Happy Easter! Also, Happy Passover to those celebrating the seven days of this holiday!

I usually bake THE Lamb Cake, but I cannot locate the container with the mold.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.

On Easter, I did my last and best batch of Hot Cross Buns. This is a large recipe from New York Times Heritage cookbook and I normally reserve it for Easter Weekend. This took forever to rise so it was baked in the evening. I also did a Ham and Cheese Pie, being inspired by the Italian Easter Pie, but I put in cabbage and onions to make it more of a balanced meal. This didn't turn out badly but it was a little bland, I wish I had put more strong cheese to give it a richer flavor.
On Saturday I did Hot Cross Scones, which were Scones with Hot cross bun flavoring and fruit. I wanted to bake something for a friend that could be baked quickly.

Today I baked another improvisational loaf of bread. I've been playing around with Antilope's Vienna Bread recipe for some time now, substituting in buttermilk and experimenting with different whole grains. The loaf baked very nicely in my Emile Henry long baker (ideal for 4-5 cup loaf). As it was coming out of the oven, my husband came down the stairs--which lead directly into the kitchen--and the dog walked into the kitchen and sat, waiting. I explained to her that it does have to cool--and put it where she cannot get at it. Obviously, the aroma is good!

I also managed excellent slashing this time after adjusting the razor blade in the lame, and paying attention to make sure that I was using the edge of the blade.

I look forward to cutting into it tomorrow.

Thanks Mike. I subscribe to the WSJ so I can read it. It's pretty funny. I've brought my own food to a number of functions so I would know there was something there I could eat. I brought matzah to an Easter brunch years ago and everyone there thought it was cool and ate it. I had nothing to eat since it was all bread-ish. I mostly avoid yeast and flour. And sometime is the last few years chemical leaveners became acceptable but growing up they were forbidden.

The rules for Passover are VERY strict and obscure. Most restaurants I know shut down because it's easier and cheaper. When I lived in Seattle we had a customer coming in who needed kosher for Passover catering. None of the usual kosher places were open so the caterers asked me because I was the one Jewish person they knew. I tracked down a Chabad house that would bring in meals for them but that was it.

So if you are an Eastern European Jew corn is off limits because when you grind up corn the meal sort of resembles regular flour but this rule doesn't apply to you if you're a Mediterranean Jew. Of course never mind that Kosher for Passover flour looks identical to regular, everyday, all-purpose flour.

What makes flour kosher for Passover? It's grown in separate fields and dry-harvested and stored. If the flour gets damp or wet it may pick up some natural yeast and leaven so the rules for harvesting, storage, and transport are VERY strict. And all of this is in addition to the normal, daily rules of kosher.

I love the Maxwell House Haggadah story. We were just talking about it at temple the other night. It is hilarious and shows you some of what even people who have been raised following the rules can be confused about.

BA, I am sure your husband's colleague appreciated your thoughtfulness and the effort you went to.

We rented an apartment in Jerusalem and the kitchen was kosher. Everything was labeled but only in Hebrew and I am the only one in the family who speaks any. My wife is not Jewish so the rules were also challenging for her. Most things were left to me and we used paper good a lot!

This Friday evening, I mixed up the batter for the Soft Barley Cookies, a favorite recipe of ours from the KAF Whole Grain Baking cookbook. The batter has to sit in the refrigerator overnight, so I'll bake them tomorrow morning.