In this installment
Jewish Rye Bread
Apricot Rugelach
Black & White Brownie
Jewish Rye Bread
Traditional Jewish Rye Bread is uncommon these days. We’re one of the last folks baking the real deal in America. This is rye like they ate in Eastern Europe, made with plenty of rye flour (believe it or not, most “rye bread” sold in America contains very little rye flour), a natural sour rye starter (not the usual canned shortcuts) and lots of time to let the dough develop. The wheat flour we use is organic, too. Great for morning toast, it’s also the bread of sandwiches. Obviously.
Apricot Rugelach
Around these parts, rugelach is known as the king of Jewish pastries. Probably because we sell more of them than other Jewish pastry made in the kitchens of Zingerman’s Bakehouse. The name is Yiddish and comes from the root word meaning “twist,” a reference to what some varieties look like. They come from Eastern Europe and some say they’re the cousins to croissants (sharing a common Viennese pastry relative). Most Jewish pastries are closely connected to certain holidays, and rugelach is somewhat tied to Hanukkah, but they’re also eaten all year long.
The pastry chefs begin with a cream cheese pastry dough rolled out flat. They dress the dough with cinnamon and sugar than spread on the sweet filling. They roll up the pastry, cut them into bite size pieces then bake the cookies until their golden brown, crispy and flaky. The apricot is made with Italian apricot preserves and are just a touch sweet.
Black & White Brownie
A riff on the famous cookie from New York. We start with a layer of Black Magic brownie and top it with a layer of our vanilla coconut macaroon cookie.