If you're looking for a good Jewish baking cookbook...

14 years ago

I purchased four of these cookbooks already as Christmas presents -- one especially for me. I simply couldn't resist, and I'm not sorry. I haven't used a recipe yet, but reading the history and techniques alone are worthwhile. In fact, yesterday I made my best batch so far of whole wheat bagels just following some of the ideas I got from the cookbook.

One of the things I miss most about moving from the Los Angeles area was leaving behind some of the great Jewish bakeries in my neighborhood. My dad was adamant about eating Greek food, but he truly loved challah and my mom bought a loaf every week. I tagged along and got to choose a treat, just for me. Hopefully, with this cookbook in hand, I'll be able to recreate some of those treats.

Anyhow, check it out. You might be interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inside the Jewish Bakery

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Comments (9)

arabellamiller
14 years ago
That does look like a beautiful book. It will be perfect for my sister's birthday, so thank you for posting it.

(it also helps that I have an Amazon credit I'm itching to use !)

Please let me know when you try a recipe.

AM
jessyf
14 years ago
My library has it on order so I'm the first on the request list!
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I have a copy of, "the NEW Fannie Farmer-Boston Cooking-School COOK BOOK", 1953. My father, in his retirement, took on the care of several Summer homes in Southern Maine. He would check on them during the winter, board up windows against storms, uncover rose gardens when the time was right, deal with emergencies...that kind of thing. During the Summer, when people were in residence, he was sort of a general, all around handyman. His largest client was old money...there was a beach named after the family, a road named after the family, and a huge home, loaded with antiques that had been the original furnishings. An elderly Black woman came up every summer from South Carolina to be their cook for the season. Little bittie thing, set in her ways and stubborn as heck, but since she'd been cooking for the family for decades, she knew what they liked and how to manage them. I had been separated from my father at age 5, and when I found him again in my early 30's, I went out to stay with him and my stepmother for a year to get to know them. He took me down to meet Marguerite. She was a kick, and we got along...several years later, when she knew that she wouldn't be able to make it up again the next season (or ever), she gave my father her Fannie Farmer for me. It still has a bunch of book marks in it, some with shopping lists, some with her name, some with cryptic notes I can't decipher, all in the same, slanted hand. I actually use the book quite a bit, but I don't disturb the bookmarks. I sometimes puzzle over the marked pages, wondering which recipe she had marked... I also have my mother's copy of "The Complete American-Jewish Cookbook",1952. It has a separate section of Passover recipes. There are no pork recipes, naturally. Generally, the cookies and bread recipes are good. As for unique...I have an Ethiopian cookbook...the only one I've been able to find. "Exotic Ethiopian Cooking-Society, Culture, Hospitality, & Traditions. I've only made a couple of dishes out of it. I love Ethiopian food, and when I found out how much Nit'ir Qibe (purified herb & spice butter) is used in most of the dishes I love, I realized why I love them. For example, in dishes made from 1 pound of ground beef, it is not unusual that they contain a cup of butter. A typical lentil dish pairs 2 cups of lentils with 2 cups of butter. No wonder I love it!
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Trsinc, I don't know which of these are still in print. But if they're not, you can find them, I'm sure, through used book dealers. For starters, to really get an idea of what was eaten during the late 18th century, find a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book. Jefferson kept meticulous details of what he grew, how it performed, etc. It's been reissued several times by different publishers. "The Virginia Housewife," Mary Randolph's 1824 classic, includes recipes from her days as a plantation manager in the late 1700s, as well as from experiences running a boarding house. A very popular book of its time, it went through 30 editions. "The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy," is a British cookbook, authored by Hannah Glass, first published in 1745 and used extensively in the Colonies. Also reprinted a number of times, the 1794 edition is the one that's been most reprinted. "American Cookery," published in 1796 by Amelia Simmons, is the first purely American cookbook. There are also several collections you might look for. One of the best is "The Williamsburg Art of Cookery," which presents recipes from numerous 18th century sources, including both cookbooks and cookery manuscripts. First published in 1938, it was reissued in 1966, and has been in and out of print since. "The Backcountry Housewife," is a publication of the Schiele Museum, written by Kay Moss & Kathryn Hoffman. It was published in 1985 and reissued in 1994---and possible again since then. These should get you started.
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shambo
Original Author
14 years ago
Right now I'm just enjoying reading it, but I plan to try some recipes soon. I think I'll start with challah.
jessyf
14 years ago
oh bleep thanks for the reminder my challah is ready for second rising
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
14 years ago
shambo, thank you for posting "Inside The Jewish Bakery."

I use to live right in Lower East Side NYC, a block from Katz's Delicatessen, Moishe's Bake Shop, and few other bakeries there. I watched how they made bagels, tsibele kichel, etc. There was still one Yiddish theater there when I was in that neighborhood.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for being such a great member here, always contributing positive posts,ideas. I always learn something new from your posts. Members like you make this Forum worth visiting.

Happy New Year.

dcarch
soonergrandmom
14 years ago
Shambo, I would like to thank you again for the great Greek Food videos that you shared with us. Every dish is a remainder of the 2 1/2 years we spent there. Happy New Year.
shambo
Original Author
14 years ago
dcarch, thank you for your kind words. From reading this cookbook, I've gotten the impression that many of the old-fashioned Jewish bakeries no longer are in business. I know that when I visit the Los Angeles area, I don't come across as many neighborhood bakeries as when I lived there. So sad! Hopefully I can learn to replicate some goodies from the past.

Sooner, thank you for your kind words too. I envy you the time you spent in Greece.
nancyofnc
14 years ago
It is true that thousands and thousands of mom-and-pop bakeries have gone away all over the US and CAN since the advent of pre-made pre-packaged junk food baked goods' abundance in the grocery stores (and for the last couple generations, that stuff is all they know). Cheap and convenient seems to be what people look for. Taste and flavor are way down the list.

However, visit your local farmers market and you may find home bakers that make wonderful treats like the store fronts used to. Most take special orders at no extra charge simply for the joy and love of baking. Ask teresa_nc7 and me. I've learned to bake several new-to-me ethnic treats because customers asked, and some have become regular offerings so others can be amazed at the wonderful (and mostly lost to technology) old world tastes using old-fashioned ingredients, methods, and without chemicals, like you here on the GW already know.

Please note there are corrections to the book on their website, just posted 12/30/11, yesterday, at URL below. And, there are also "unpublished chapters" there. I must get this book! Thanks shambo.

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: IJB - corrections
sally2_gw
14 years ago
I'm not Jewish, but that book looks fascinating. Just what I need, another cookbook. What I'd enjoy in addition to the recipes is the history.

Thanks for the heads up, Shambo!

Sally

If you're looking for a good Jewish baking cookbook...

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If you're looking for a good Jewish baking cookbook...

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arabellamiller

jessyf

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jessyf

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