In these days of wars and hurricanes there is something imminently comforting about home made bread. I came across this recipe while researching artisanal bread baking online. It is the essence of simplicity, a crusty, moist, open crumb loaf that you can create in minutes. Yes, this is a sourdough recipe .The dough will take hours to … Continue reading
Though nobody knows for certain whether Mother Sarah braided six strand challot in her tent, these lovely edible macrames have been featured on Ashkenazi Shabbos tables for centuries, maybe even longer. The number six is no accident. On the Shabbos table there are two loaves. That means if each one is fashioned from six strands … Continue reading
Here’s a little secret you’re unlikely to hear from your financial advisor. Just before Yom Kippur have a friend feed you a slice of honey cake. Two slices even. And not because the sweet carbs will help you fast better. A pre Yom Kippur gift of honey cake, also called Lekach is the secret to a … Continue reading
Now I understand why nobody makes Teiglach anymore. You know, Teiglach, that ancient Lithuanian Jewish Rosh Hashana delicacy assembled from hundreds of tiny balls of honey soaked dough. My eyes light up when a recipe is labeled ”easy” and “quick.” Teiglach is clearly not this. Teiglach harkens back to a time when women rolled their … Continue reading
For some mysterious reason, it has become customary for the mother of a Bar Mitzvah boy to bake a tefilin cake. Not a cake shaped like a pair of tefilin , though I’m sure someone out there is baking one of those. What I’m referring to is a cake decorated with chocolate tefilin, an edible replica of the phylacteries, … Continue reading
As much as I detest the addiction metaphor , (chochoholic, fashion addict , etc) I can’t find a better way to describe my relationship to sourdough. I’m hooked! Sourdough also known as wild yeast, is of course a magical combination of flour, warm water and a bit of fermented dough . Until commercial yeast became … Continue reading
Maybe blogging is making me crazy because last night I woke up after midnight worried that I’d left the sugar out of my cheesecake. With Ahmadijead wielding nukes, the US economy heading into freefall and Syria self destructing is this a reason to loose sleep? Instead of saying Tikun Hatzos, the prayer for the redemption … Continue reading
Growing up I thought I knew the scoop on L’ag B’Omer . The story I was told was about Rabbi Akiva’s students who disrespected one another and then died in a plague. On L’ag B’Omer (the 33rd day of the Omer count which spans from Passover until Shavuot) they stopped dying and we celebrate. Now that I lived in Israel … Continue reading
I don’t have an Aunt Lillian. My one and only aunt is called Ava . She sings, plays piano and tap dances but she doesn’t bake apple cakes.I love her anyway and I’m sure she’d love Aunt Lillian’s cake even as neither Aunt Ava or I have a clue as to who Aunt Lillian is .Well she’s someone’s Aunt and … Continue reading
Yes, it is time to bake a challah in the shape of a key . This is the way I did it–play doh style but remember this is an Ashkenazi minhag, a custom, not a halacha so you have more wiggle room. Any key will do– a skeleton key, a house key, a safe deposit … Continue reading
