Boom!

Hello, I'm Julia Child.

Welcome to my house.

What fun we're going to have baking all kinds of incredible cakes, pies and breads right here in my own kitchen.

Lauren Groveman, able New York cooking teacher demonstrates how easy it is to make ethnic specialties like rich, brown pumpernickel loaves and crunchy matzos all in your own home.

Learn how on... What a wonderful big loaf of pumpernickel bread.

And look at these crisp matzos.

Lauren Groveman's going to teach us how to make both of them.

Hi, that's right.

What are you going to start on?

The big guy.

The big one.

The pumpernickel, my favorite.

Okay, we have boiling water in here.

I'm going to dissolve one tablespoon of instant espresso in this boiling water just like that, just stir it up.

And, Julia, if you want to just pour it in that saucepan and add unsweetened chocolate, it's 2½ ounces.

2½ ounces.

Chopped.

Chopped chocolate, okay... And one stick of unsalted butter.

So we're going to go in there and I put it on low heat.

There we go, and we're just going to melt that and you're going to add one-quarter cup of molasses.

Now, we're just going to get that, so that it's... ...flavoring... yeah, this is... Now, I'll watch it for you.

Thank you.

Now I'm going to proof the yeast so here I have one-half cup of warm water and I'm going to add 2½ packages of active dry yeast.

When you say "warm water" is that about body temperature?

Yeah, comfortable.

You don't need a thermometer...

If it's too hot, you're going to kill it.

Right, but you know something?

And the 2½ packets, that's about... Two tablespoons.

More or less-- I'm going to add a pinch of sugar to that to just make it nice and happy, and wake up.

That's just going to sit aside to proof while we assemble the rest of our ingredients.

Now, I want that to just melt, not burn because we've got chocolate in there so it's heat-sensitive.

Well, I'll watch it.

I have a quarter of a cup of solid vegetable shortening in here.

I'm going to add to that about two tablespoons of powdered... ground caraway seeds.

You use a spice grinder.

They don't come ground.

And 1½ tablespoons of whole caraway seeds.

The reason why I use the ground is to get more intensity of flavor.

And now we're going to use...

I have to measure one-half cup of prune lekvar which is available in the supermarket or you can make it at... All it is, it's just puréed cooked prunes, isn't it?

That's all it is.

For color and taste?

For color, taste and actually this is a natural preservative.

Oh,... Prunes are a natural preservative.

Well, that's interesting.

They're tender, nice.

And it's delicious and adds a nice dark color.

Okay, get rid of that.

I have two cups of plain yogurt that's room temperature or if you want, you can make it a little bit tepid.

Let me stir this up while you're doing that.

And where's my tablespoon?

I need a tablespoon of salt.

Now, don't leave the salt out or reduce it.

It's very important.

Sugar makes the yeast nice and happy and tells it to wake up and smell the coffee and... salt tells it to slow down and smell the roses because if you don't have the salt your yeast will ferment too quickly and you won't develop wonderful flavor.

And you wanted that... That's perfect.

Now, I'm going to get it off and I'm going to add it.

Ah, smell that?

It smells good.

Okay, I'm just going to mix that all up.

Now, this is the body of my dough, minus the yeast.

Now, we don't want to add this to anything very hot.

It's important that we let the yeast proof.

Otherwise, we kill the yeast, as you said.

I want you to see what's happening.

It started out very granular and now it's swelling up and turning nice and creamy.

That means that it's in good condition and it's going to perform for me in my liquid.

I want to test it, this is perfect.

Put your finger in there, Julia, it's fine, it's fine.

Mmm, tastes good, too.

Add the yeast.

Now, I'm going to start adding flour.

This is the fun part.

I get to turn this soupy stuff into a gorgeous dough.

I need 3½ cups of... this is rye meal, coarse rye flour.

Sometimes it's called pumpernickel flour but it's... more often than that, it's called coarse rye meal.

You get that probably at a health food store.

Yes, and make sure that it has a good turnover because there's a lot of bran in this and it means it can go... get rancid quickly so you have to be careful.

Now, the body of this dough is this.

And because all these ingredients are very tenderizing... We've got the shortening, the butter, the lekvar.

All of these things are very flavorful and wonderful and tenderizing.

So in order to get... to beef up the texture I really need a very strong, glutinous white flour to give this bread the texture that it needs so we can slice it.

Would it be gluten flour or just bread flour?

Bread flour is fine.

And, you know, I'm just stirring this in, just to get it nice and... Now I'm going to start to add my flour by the cupful until it responds the way I want it to when I turn it out.

You don't use a machine for this?

Nope.

You like the feel...

I like the feel.

It makes me happy, makes me feel connected.

Wait, you'll see.

You're going to help me knead this dough.

You'll see, this is like going to the gym in the morning.

So the more I do it, the more I can eat... Mm-hmm, because you're getting real exercise.

Yeah.

Okay, now what I'm doing now is I'm creating texture.

I love the smell of it.

Isn't it delicious?

The molasses and the prunes and everything else.

The prunes and the chocolate and the coffee that give that dark color.

And dimension of flavor.

Now, if you see that I'm not dumping in a whole lot of flour at once.

Yeah.

Because I feel you develop much better texture actually earlier by doing it this way.

I do it by the handful and when the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and becomes hard to stir, but it's not dry then I turn it out onto a nice floured surface and then I go to work which I'm just about ready to do.

Okay, I'm going to get all this good stuff out with a rubber spatula.

I don't throw anything away.

It's all a mouthful, right?

Okay-- now, that goes away.

I'm going to scrape off my spoon and I'm going to go to work now.

Okay, I don't put my hand into my flour bin.

I always work with a full cup next to me.

That's so you don't want to mess up your flour bin.

Right.

Now what I'm going to do-- this is my best friend, remember that.

This acts as my right hand, if you're a righty and left hand if you're a lefty.

It's right in the beginning of the kneading process.

Now, this is a tacky, sticky dough in the beginning but it actually... you'll watch it respond to me and in a very short time this is going to be beautiful and silky and resilient but it won't be finished until this dough talks to me and we're not close.

Oh, it's just going to say something.

You know, it's going to talk to me it's going to talk to you but it's not... we're not close.

So we have to let me go to work here just for a couple minutes.

Now, what I'm looking for is...

I want to get real resilience in the center.

When I feel tacky spots that means it's not ready.

That's still soft and sticky.

That's really soft, yeah.

It means I have to keep going.

You're really better than a machine, I think.

This is how my kids see me first thing in the morning.

Making bread and bagels and things.

Just let me try a little kneading... Sure, go for it, let me give you... and see if I can... You're really going right into it, aren't you?

That's right, if at any point it's sticky, you can use that.

Now, that gives... really gives you a good workout and it is still sticky, yeah.

It's still sticky.

It's going to talk to us soon.

It's going to talk.

Mmm... has a good taste right now.

Now... when I tell you that it starts to talk that means that I'm almost there.

And when I mean talk... it sounds light when I knead it.

Listen.

( dough scraping softly ) It's sort of a soft whoosh.

Right, yeah.

It's starting.

It goes "shh, shh."

Yes, it does.

That means I'm doing a good job.

Yes, I can hear that.

I think we're done, and I'll show you how we tell.

Push it and let it go.

Now, that's not easy to do with a dough that has such tenderizing ingredients.

There we go.

And it's not nearly so sticky.

Beautiful feel.

My big hound, let me put it in the bowl.

We have a big eight-quart buttered bowl here.

It's important that you butter that bowl and we're going to butter the top of that dough.

I'm always in favor of butter.

And we're going to butter some plastic wrap.

I think we got it all.

You got it, perfect.

And I'm going to just cover the dough.

I'm going to put a towel over it.

I'll use one of my towels and put it in a warm draft-free spot.

So, now the dough has to rise two times first time for 2½ hours or until it's doubled in bulk and very billowy and soft.

That's at room temperature?

At room temperature, nice and comfortable.

And then we punch it down and we let it rise again for an hour and 15 minutes.

Again, it will double quicker the second time around.

Still at room temperature.

At room temperature.

Now, let's punch down this dough.

I want to see you punch it down.

Ahh...

Isn't that beautiful?

Isn't that sweet?

Punching down is a way of deflating it totally.

Like that.

You do it the way the French do it, completely.

Completely.

Completely deflated-- well, that redistributes the yeast, too, doesn't it?

Right, absolutely.

Now I'm going to get it out on a lightly floured surface.

At this point, the dough doesn't need any more flour it's just... you need flour to work it.

I'm going to divide this dough in half and I'm going to shape one.

I'm going to put... put my other towel on that one.

I can lend you mine if you need one.

There you are.

Thank you very much.

I'm going to get my rolling pin.

And I'm going to flour under this.

This is my favorite type of rolling pin here, by the way.

Has no ball bearings, it's tapered, it's very smooth.

Easy to work.

You just have to remember that your power is right here, in the center so you have to give equal time to your dough.

Is that dough it certainly has changed with all that kneading and resting.

So I'm just going to shape a loaf here.

I need another towel, because I rise this loaf like a baby in a sling.

You know, like the stork carries the baby?

This is what helps retain a beautiful plump shape.

Okay.

So, now I'm just going to roll down.

Oh, now, that's interesting that you're pressing that all in.

That prevents tunnels in your baked breads.

Ever slice a loaf of bread and have a big hole running down the center?

Actually, I want to brush this off a little bit.

I don't need this flour in my dough.

It's just helping it not to stick so we want to get rid of it.

I'm calling on the glutinous structure that I created when I was kneading it.

All of these lines here have... are bands of elasticity that I'm asking to perform for me.

Rather than just taking it shaping into like a... like a cigar shape and throwing it in... this is...

I'm more deliberate with my shape so I'm much more likely...

This is like a French baguette and your... forming is so important, isn't it?

Absolutely.

I mean, you do all of this work to make the dough you at least spend a little time to shape it correctly, right?

You're pinching it nicely.

Now I'm pinching... to create a nice, neat seam.

Mm-hmm.

Then I take this-- I'm taking...

It looks somehow alive, like an...

It is-- it's alive until it hits the oven.

Then it has about five minutes to live.

Pushing that way down in.

Way down in, and I'm elongating the sides here, just like that.

I'm going to pull it down... and attach it to the seam... Like making a hospital bed.

( laughing ) Right.

That's fascinating.

Okay.

This is a nice, plump... loaf.

Very deliberately...

Pulling that all together again.

Yes-- and don't be afraid to really pull and pinch this loaf because you're the boss, you know, this... this dough just needs to be told what to do and it will respond.

So, if you don't like the way it's shaped change it, that's all.

Okay, so I've placed it diagonally on my towel.

Now I'm going to lift my ends of my towel here like this... Mm-hmm.

And just hold it, like in a sling.

Mm-hmm.

And I'm going to take the scissors and I'm going to cut... ( towel rips ) So, here's my hole... right like that, I'm going to insert just a little, simple S hook, it's very inexpensive.

You go to the hardware store.

And this is what I use.

And I've been looking around your kitchen and I've noticed you have a knob right on your cupboard.

If you could just hang that up.

And I'll bring the other one.

Great!

For 30 minutes.

Do you have holes in all your towels?

Every single of them.

I'm going to prepare the paddle... for our shaped loaf.

Now, we have... You know, you have a choice here: you can put either sesame seeds on your loaf or caraway seeds.

I think I'm just going to put caraway seeds.

I love caraway seeds.

So I also flavor the bottom of my peel.

That's very sensible.

Okey-doke.

Now you just take... And that's just been about how long?

Just about 30 minutes.

You put it seam side down.

Seam side down.

And you use your hands to correct the shape.

And I'm going to take a serrated knife and slash the loaf... to create vents so that the steam can escape as the dough rises.

Otherwise it will seal.

It bakes at a very high temperature and the outside will seal too quickly.

and it'll burst, the loaf with burst if you don't cut decorative... And you do it slightly slanted?

Yes, slightly slanted, about a third of an inch in.

And now I'm going to brush this with a little egg white glaze which gives it a nice, shiny finish and also will encourage my seeds to stick on the top.

Are those egg whites that were strained as you usually do?

Mm-hmm, it makes them much easier to apply with a pastry brush.

And you get little... you don't get little lumpies in them.

Right.

What, you have two egg whites and about a tablespoon of water... An egg white with a little... about a teaspoon and a half of water.

And I'll put some...

I'm just going to put some caraway seeds on there.

Oh, that's going to be delicious.

Okay, now-- so, it's going to go into the oven.

And I'm going to inject steam with ice water.

So these... my tiles are in here.

And you have tiles, yeah.

They're preheated to 450 degrees.

My ice water goes underneath the tiles and the door closes.

And it bakes now for ten minutes at 450 and then 30 minutes at 350.

Now the second one is even bigger than the first.

It's big and fat, right.

And you put... you put sesame seeds on it?

Yes, you have choice... One of each?

Right.

Do you think it's done by now?

I think so, I think we should check.

Lauren: Sure smells good.

Oh, it's gorgeous-- looks done to me.

What do you think?

( soft hollow thumping ) That looks just lovely.

It's gorgeous-- okay, we're just going to put this on a wire rack to cool.

This needs at least three hours of cooling before you cut it or store it.

Oh-- I was ready to eat it right now.

Oh, no, we have to be patient.

Well, now we can make.... Our matzo, yes.

Our matzos-- I always keep calling them latkes.

Oh, that's okay, they're delicious-- doesn't matter what you call them.

Okay, really simple stuff here.

So, in this bowl I have four cups of all-purpose flour simple all-purpose flour and I'm going to add an optional ingredient which is one quarter-cup of sesame seeds.

You don't have to add them, but I love them.

I love them, too.

They not only make the dough taste better but they also help when you roll out the dough because the seeds... you'll see when I roll out the dough.

That's pepper, I presume.

This is pepper.

You can add this or you can leave it out.

Now, I have to say that this is not Passover matzo which is normally just flour and water.

Mm-hmm.

I mean, this is just strictly delicious matzo...

Fancy.

this is not religious matzo.

Okay, now, I have two teaspoons of coarse salt that I'm dissolving in one and a half cups of warm water I'm going to just stir that up here.

Mm-hmm.

And I'm just... just make a well.

Mm-hmm.

This would be kind of multi-religion.

Right, this is just delicious stuff that you eat to make you happy having nothing to do with anything else.

This is kind of a big cracker, isn't it?

Right, a delicious cracker.

Now, I'm just going to...

I'm just mixing this up I'm making a dough with my hand As always.

As always, right.

( laughing ) That's right.

It's awfully nice to know this because they're never as fresh when you buy them, are they?

They're always stale...

I think they've been in there for four years.

So now I'm going to just flour some... you know my surface here, and pull it out, just dump it.

Use my scraper to scrape off my hands.

Okay.

Really simple, really... Unleavened... Unleavened bread, it has no leavening, no nothing.

That's the ancient type of bread, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

They made this in prehistoric times.

Yes, and this was actually... the Passover matzo is about commemorating when the ancient Egyptian Jews fled... That's right, yes.

to get away from slavery.

And that's why it only has flour and water in it they were not interested in delicious things they just wanted to save their lives and eat to stay safe.

But this is delicious matzo, so... Mm-hmm.

Okay, now I'm done kneading, that's it.

Perfectly kneaded, it's supple-- I'm going to divide this into twelve pieces the best way to do that is... in half... each half in half... and then each quarter into thirds.

Oh, that's...

Okay.

That's pretty accurate, isn't it?

Okay, I'm just going to shove all these guys over there.

And I'm going work with one at a time.

I flour my surface...

I'm going to flour this pin.

Now, I'm going to roll this out-- now, it's very glutinous because I just kneaded it.

But the whole spirit of making matzo is to be done quickly.

So, that's where the seeds help me because actually when I roll in one direction the seeds help to cut those glutinous strands... develop during kneading.

That makes... that makes good sense.

So you get two benefits.

Use your flour as your friend because if you don't do it, it'll stick.

Just keep picking it up, flour it...

This is not a perfectly shaped round or a rectangular... Just a rough... this is just... the whole beauty of matzo is to look earthy and... freeform the most important thing that you need to do is roll evenly which means... every spot on this sheet needs to have equal time from the center of my pin.

Every once in a while you'll have a little tear, so what?

It doesn't matter.

This is a docker, that's used for making puff pastry.

Now, if you don't have a docker use a fork.

A docker is great... A docker's very efficient.

Yeah.

And that's what, so it won't rise?

So that it won't bubble in the oven, right.

I see, yeah.

Same concept with pie dough.

Mm-hmm.

Put a little bit of coarse salt on this and then I'm just going to run my hand over the sheet very gently and I'm not going to worry if it's... some of it's going to fall off because I don't want all of it, it'll be too salty.

Now we go to the oven-- just like this.

The oven is preheated as high as it can go the rack is in the lowest position and I've placed a baking sheet upside-down on the rack and it's been preheating... Red hot, here we go.

Right, and you let it cook for... one minute and check it.

And don't leave the kitchen.

Once, not even once.

Now how can you tell when that's done?

Okay... there's teeny-weenie little blisters and it starts to turn golden.

So now I'm going to open it up.

Well, there it is.

Just lift it right off and turn it.

Practically done as it is.

We're going to leave it in there for another minute, check it and then it might need one more time.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Beautiful.

Now, look-- It's done!

Isn't that beautiful?

Now the center of this is darker... it's the best part.

The darker parts are the best parts.

So... keep rolling and baking and cooling.

So here's a gorgeous stack of fresh matzo and I'd like to fix you one, would that be all right?

Okay-- I love it.

( matzo snaps loudly ) Now, how long can you keep them, matzos?

Well, I have to tell you something, Julia it doesn't hang around my house too long.

So I really can't tell you the actual life span.

Would you say a week or so anyway, in a plastic bag?

I think more than that, I really do and I think that the sesame seeds help to give it that savory quality.

Mm-hmm.

Smoked salmon, yum.

Get one more piece on it.

( loud crunching ) I'm going to make one for myself, too.

That's delicious-- well, I'm going to cut you some of this... pumpernickel.

Okay.

Mmm, look at that... color.

I've always wanted to make pumpernickel.

And here we are.

The important thing is that heavy kneading.

Mmm, that's yummy.

Lauren, this is delicious.

I've always wanted to make me own pumpernickel.

It's so good.

Well, I'm glad you like it, Julia, thank you so much.

Come again.

Julia: Bon appétit!