Pages

▼

Friday, July 22, 2011

My Mother's Mandel Bread


Mandel bread -- aka Jewish biscotti -- is among my mother's favorite treats so for her 82nd birthday (today!) I prepared the cookies from her own handwritten recipe card.  Of course, the recipe called for chocolate chips, a rather nontraditional  ingredient, but to my mother, it's not dessert unless there's some chocolate involved.


Like biscotti, mandel bread is baked twice, first in a loaf form.  When the loaf is still warm, using a good serrated knife, slice it just like you would a loaf of bread.


Lay the slices (they will be somewhat soft) on a cookie sheet or hotel pan and then bake them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. (This detail is not in the recipe below.)


Is this easy?  Absolutely.  IF you're not making it for your mother.  (You can read about some previous issues in my post, Calling Dr. Freud.) I had to toss the first dough -- I had forgotten the sugar.  You can see the loaf below, leaching oil, on account of this essential missing ingredient.


And for my second attempt, I mis-measured the oil but, determined to save the dough, I simple added some extra flour and sugar.  Although the loaf spread way more than I thought was normal, I plowed through and it all turned out ok.

Mandel bread is not my cup of tea (or coffee), but it makes a nice gift.   Happy birthday, Mom!



at

5 comments:

  1. Melba_TJuly 22, 2011 at 12:17 PM

    I love biscotti I will have to try this recipe.

    What a beautiful picture of your mother! Happy Birthday!

    P.S.- Your blog is fantastic! While I don't bake as often as I like, I do enjoy reading about the many interesting recipes you find.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SusanJuly 22, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    Thanks, Melba. Glad you like A Cake Bakes! And reading recipes is truly one of life's pleasures -- and the calorie count is a perfect 0.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DebbieJuly 22, 2011 at 10:33 PM

    What a nice tribute to your mother for her birthday. I just love that picture.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MargaretJuly 23, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    I bet they freeze beautifully :)) Love the picture of your mom too! I hope she gets the package!

    ReplyDelete
  5. SusanJuly 24, 2011 at 9:02 PM

    @Debbie: I love that picture too. She told me that it was taken in her senior year of high school.
    @Margaret: Funny! But none to freeze, as I hear Steve ate most of them. And package received; three cheers for USPS inefficiency!

    ReplyDelete