Traditional Mandel Bread Recipe From Local Brewer Michael Crane

Brynia’s Mandel Brote (Mandel Bread)

To see more about local brewer Michael Crane and his passion for Jewish Grandma food, see our recent story from Jill Wendholt Silva.

Mandelbread translates to almond bread, which is basically Jewish biscotti. “I did some research, and there are records of Jews in Italy, so biscotti did come first,” Crane said. His grandmother’s recipe uses pecans instead of almonds, mostly likely because she grew up in Mississippi, where pecans are common. “It’s crunchy, light, and loaded with carbohydrates.” He finds vacuum sealing the treats helps him to avoid bingeing on the sweets.

Makes 2 loaves (approximately 34 pieces)

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups pecan pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F

2. Butter and flour two loaf pans. Michael likes to use a 4 1/2 by 8 1/2-inch pan, but a 9-inch by 5-inch pan will also work.

3. Using an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter, adding 1 egg at a time, mixing until incorporated. Add vanilla and beat well.

4. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together.

5. Fold flour mixture into creamed butter mixture. 

6. Using a spatula, fold in pecans.

7. Fill pans with the batter; do not fill more than half full!

8. Bake slices for 25 to 35 minutes, or until lightly brown.

9. Remove from bread pans and place onto a cooling rack.

10. Cool the bread completely and slice it with an electric knife into about 3/8-inch slices.

11. Turn oven heat down to 200° F. Place slices on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

12. Bake the slices in the oven for 2 hours. Flip each piece over and bake for about 2 more hours. They should be light and crispy but not brown significantly.

13. Remove mandel bread from the oven and place it on a drying rack to cool.

Jill Wendholt Silva is Kansas City’s James Beard award-winning food editor and writer.