Passover Mandel Bread

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Passover Mandel Bread (Mandelbrot) is a is a simple to make, delicious, and dairy free. A great treat for the holiday.

Passover Mandel Bread is a delicious snack or desert and is simple to make. Just mix the ingredients, place in the oven, slice, and you are done! While I don’t, some people may sprinkle with a little cinnamon as well.

Mandelbrot is the name in Yiddish and while it is translated to “almond bread” it is more like a cookie.

Mandelbrot is commonly made plain, with chocolate chips, and/or with sliced almonds. It can be made soft or more crunchy.

I always find it humorous when I see recipes for regular mandelbrot that don’t contain any almond flavoring or almonds. I mean, it IS called almond bread after all.

Note that the softer the dough, the more it will spread to the sides, so make sure to leave room in between the loaves.

Passover Mandel Bread is a great treat for the week of the holiday, especially when it can be difficult to find delicious treats to make. So enjoy!

If I can bake, anyone can

I am the type of person who, when she sees something that looks easy to create, will try to do just that. It doesn’t really matter what it is.

And if I don’t at first succeed, I will continue to try and try until I complete the project or until I decide that I have at least given it my best effort and have had enough.

For example, when my eldest son (I have 5) sent me a video of an apartment he was thinking of renting, I saw a painting on a wall. The canvas was completely covered with uneven clouds of various colors and a long line of white squiggled randomly over it. My first thought was why something so simple could actually be considered a work of art, and my second thought was, Hey, I totally can paint something like that, and I did (MUCH smaller, of course).

But then there was the picture with crayon drippings in various beautiful colors (I am a sucker for colors). I had a bunch of old crayons, and I tried it. However, when I heated them to melt, the colors kept dripping across one another, and I couldn’t get them to drip straight down in their own paths. The repeated attempts didn’t pan out too well, and not only did I get crayon drippings on the canvas, I got them all over the kitchen. So, THAT was one of those times where I agreed with myself to give up.

And there have been so many other projects (people like me are a thing—we will spend $80 to craft something that would cost $5.99 to buy in the store).

Anyway, so, one day after a visit to a bakery one day, I decided that I should totally try baking (I could already cook).

I started with chocolate chip cookies. While chocolate chip cookies aren’t hard to make, and they always come out tasting good (unless I forget to take them out of the oven on time and they burn), I found it a challenge to get them to come out the way I had envisioned.

Sometimes they came out too cakey, sometimes too dry, sometimes too flat, and sometimes they spread out into one another.

But every so often, they would even come out just right. And it was those times—and the fact that my kids loved them no matter how they came out—that gave me encouragement to try again. And again. And again.

My next attempt at baking was birthday cakes. I am not sure why I decided to do this since the boxed kind are perfectly fine, but whatever.

I started with a 9″x13″ pan, and those sheet cakes came out fine, but they weren’t “real” birthday cakes. You know, like a round one. With layers.

So, I baked a cake with layers.

As with the sheet cakes, it came out tasting terrific, but the layers weren’t flat and the cake came out lopsided. Like with other things, I tried over and over (we have a lot of birthdays), but the layers always came out unlevel. I solved the problem by filling out the valleys with frosting.

I knew that when this happens, the layers need to be leveled off by cutting away the excess, but that would’ve meant removing too much, and I would’ve ended up with a very short cake, so I wouldn’t do it.

Luckily, I did find out that there is a way to prevent uneven layers, which is by using baking strips. Simple as that.

I did learn a very valuable lesson while I was still struggling with the lopsidedness of my cakes, and that was NEVER to put frosting on the cake until the layers have completely cooled because if the layers are still hot, or even warm, the frosting will get runny. Not only will this prevent a nicely decorated cake, but if it is not level, everything you put on top of the cake will…slide…right…off. Seriously.

Actually, I learned another lesson as well. If you have unevenness in your layers, just cut the higher portion of the cake (the part that you would cut off to make it level) horizontally down the middle and flip the top part of that over on to the lower part of the layer, it will mostly level it off. THEN you can spread on the frosting and decorate without losing height.

Talking about height, with the issue of the uneven cake layers solved, the next thing I wanted to improve was the height of my cakes. For some reason, I didn’t think that the layered cakes that were higher were probably three-layer cakes. I just thought that my two-layer cake should be higher. So, I did what any person who didn’t bother to do ANY research would do. I doubled the recipe.

Just like before, the cake came out tasting good, but it was no longer moist and fluffy. In fact, it was kind of heavy.

I am pretty sure now that my issues with baking were because of the way that I cook because I am the type who can eyeball some of the ingredients, and the food still comes out good.

That is NOT so with baking. At least not with me.

Anyway, so back to my heavy cake.

I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and I complained to my daughter, Elissa, about how my cake wasn’t coming out like it used to, and her first question was the obvious.

“Mom, did you follow the instructions?”

I told her, “Yes, I followed the directions. But look at it!”

Elissa insisted that I must’ve done SOMETHING wrong and decided that she would make the same cake (she always follows directions) and see how HERS came out. So, I read the instructions to her while she made the batter.

When Elissa’s cake came out just as heavy as mine, she almost cried, but I felt kind of gratified that whatever was wrong wasn’t MY fault. Ha!

Then she asked to see the recipe for herself so she could see what could possibly have gone wrong, and she was surprised.

“These are half of the quantities that you read to me. You doubled the recipe. Why??”

I told her that I wanted a higher cake.

“That is NOT considered following directions. The recipe is for two pans, and you put double in each pan, so it couldn’t rise.”

Oh.

I took back my “ha” and never did THAT again.

So, I learned that I need to follow instructions better when baking. Fine.

One day, while I was in the kitchen baking something and yes, following instructions, Elissa walked in.

“Mom. You are NOT really measuring oil in the palm of your hand, are you?!”

I told her I was in a rush and didn’t want to take the time to look for the measuring spoons in the baking drawer, it was only a tablespoon, and I certainly know what a tablespoon of oil should look like, even in my hand. At least I wasn’t trying to measure a cup.

Sheesh.

Sometimes, when someone is very familiar with a recipe, they might be able to make little adaptations to some of the ingredients, but overall, it’s a good idea to remember to follow instructions and measure properly when you are making cakes or cookies or whatever it is you are trying to bake.

Baking and dessert necessities for Passover

I like to make sure I can bake anything with very short notice.  To that end, I keep a variety of supplies and ingredients in the house that will allow me to do just that. 

I can’t tell you how many times I was glad to have whatever I needed within reach for the last minute visitor or for when one of my kids went to a friend or had a school event without much prior notice.

I have slowly collected things over the years as I needed them (or if I found a good sale) and like to keep more than one of the smaller items, in case I don’t want to wash dishes in the middle of baking.

My basic “equipment” includes:

• a hand mixer (you probably don’t need a stand mixer for Passover)
• a small scale
• baking pans
• mixing bowls (or just large bowls)
• cookie sheets 
• dry measuring cups
• liquid measuring cups
• whisks
• rubber spatulas (really good for when you don’t want to leave anything in the bowl)
• baking (or parchment) paper

While you can certainly manage without the above (such as a whisk, where you can use a fork in a pinch), if you tend to do a lot of Passover baking, these are good to have around.

In addition to the equipment, there are several basic baking ingredients that are used regularly if you are going to want to bake and may be helpful to have at the beginning of the holiday.

Just make absolutely certain that they have a Kosher for Passover certification or don’t require one. When in doubt, ask an orthodox rabbi (there are also some orthodox organizations that post Passover information online).

Some of the items on this list, however, are not basic, but rather are only used for specific recipes. Regarding these, you might not want to invest in them in advance, but only if you need them.

Unless you have been making Passover at home and know which is which, you might want to plan ahead, at least until you get used to what your yearly baking needs are.

• matzo cake meal
• potato starch
• white sugar
• brown sugar
• powdered sugar
• salt
• baking powder (leavens chemically, so it just needs to be certified Kosher for Passover)
• baking soda (leavens chemically, so it just needs to be certified Kosher for Passover)
• cocoa powder
• ground cinnamon
• ground ginger
• ground cloves
• ground nutmeg
• baking chocolate
• chocolate chips
• vanilla/vanilla sugar
• oil
• margarine or butter
• eggs
• extracts (real or imitation)
• whipping cream (get non-dairy, for dairy free desserts)

Having other kosher for Passover spices in your pantry can also be helpful. Just make certain that everything is certified Kosher for Passover.

In addition, whipping cream, powdered pudding mix, and powdered sugar can allow you to be able to make a variety of fillings, frostings, and toppings.

Lastly, it’s not a bad idea to have toppings, such as chopped walnuts, raisins, and, if you can find them kosher for Passover, especially if you have kids, the oh-so-important container of sprinkles.

While some of these can easily be found in the average grocery store that carries kosher for Passover items for the holiday, stores that carry only kosher foods should have all or most of it.

I always save the leftover closed items for the following years, especially if they are not easy to find, and just pack them away in a suitable place.

Food on Passover

Torah-observant Jews do not eat chametz (the fermented products of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye).

In addition, Torah-observant Ashkenazi Jews do not eat kitniyot (or kitniyos as pronouced in Ashkenazi Hebrew). These include legumes, corn, rice, and similar foods that were deemed forbidden to eat by rabbis in the medieval period and are still not eaten today. Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews do not follow this tradition.

Many ovservant Ashkenazi Jews will not even eat the derivatives of these kitniyot, while others do (each family holds their own traditions regarding this).

Then, there are Ashkenazim who don’t eat “gebrokts” (or gebrochts).

Gebrokts means “broken” in Yiddish, and in this case refers to matzo that has absorbed liquid. Not eating gebrochts is observed by many in the Hasidic Jewish community and Ashkenazim who have taken on this tradition where they basically don’t mix anything wet with matzo.

So, things like matzo sandwhiches, fried matzo, and even matzo balls are a no-no for them.

There is a joke that sums it all up:

On Passover, we should remember people who have little to eat on this holiday. They are called Ashkenazim.

Over the years, I have learned to adapt “normal” food for passover so that my family won’t complain about boring, tasteless, or repetitive meals.

I find that having good food and variety makes the week of Passover a very pleasant experience and I hope this recipe will help make yours just that!

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Yield: 2 - 3 dozen pieces depending on width of slices

Passover Mandel Bread

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Delicious and easy to make dairy free almond bread (Mandelbrot in yiddish), kosher for Passover.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups matzo cake meal
• 1 1/2 cups potato starch
• 1 ¼ cups white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder **
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1 tablespoon almond extract (or imitation almond extract)
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, dairy free (optional)
• 1 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
3. Slowly add the oil while mixing until you have a Play-Doh like consistency that is not sticky or only very slightly sticky* (you may not need to use all the oil). If you have added too much oil, slowly add flour from the spare cup until you reach the Play-Doh consistency.
4. If you are making using chocolate chips and/or almond slices, mix them in.
5. On a baking sheet with parchment paper, shape two loaves about 3 inches wide and leave equal room between the sides of the baking sheet and between the loaves (the loaves will spread while baking) .
6. Place in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350° F and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a light golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and slice to desired width (usually around 3/4" wide) , either horizontally or diagnoally across the loaves.
8. If you prefer more cakey mandel bread, leave to cool. Otherwise, place back in the oven and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes or until the loaves become more slightly golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Notes

** While baking powder is a leavener, it does not leaven through fermentation but rather though chemical reaction, so it is kosher for passover and you can find it labelled as such.

MAKE SURE ALL INGREDIENTS ARE CERTIFIED KOSHER FOR PASSOVER WHERE NECESSARY (not eggs).

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 278Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 143mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 4g

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