Mandel bread is a traditional Askenazi food from Germany. Mandel literally means almond in german. Another pointer to the “Jewishness” of this recipe is the use of matzoh cake meal. During passover matzoh has to be used to respect Kosher requirements.
During the late 19th century and mid 20th century many Jews immigrated to the United States, they took this dish with them (though not in this exact form). After experiencing years of discrimination many Jews in the United States became the “model minority” and eventually many managed to fully assimilate.
Credit: Conner Levitt
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of sugar
- ½ lb of unsalted butter
- 2+¾ cups of matzoh (matzah) cake meal
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¾ cups of potato starch
- 6 oz of mini chocolate chips
- 3 teaspoons of sugar/cinnamon mix
Recipe:
- Cream the butter & sugar in a large bowl, add the vanilla after
- Add 1 egg to the bowl at a time, beating after each egg
- Sift cake meal, salt, and potato starch together in a separate bowl
- Fold dry mixture into the creamed mixture
- Add chocolate chips and blend well by hand
- Form into 2 loaves about 2 inches wide on a cookie sheet, sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mix on top
- Bake for 45 minutes at 350, cut when warm
- Serve with Vanilla ice cream
Conner Levitt OC ’24 is a lover of ice cream and other sweet treats. Majoring in sociology, they like trying to see history play out in the experiences of everyday life.
