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Bread

By Family Table Contributors | April 18, 2023

From a humble slice of packaged bread to a steaming loaf of fresh challah, bread is an essential for good reason. It’s been the cornerstone of our diets for centuries, and while the world has changed again and again in that time, with bread, so much has stayed the same. “Man does not live by bread alone” is certainly true, but for a well-balanced, delicious, and hearty meal, bread is a good place to start.

Kneading some Dough

Food Is Medicine

Bread has been used as an anti-inflammatory poultice for years. Dip it in warm milk or coconut oil mixed with ingredients like turmeric and ginger, then wrap it in cloth and apply it to a skin wound.

Bring Home the Bread

In ancient Egypt, a standard salary was bread and beer.

Roll Roles

Until the mid-1700s, bread was used to erase graphite marks — in other words, as a pencil eraser!

Caramel-Apple French Toast

Recipe by Rivky Kleiman

A decadent way to serve a breakfast classic.

SERVES 6

1 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp butter
2 Cortland apples, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon, divided, plus more for sprinkling
1 loaf of French bread or 2 baguettes (I used whole wheat)
2 cups milk
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt
2 Tbsp sugar

In a small saucepan, heat the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir until you have a syrupy consistency. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch (23x33-cm) baking pan.

Toss grated apples with vanilla sugar, lemon juice, and ¹⁄₂ tsp cinnamon. Spread over the caramel in the pan.

Slice French bread into 1-inch (2-cm) wide slices and lay neatly on top of the shredded apple mixture.

Combine remaining ¹⁄₂ tsp cinnamon with the milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, and sugar and whisk well. Pour over the French bread and sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Place baking pan in the oven, still covered, and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Kale Feta Salad on Crispy Bagel Rounds

Recipe by Chanie Nayman

This is a very forgiving recipe. Mix and match ingredients to your taste!

SERVES 12

Bagel Rounds

8 bagels of your choice
butter, for brushing
salt, to taste
Everything spice, to taste
2 avocados, sliced
roasted salted sunflower seeds, for garnish

Salad

shredded kale
feta cheese, crumbled
thinly sliced red onion
yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced into rounds

Dressing

¼ cup canola oil (can sub olive oil)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
sprinkle of pepper

Prepare the bagel rounds: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Slice each bagel into three parts horizontally. Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt and Everything spice. Bake for 15 minutes, until toasted.

Combine all salad ingredients. In a separate bowl or container, combine dressing ingredients. Dress salad lightly.

Place thinly sliced avocado on a bagel round. Top with salad, then with sunflower seeds.

Tip: To make this pareve, use cooking spray instead of butter. If you want to omit the feta and make it fleishig, you can add in crispy pastrami or beef fry instead.

Cheesy Roasted Garlic Pull-Apart Bread

Recipe by Sarah Faygie Berkowitz

This bread is a stand-alone meal with soup and a large hearty salad. I promise, you need nothing more. B’teyavon!

SERVES 10

2 1-lb (450-g) pieces pizza dough, defrosted
¼ cup olive oil
3 cubes frozen dill, or 1 Tbsp dried dill
3 cubes frozen basil
8–12 cloves garlic, minced, or 8–12 cubes frozen garlic
4–6 oz (120–170 g) shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp black pepper

Line a 10-inch (25-cm) round pan or two 6-inch (15-cm) round pans with parchment paper.

Lay out a large piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Turn over dough onto paper, and cut each one-pound chunk into 12 pieces, yielding 24 golf-ball-size pieces.

Mix olive oil with herbs, garlic, cheese, and pepper. Smear over dough ball halves, and place into parchment-paper-lined pan.

Cover with another sheet of parchment paper, and place in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Remove parchment paper cover and bake for 30 minutes (if making two 6-inch pans, bake for 25 minutes).

Lift parchment and bread out of pan and transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm.

Note: If you can find it, use a multigrain or whole wheat dough to add fiber and nudge this recipe a bit more in the direction of being something (remotely) healthful.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 839)

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