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Named after the Belgian city they hail from, these Vanilla Chai W have all the rich qualities of the enriched and yeasted Belgian but with two delicious differences: Belgian pearl sugar and a warming blend of spices. In the iron, the pockets of pearl sugar caramelize into crunchy hot spots that add crisp texture and notes […] LEGGI TUTTO
Traditional chai tea recipe, prepared with full-bodied black tea, star anise, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, white peppercorns, cardamom, whole milk and sugar.
Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
The first time I had chai, I was in a small rented room in the Chungking Mansion in Hong Kong (notoriously cheap accommodations). Our little cel block area probably had 4 bedrooms, and one little old Chinese lady who sat in the entryway and managed them.
The morning after my arrival I was still reeling from the shock of my expectations when I booked the place (“Chungking Mansion, my that sounds quite nice”) compared to the reality of the place, when the little old lady asked me, “Chai?”, pointing to a pot on the stove.
“Sure,” I replied, not knowing exactly what was coming, perhaps tea?
Boy was I surprised, and in the best possible way. Chai is tea, black tea, but tea steeped in milk, flavored with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise, and sweetened with sugar or honey.
This wonderful chai was the best discovery in Hong Kong; I couldn’t wait to spend another night in the Mansion, just to have some more chai in the morning. That was over 30 years ago and since then chai has become much more popular here.
The other day my friend Suzanne served up some delicious chai and told me more of her experiences with it while in the Peace Corp in Africa. According to Suzanne, families have chai recipes the way they have curry recipes, every one a little different and each particular to a family.
It can conveniently be made all in one pot, and you can use sweetened condensed milk from a can – important in the tropics. If you really want the authentic experience, drink it from a tin cup. Here is the way that Suzanne makes her chai:
Chai Recipe
Ingredients
Spice ingredients for one pot of tea:
1/2 of a star anise star
10-12 whole cloves
6-7 whole allspice
1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon bark (or 2 short sticks)
6-7 whole white peppercorns
1 cardamon pod opened to the seeds
Other ingredients:
1 cup water
4 cups whole milk
2 heaping tablespoons of a high quality full-bodied broad-leaf black tea (Ceylon, or English Breakfast if a broad-leaf Ceylon is not available)
Sugar
Method
1 In a 2-qt saucepan, add spices to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat; let steep for 5-20 minutes, depending on how strong a spice flavor you want.
2 Add 4-6 cups of whole milk to the water and spices. If you don’t have whole milk, you can also use non-fat or low-fat milk, just add some cream to it, a few tablespoons. Bring the milk and spice mixture just to a boil and remove from heat.
3 Add the tea to the milk and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes to taste. (Option at this point – reheat to a simmer and remove from heat.) You can add sugar at this point, or serve without sugar and let people put the amount of sugar in they want. Traditionally, sugar is added before serving.
4 Strain into a pot. Serve. Add sugar to taste.
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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
More from Elise LEGGI TUTTO
Perfumed with warm chai spice, this crunchy and aromatic babka is a twist-pardon the pun-on the more common cinnamon babka, bringing all the comfort of your favorite tea latte to the enriched babka formula. You’ll welcome this spicy changeup. Find more delicious babka recipes in our September/October 2020 issue!
Chai Streusel Babka
2½ cups (313 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (16 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
3 tablespoons (36 grams) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons (3.75 grams) kosher salt
¼ cup (60 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water, divided
¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter
¼ cup (60 grams) whole milk
½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature and divided
Chai Filling (recipe follows)
Chai Streusel (recipe follows)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 1 cup (125 grams) flour, sugar, yeast, and salt by hand.
In a small saucepan, heat ¼ cup (60 grams) water, butter, milk, and vanilla over medium-low heat until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°F (49°C) to 130°F (54°C). Add warm butter mixture to flour mixture. Using the paddle attachment, beat at medium-low speed until combined. Add 1 egg (50 grams), and beat until combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add 1½ cups (188 grams) flour, beating just until combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until a soft, somewhat sticky dough forms, 5 to 7 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl and dough hook; add up to remaining 2 tablespoons (16 grams) flour, 1 tablespoon (8 grams) at a time, if dough is too sticky. Turn out dough onto a very lightly floured surface, and shape into a smooth round.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
Turn out dough onto a very lightly floured surface, and gently press into an 8×6-inch rectangle. Loosely wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Spray an 8½×4½-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, letting excess extend over sides of pan.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 13×10-inch rectangle (about ¼ inch thick). Using a small offset spatula, spread Chai Filling on dough, leaving a ½-inch border on both short sides and one long side. Starting with opposite long side, roll up dough, jelly roll style, and pinch seam to seal. Gently lift log at each end, and stretch to 14 inches long. Place seam side down, making sure seam is off to one side instead of in center. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut in half lengthwise. Turn halves cut side up, and place in an “X.” Twist top half of “X” two times; pinch ends, and tuck under. Repeat with bottom half of “X.” Using your hands, place in prepared pan, making sure to keep cut sides up and ends tucked. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until puffed, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. (See Note.) Test dough for fermentation using the finger dent test. (See PRO TIP.)
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 egg (50 grams) and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash on top of dough. Sprinkle with half of Chai Streusel.
Bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining Chai Streusel, and bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C), 20 to 25 minutes more, covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Using excess parchment as handles, remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Final rise time will depend on how long the dough is chilled. The longer the dough is chilled, the longer it will take to rise.PRO TIP: Once you think your dough has proofed, conduct the finger dent test. Gently press your finger about ½ inch into the surface. You should be able to watch the dough spring back slightly but still show an indentation. If the dent disappears, the dough is underproofed and needs more time. If the indentation stays completely, it has overproofed, but don’t panic. Immediately pop it into the oven; the babka will still be great.
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Chai Filling
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
⅓ cup (73 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons (4 grams) Chai Spice Mix (recipe on page 25)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a silicone spatula, press and stir together until well combined.
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Chai Streusel
5 tablespoons (40 grams) all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons (16 grams) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Chai Spice Mix (recipe on page 25)
1½ tablespoons (21 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, and Chai Spice Mix. Using your fingers, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Crumble with your fingertips until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to use.
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Previous articleFrench Apple Cake LEGGI TUTTO
This giant skillet snickerdoodle recipe is a fuss-free way to make cookies for a crowd! It’s warmly spiced and bakes into a chewy, pillowy-edged cookie with a soft interior.I almost waited to post this recipe in fall months, but ultimately decided that’s just too long to wait! Warm chai spices are perfect for cozy feelings at any time of year. And personally, I’ve found they’re especially nice on those mellow summer days when a thunderstorm rolls in, and all you can do is curl up on the couch with a snack and something to read. This recipe is great when you need those cozy, happy feelings that only come with something baked, deliciously buttery, and sweet.
Grab a 10-inch cast iron skillet and butter it up! You can also use a 10-inch round cake pan if you don’t have a skillet, but I think everyone needs at least one 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet. I’ve used a lot of different cast iron pans over the years, some that are practical and others that are considered fancy and cost as much as a whole set of cookware. If you’re looking to add one to your kitchen, I’ve found that you cannot beat the performance of a preseasoned Lodge cast iron pan (10.25-inch) for the money ($15-$25).Cast iron does take some maintenance, but it’s not difficult to use or clean (cleaning 101 here). In fact, I once knew someone who used theirs as a boat anchor for years, and then cleaned it back up for kitchen use! (For the record, I don’t recommend doing that!)
Hello, cookie dough! This is a very simple dough that uses cream of tartar in the formula to help leaven and stabilize the baked cookie. You won’t get those pillowy baked edges without it! The dough needs to rest for about 10 minutes after mixing. It will firm upon standing.
While you’re resting the dough, mix up the chai spice with a little sugar. A classic snickerdoodle could be made by just using the sugar and cinnamon in the recipe – but I urge you to try my chai-spiced version! It’s so comforting.
After resting, you should have an un-sticky dough. Roll it into a ball, and then into the spices. Place the ball in the center of the pan – you don’t even have to tamp it down! Just let the ball spread in the oven as it bakes. This process is pretty neat to watch through the oven window.
Look at that! It really does look like one big snickerdoodle cookie, complete with pillowed edges and a crackled top.
This is such a lovely thing to share, and it’s also a little too easy to grab a slice from the pan throughout the day! I mentioned this recipe is great for a crowd, but our 2 person household has managed to eat all but two slices.
You’ll have a little chai spice leftover, so save it to sprinkle over – everything! Here I’ve sprinkled some on top of ice cream. Did I mention this cookie is utter perfection with a scoop of vanilla? It is!
This skillet cookie should be in everyone’s recipe box! It has all the best parts of snickerdoodle cookies without the production of portioning. Enjoy!
Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodle Skillet CookieYields one 10-inch skilletCookie dough1 cup (226g)unsalted butter, melted2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon cream of tartar1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt1 cup (200g) granulated sugar1/4 cup (53g) brown sugar, lightly packed1 large eggChai spice coating1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom1/4 teaspoon ground ginger1/8 teaspoon ground allspice1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmegPreheat the oven to 350°F.Coat a 10-inch cast iron skillet with some of the melted butter using a pastry brush. Set aside.For the dough, whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the remaining melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and egg. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Beat together using a hand mixer on low speed until combined. Let the dough rest uncovered for 10 minutes, or until firmed and not sticky.Meanwhile, make the chai spice coating. Stir together the granulated sugar and all of the ground spices in large bowl. When the dough is firm, gather it together with your hands and form into a large ball. Roll the ball in the spices repeatedly until the ball is totally covered with the sugar and spice mixture. You will have leftover chai spice (save for other use).Place the ball in the center of the buttered skillet; do not spread or flatten it. The ball will spread as it bakes. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the cookie fills the pan and is golden brown and crackled on top. Cut into wedges and serve warm with scoops of ice cream and leftover chai spice sprinkled on top. Or store room temperature wedges in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
link Chai Spiced Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie By Heather Baird Published: Monday, July 06, 2020Monday, July 06, 2020Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie Recipe LEGGI TUTTO
