Yom Kippur | Nosh Art Fun

Yom Kippur 2023

Break-the-Fast Big Fish Challah Centerpiece

Make your challah the centerpiece of your break-the-fast buffet table with Nosh Art Fun’s Big Fish.

What you need ...

Challah dough – (a 6-cup flour recipe works best)

1 egg

Sesame seeds

Poppy seeds

Note: Adults do all oven work and any steps requiring sharp knives. School safety scissors can be used for cutting the fish scales, mouth and fin.

Let's do it ...

Prepare dough and set aside to rise according to recipe directions.

Prepare the egg wash and set aside.

After first rising, punch dough down and remove 225 g of dough (about the size of a small grapefruit). Set this dough aside for the fin and scales. Cover until ready to use.

Shape remaining dough into a large oval.

Pinch in the wide end to form a tail.

Use a toothpick or skewer to draw a line for the head.

Brush the fish body with the egg wash

Uncover the dough that had been set aside and roll into a 12” x 14” rectangle.

Brush with the egg wash.

Sprinkle poppy seeds on one half and sesame seeds on the other half, as shown. Press the seeds into dough.

Use a 1.5” round cookie cutter to cut circles.

Gather up the excess dough and set aside for the fin.

Cut the circles in half to form the scales.

Arrange the poppy seed and sesame scales on fish body in alternating rows. Leave an empty space for the fin, as shown.

For the eye, roll a small piece of dough into a ball and then roll it in poppy seeds.

With your finger poke a hole in the head and set the eyeball into the hole, as shown.

Make a slit for the mouth, and separate to open, as shown.

Using a plastic knife to finish shaping the tail.

For the fin, shape the dough scraps into a fan shape. Cut slits along the top of the fan and spread out as shown.

Press the uncut narrow end of the fan into the fish body

Brush fin and tail with egg wash.

Bake in a pre-heated oven according to recipe directions.

Yom Kippur 2022

Break-the-Fast Little Fish Rolls

Move over bagels, it’s time for something new! Add a bit of whimsy to your Break-the-Fast table with my little fish rolls. Made with store bought ready-to-bake pizza dough, these little fish have a bagel like chewiness. If you prefer a soft roll, replace the pizza dough with your favorite challah dough.

What you need ...

Makes 6

1 pound store-bought dough (I use Trader Joe’s brand)

1 egg yolk

Poppy seeds

Sesame seeds

Orange or red food color

Green or black olive slices

Flour for dusting

Pastry brush

Parchment paper

School safety scissor

Toothpick

Note: Adults do all oven work and any steps requiring sharp knives. Children’s safety scissors can be used for cutting the fish scales, mouths and fins.

Let's do it ...

Before beginning, bring your dough to room temperature.

Divide dough into 6 equal size pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover, and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Place poppy seeds and sesame seeds in a shallow dish and set aside.

3. Mix egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water. Set aside.

Making the basic fish shape

Use this basic shape for the blowfish, tiger fish and painted fish. I find it easiest to decorate the fish, when each one is placed on its own parchment paper square.

Take first dough ball and shape into an oval
To form tail, pinch together the sides of one end to create a bulb. Twist the bulb end as shown; just as you would when making a balloon animal. Press down the twisted section to secure.
Flatten and shape tail. Add detail lines by pressing a toothpick into the tail.
Place fish body on parchment paper square.

Blowfish

Use safety scissors to cut fish scales, as shown.
Brush fish with yolk wash.
Make fin with a small piece of dough and press into fish body.
Add olive slice for eye.
Make a cut for mouth and separate, as shown.

Sesame seed blowfish

Brush fish with yolk wash.
Sprinkle on sesame seeds.
Add olive slice for eye.
Make cut for mouth and separate as shown.

Tiger fish

For first poppy seed stripe, paint a stripe of yolk wash. Sprinkle poppy seeds over the stripe and gently press into dough.
To add sesame stripe, place a strip of parchment paper over the poppy seed stripe. Paint yolk wash stripe above and below the area reserved for the fin (black triangle). Sprinkle sesame seeds over yolk stripe and gently press into dough.
For fin, place scissors at a slight angle and make first cut into dough, as shown. Gently lift the cut section to make cuts 2 and 3, as shown.
Repeat adding stripes until the entire fish body is covered.
Brush the head and tail with the yolk wash.
Add an olive slice for the eye.
Make a cut for the mouth and separate as shown.

Painted fish

Add 2-3 drops food color to yolk wash. Use this tinted yolk wash to paint areas you want colored.

Angel fish

Shape dough oval into a flattened triangle as shown.
For tail, cut out the two corners from the wide end, as shown.
Follow directions for Tiger fish to add sesame and poppy seed stripes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown, and there is a hollow sound when the bottom is tapped.