  1 cup / 8 ounces / 225g lukewarm (75ºF to 85ºF) water, plus more as needed

  Vegetable oil, as needed

  4 teaspoons sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

  Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, instant or bread machine yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, stir it into ½ cup of the lukewarm water to proof for 15 minutes, or until the water begins to bubble or foam.) Add the honey, melted butter, and 3 eggs. Add 1 cup of the lukewarm water to the center of the dry ingredients. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, add all the water the yeast was proofing in, plus the remaining ½ cup lukewarm water, to the center of the dry ingredients.) Mix the dough on low speed to moisten the dry ingredients and create a tacky, slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too dry, add up to ½ cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough reaches the proper consistency. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for about 3 minutes, until the dough is glossy and elastic. (Alternatively, this dough may be mixed by hand. After initially combining the dry and wet ingredients, knead for 20 to 30 minutes, until the proper consistency is achieved.)

  Lightly oil a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the bowl, turning to coat all sides of the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place (such as an oven with the light on or a warming drawer set to 80°F) to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

  Divide the dough in half and set one piece aside, covered with a cloth. Divide the other piece into 3 equal pieces and roll each on a lightly floured work surface into a rope about 12 inches long. Set the 3 strands parallel to one another with about 1 inch between them.

  Pinch the tips of the strands together at one end to seal them. Starting at the pinched end, braid the strands, placing left over middle, right over middle, left over middle, and so on, until the entire length of strands is braided. Pinch together the remaining ends, then fold both ends slightly under the loaf to ensure an attractive appearance. Repeat with the remaining dough ball.

  Carefully transfer the loaves to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them so that they have as much room as possible to expand and spread. Cover the loaves with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes, or until nearly doubled in size.

  About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375°F.

  Whisk the remaining 2 eggs in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash. Remove the towel from the loaves and brush them generously with the egg wash. Place the baking sheet in the oven and lower the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and generously brush the loaves one more time with the egg wash. Immediately sprinkle the sesame seeds, if desired, over the loaves.

  Return the loaves to the oven, rotating the pan 180 degrees, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the loaves are dark golden brown. (If you have an instant-read thermometer, the loaves should register at least 190°F.) Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool completely before serving, at least 1 hour.

  The loaves are best if eaten within 2 days. If left out, store in a paper bag or bread box. Putting the loaves in plastic wrap or the refrigerator may lengthen edible life by a day or two. Whole or partial loaves can be wrapped well in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month, then thawed.

  Stopsky’s Pretzels

  Makes six 5-ounce pretzels

  At Stopsky’s Deli in Seattle, they make a pretzel to die for. Happily, they shared the recipe with us to share with you. We’ve adapted the recipe for the home baker, but it still relies on food-grade lye (see Sources and Resources) to make the perfect dark, leathery crust. That means science lab precautions are required: rubber gloves and eye protection or don’t even think about it! (If lye comes into contact with your skin, it will burn. It should be rinsed off with vinegar immediately to neutralize it.) While baking, the lye loses its caustic properties and becomes safe to consume.

  3 teaspoons / ¼ ounce / 10g active dry yeast (1 package)

  1 cup / 8 ounces /225g warm (90ºF to 100ºF) water

  About 1 tablespoon / ¼ ounce / 10g malt powder (see Sources and Resources) or firmly packed dark brown sugar

  About 3¼ cups/ 1¼ pounds/ 625g unbleached bread flour

  2 tablespoons / 1 ounce / 30g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature, plus more for greasing the bowl

  About 2 teaspoons / ¼ ounce / 7g kosher salt

  Cooking spray

  2 tablespoons food-grade lye, or ¼ cup baking soda, treated (see Note)

  Coarse salt, such as pretzel salt, for topping

  To make the dough, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the malt powder until it is dissolved. Allow the yeast to proof for about 15 minutes, or until the water begins to bubble or foam. Add the flour, butter, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a ball forms. The dough should be quite firm and may be slightly tacky but should not be sticky. If it is sticky, add a little more flour, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix it in until the dough is smooth. If the dough is too dry to come together, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the proper consistency is reached. Continue kneading on medium-low speed until the dough is elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Alternatively, mix the dough by hand in a large bowl and then turn it out on an unfloured work surface and knead it for 8 to 10 minutes.

  Lightly grease a large bowl with butter. Place the dough ball in the bowl, coat it all over, and cover it with plastic wrap. Set the dough in a warm place (such as an oven with the light on or a warming drawer set to 80°F) to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

  Spray two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

  Turn the dough out on an unfloured work surface and firmly press it down to deflate. Cut the dough into 6 equal portions. Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the rest covered, pat the dough down and shape into a rectangle and then tightly roll it up lengthwise, forming it into a little loaf. Pinch the resulting seam together. Shape the dough into a rope by rolling it against the work surface using your palms and applying mild pressure, working from the center of the dough out. If you need more friction, spray the counter with a little water from a squirt bottle or drizzle a few drops of water and spread it with your hand. Once you can feel that the dough rope doesn’t want to stretch any farther (usually when it is 12 to 16 inches long), set it aside to rest and begin shaping another piece in the same manner. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough and cover.

  Return to the first dough rope and continue rolling it out to a length of 34 to 38 inches, leaving the center about 1 inch in diameter and tapering the ends by applying a little more pressure as you work your way out. Position the dough rope into a U shape with the ends pointing away from you. Holding one of the ends in each hand, cross the dough and then cross it again. Fold the ends down and press them into the U at about 4 and 8 o’clock. Place the pretzel on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat this process with the remaining dough, spacing the pretzels out on the baking sheets a few inches apart.

  Allow the pretzels to rise in a warm spot until they have increased in size by half, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pretzels to the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours for the flavor to develop and a skin to form on the outside of the dough. (This will help promote a chewy crust.)

  About 30 minutes before baking, position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat it to 450°F. Bring 1 cup water to a boil over high heat. With gloves on and eye protection in place, place the lye
in a large stainless-steel bowl. Slowly pour in 3 cups room temperature water and stir to dissolve. Next, pour the boiling water into the bowl, being careful not to breathe in any of the steam.

  Using a large skimmer or your gloved hands, gently dip the pretzels in the lye solution. Leave them in the solution for about 20 seconds, carefully turning once after 10 seconds. Avoid any splashing. Remove one of the pretzels from the liquid, drain over the bowl, and return it to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pretzels. While each pretzel is being dipped, spray the baking sheet with more nonstick spray to ensure that the pretzels won’t stick when they are baked. After dipping, use a sharp paring knife or a razor blade to cut a deep slit in the thickest part of each pretzel. Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt.

  Bake the pretzels until they are deeply browned, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. Transfer the pretzels to a rack to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

  The pretzels are best the day they are made, but they can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat them in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes to refresh the crust.

  Note: As a substitute for lye, spread ¼ cup baking soda on a pie plate and bake at 300°F for 1 hour. Use as instructed to create the dipping liquid for the pretzels. Lye solution can easily be neutralized for safe disposal by adding 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar.

  Pastrami and Cheddar Scones

  Makes 12

  These amazingly moist and full-flavored scones come to us from Mile End Deli, where they use Montreal smoked meat instead of pastrami, relying on the recipe devised by Mile End co-founder (and resident sardonic wit) Noah Bernamoff. At Mile End, they are always looking for ways to use the non-sandwich-worthy shards of smoked meat that flake off during carving, according to Mile End’s other founder, Rachel Cohen. One use is Mile End’s version of poutine, the Canadian one-course-weight-gain plan made with French fries, cheese curds, gravy, and bits of meat. These scones are a less outrageous, French fry– and gravy-free, play on poutine that can be eaten out of hand.

  3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  6½ tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

  3 tablespoons cornmeal

  2 teaspoons kosher salt

  1½ teaspoons baking powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

  ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1½ cups diced pastrami

  1 cup cold diced sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

  1 cup cold buttermilk

  ½ cup cold heavy cream

  Position one rack in the upper third and another rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

  Place the flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the butter is incorporated into the flour in small pieces, with the largest about pea-size and the smallest like grains of rice. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, paprika, and black pepper. Stir in the pastrami and cheese. Add the buttermilk and cream and gently combine the mixture with a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon until it forms a moist dough.

  Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface. Dust your hands and the top of the dough with flour and form the dough into a large ball. Divide the ball of dough in half and shape each half into a large disk about 1 inch thick. Cut each disk into 6 wedges, as if you were cutting a pie. Arrange the wedges about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until they are golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets in the oven halfway through the baking time. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool. They are best enjoyed the day they are made, though they will keep in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

  Chapter 7

  Every meal deserves a sweet finish, which is why it’s hard to find a Jewish delicatessen worth its salt (or sugar, as the case may be) that doesn’t pride itself on a slate of specialty desserts. On the typical deli menu, the house baker’s skills are showcased in one or more varieties of crescent-shaped rugelach (pronounced ROO-guh-lakh). Home bakers can replicate the feat with our classic brown sugar–cinnamon rugelach or seasonal fruit-filled variations (see here and here). Jiggly, rich cheesecake (see here) is another deli tradition that can be made in your home kitchen, but promise to let it cool ever so slowly, as the recipe requires, to avoid a cracked top.

  Naturally, we couldn’t avoid tinkering with the old ways to create something that is at once thoroughly modern but still harkens back to the traditional. There is no finer (or sweeter) example than our Challah Sticky Buns.

  Sweets made for Jewish holidays frequently appear on deli menus, but they are accessible to anyone with the desire and a few basic ingredients. Triangle-shaped Hamantaschen have a great story behind them from the Old Testament’s Book of Esther and a flavor that melds a sweet pastry crust and a poppy or prune filling. No one is 100 percent sure how northern European Jews began to bake coconuty macaroons (see here) that look like miniature haystacks. What we do know is that they are moist and delicious (especially when dipped in dark chocolate) and, with no flour in the recipe, have long been a family Passover favorite.

  A handful of deli-specific drinks are likewise sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. Consider the Egg Cream, which is made with neither egg nor cream, or a strangely satisfying Celery Soda. Try one or all. These beverages are a cinch to make and serve as a refreshing alternative to the usual soda suspects.

  Rugelach with Seasonal Fillings

  On the sweets side of a Jewish deli menu, rugelach is a mid-twentieth-century creation that has achieved broad cross-cultural popularity. Adapted from the traditional crescent-shaped central European kipfel, they are made with an enriched pastry dough and any number of fillings. The dough is cut into disks, which are then dabbed with the filling, cut into wedges, and rolled up pinwheel-style into crescent shapes. A short stint in the oven and, voilà: A star is born. We offer the full recipe for traditional brown sugar– and cinnamon-filled rugelach, plus filling variations to suit each season. For the seasonal rugelach, the only difference from the main recipe is the filling and an increase in cooking time, as directed.

  Classic Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Rugelach

  Makes 16

  This is similar to the rugelach served at Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen. The pastry, using both butter and cream cheese, is a synthesis of two recipes, one by fabled Jewish cookbook author Joan Nathan and another that appeared in Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

  Dough

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

  Pinch of kosher salt

  ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, coarsely chopped

  4 ounces (½ cup) cold cream cheese, broken into about 4 pieces

  ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  Filling

  2 cups packed dark brown sugar

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (see Sources and Resources)

  ½ teaspoon ground ginger

  ½ cup raisins

  ½ cup chopped walnuts

  Topping

  1 large egg

  ½ cup turbinado sugar

  To make the dough, pulse the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine them. Add half the butter and pulse until the mixture becomes dry and pebbly. Add the remaining butter and pulse again until combined. Add half the cream cheese and pulse until it is fully incorporated. Add the remaining cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla and pulse until the mixture clumps up around the blade in a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in half. Flatten each half into a disk about 4 inches in diameter. Wrap the disks sepa
rately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

  Roll one of the chilled dough disks between sheets of parchment paper into a 10-inch round. Repeat with the second disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

  To make the filling, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, raisins, and walnuts in a bowl and thoroughly mix. Set aside.

  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

  Place one of the dough rounds on a lightly floured work surface (a cold stone slab is best, if available). Peel off the top sheet of parchment, then flip the dough over and remove the second sheet of parchment.

  Spread half the filling mixture evenly over the dough. With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into quarters. Then, bisect each quarter to make 8 equal wedges. Tightly roll each wedge, starting at the wide, outside edge and rolling toward the center, to form 8 crescent-shaped rugelach.

  Evenly space the rugelach on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between them. Repeat with the second dough round. Refrigerate the rugelach for 30 minutes, or freeze them for 15 minutes.

  While the rugelach chill, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  To make the topping, in a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Generously brush 4 of the rugelach at a time with egg wash and sprinkle generously with the turbinado sugar. Repeat until all are topped.

  Bake the rugelach for about 25 minutes, until they are dark golden brown, rotating the pan front to back after the first 15 minutes to ensure even baking. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.

  When cool, remove the rugelach from the baking sheet with a spatula and store in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 3 days.

  Spring: Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling

  Makes enough filling for 16 rugelach