Jewish Holiday Baker

Joan Nathan's knowledge, enthusiasm, and experience have made her prize-winning books on Jewish cooking a staple in every Jewish kitchen. Now, drawing upon the recipes, stories, and secrets of a baker's dozen of bakers from around the world, she captures the art of Jewish baking.

Here are fifty original recipes for the traditional baked goods associated with the major holidays -- challah for Shabbat, hamantashen for Purim, macaroons and matzah for Passover, jelly doughnuts for Chanukah -- as well as delicious and exotic alternatives from around the world: Yemenite kubbanah, Turkish boyos, German schnecken, Russian babka, Hungarian strudel, Parisian pletzel, Mexican banana cake, Syrian ka'ak. But why wait for the holidays? Along with challah, bialys, and bagels, you will want to bake and enjoy all of these cakes and breads with your family and friends throughout the year.

The bakers who have perfected these recipes represent the breadth of Jewish history and geography: they come from America, Israel, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Syria, and Egypt. Their personal stories offer a fascinating window into the Jewish experience of this century.

With step-by-step instructions on kneading, rising, braiding, rolling, and folding dough, as well as tips on how to make baking a rewarding and even relaxing part of the busiest lifestyle, The Jewish Holiday Baker will turn any novice into a baker, and give any expert a command of the sweetness and craft of Jewish baking.

Joan Nathan's books include The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, The Children's Jewish Holiday Kitchen, and Jewish Cooking in America, which won the IACP Julia Child Award for Best Cookbook of the Year in 1995 and the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook. She contributes articles on international ethnic food and special holiday features to the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Hadassah Magazine, Food and Wine, and Food Arts. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Allan Gerson, and their three children.