challah and coldness

So many things to talk about in this post. First things first, I'm almost at my veganniversary of FOUR years! I remember the date of my starting point as September 21 2007, so on Wednesday I'll have been a healthy vegan for four whole years. I'm pretty excited since it's a big deal for me, since I started when I was only 14! To celebrate my friends and I are going to go out to eat next weekend. We would on Wednesday, but I have to work at one of NYU's rock walls.

Speaking of rock walls, I now work at both of NYU's. One is a 30 second walk away from my dorm, but the wall is not very good. the other one is about a 20 minute walk, but it is a very good wall to train on. I only work at the better wall on Wednesdays, and the other wall Thursdays and Fridays. I'm content with my job, and happy that I got one.

I've been sick for the past week, and although it's been a huge bummer, I think I'm getting over it. To celebrate that, I baked challah today. Vegan, whole wheat, oil free challah! I made one loaf cinnamon sugar, and the other one chocolate chip.

Ingredients for dough:
-1 package active dry yeast
-1 1/4 warm water
-3- 3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
-2 packets truvia
-1 very ripe banana

Method:
-pour yeast into water, and let stand for 10 minutes. You can frisk with a fork if it isn't mixing
-add truvia, and banana to water and stir.
-mix in flour, one cup at a time until dough forms. You may need more than 3 cups, so add as much as it takes.
-Remove dough from bowl and knead on floured surface for 10 minutes
-Once dough is not sticky, and has been mixed, place in oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for at least an hour.
-After an hour, punch the air out and continue to make challah as you choose.
-Once your challah is braided, place on baking pan, and bake at 350 F for half an hour or more, depending on size.

Cinnamon challah:
-mix 1/2 cup dark brown sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon
-roll out three separate rectangles, and pour 1/3 of the sugar/cinnamon mixture into each
-roll the edges of the rectangles up so that you have one long piece to braid, sort of like a cinnamon roll, and pinch all ends so the mix won't spill out.
-braid pieces together and pinch both ends
-bake for 30 minutes

Chocolate chip challah:
-roll out three rectangles as described before, place as many chocolate chips you would like inside, and fold edges up.

-braid and bake for 30 minutes

Hope everyone has a good weekend! I'm getting over my sickness finally, so tomorrow hopefully I'll feel well enough to visit Brooklyn Boulders and get some serious training in. I'm off to eat some more challah (which is so much better when it's nice and hot and gooey!)