Most American Jews—and for that matter, most Americans—are familiar with egg-enriched challah, the traditional bread baked for Sabbath and holidays. Since my family’s roots are, like that version of this religiously important loaf, in Eastern Europe, this was the only one I knew until I started studying food more seriously in the years after we opened the Deli.
There is, though, another kind of challah, one that is little-known in the U.S. but has long been the norm in the German-Jewish community, where most will know the bread as berches. Food writer Joan Nathan, whose work has been an enormous influence on us over the years, is part of a German-Jewish family in which berches is the norm! The same goes for Gabrielle Rossmer Gropman and Sonya Gropman, the mother-daughter team who co-authored The German-Jewish Cookbook. And now, after all these years, we’ve begun to bake it here. I can’t say for sure, but it’s highly likely that this was what Erich Fromm’s family would have had on the Sabbath table every Friday evening.
The Bakehouse crew has spent months working to craft our own recipe of this centuries-old German-Jewish classic. Amy Emberling, longtime co-managing partner at the Bakehouse, and a member of our five-person Stewardship Council, shares,
Jews for centuries have made our food in the context of other cultures. The spices, fruits, and vegetables used in the recipes often reflected what was available in the region and were then transformed to fit our recipes and food laws. For much of the history of the Bakehouse, we’ve been dedicated to making the recipes that were mainly traditional for Jews in Eastern Europe, including using the flavor choices from that region. Recently, we’ve begun to focus on using ingredients and flavors more common to Michigan as well as transforming recipes with our knowledge of artisan baking—this new challah includes freshly milled local organic spelt and high-extraction organic regional wheat flour. We’ve also enhanced the flavor and texture with a pre-ferment and some of our sourdough starter. For moisture, we include mashed potatoes.
The Bakehouse’s German Challah is very slightly sweet, less rich without the eggs, but really delicious. It has a slightly darker crumb and a nuttier flavor from the freshly milled grains used—the fresh milling and local grains make the bread much more like what German-Jewish bakers would have been making and serving two centuries ago than one would get from the more highly refined, bleached and bromated commercial flours that are now so commonly available.
Toasting the German Challah brings out the sweetness and gives a lovely, lightly nutty flavor. Great with the Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter and a bit of good jam, or with the Creamery’s wonderful handmade Cream Cheese. On a more savory side, it’s lovely with chopped liver, and makes a beautiful base for a corned beef sandwich. Whether you want a new way to celebrate the Sabbath, you want to experience a bit of Jewish cultural diversity, or whether you just like to eat a lot of good bread, swing by and grab a loaf or two soon!
