Easy Dairy-Free Mandel Bread (Mandelbrot) is a simple recipe for the best Jewish almond bread (mandel = almond), and it’s made without butter or margarine.
Dairy-free mandel bread is a delicious treat that’s a perfect dairy-free treat for shabbat, but is great anytime, especially since it’s terrific with coffee, tea, or cold milk and dunks really well.
And it’s great for people avoiding dairy.
Mandel bread, or mandelbrot in Yiddish, is literally “almond bread” (mandel = almond, brot = bread), even though it’s more like a cookie.
People tend to call anything shaped like this mandel bread, even if there is nothing almond in the ingredients, but it’s not about the shape and if there are no almonds (or at least almond flavoring), it simply is not mandel bread because you cannot have almond bread without almond anything.
Mandelbrot is commonly made plain and/or with sliced almonds. It can be made soft or crispy.
However, as long as the almond is there, at least with almond flavoring, this recipe is customizable. For example, you can add chocolate chips or raisins.
The origins of mandel bread probably trace back to early medieval Italy, where Jewish communities adapted the Italian tradition of twice-baked biscotti.
As Jewish populations migrated eastward into places like Germany, Ukraine, and Russia, the recipe traveled with them.
With biscotti, the slices of the baked loaf are laid out flat on a baking sheet and then baked a second time until crisp, but mandel bread isn’t necessarily twice-baked and doesn’t have to be crispy.
Baking mandel bread only once keeps it soft for whoever likes it that way, and to make it crispy, the loaves are taken out of the oven, sliced, and then put back into the oven as is to be baked again for a short while.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I customize this dairy-free mandel bread?
Yes. As long as you include almonds or almond flavoring, you can easily customize your mandel bread by folding in chocolate chips, raisins, or chopped nuts into the dough before baking.
Can I make this mandel bread soft instead of crunchy?
Yes, how your mandel bread turns out depends on your dough consistency and bake time. A slightly softer dough or a shorter bake time will yield a softer texture, while a thicker dough creates a denser, crunchier result.
Is mandel bread the same as biscotti?
Mandel bread is often compared to Italian biscotti because of its oblong shape, almond flavor, and traditional baking style, but mandel bread is typically a bit softer, sweeter, and can be enjoyed without being baked twice for extra crispiness.
However, a lot of people do recommend a second baking if they want their mandel bread crispy and they will bake a second time for a short while after slicing, without laying the slices out on a baking sheet like how it’s done with biscotti.
How do I store leftover mandel bread to keep it fresh?
Store your cooled dairy-free mandel bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, but in high humidity places they may not maintain the same crispiness, so it’s best to keep it in the refrigerator. Or you can freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag for up to three months.
General FAQs and information about baking:
Why do recipes have salt in the ingredients of baked goods?
Even though salt tends to make foods, well, salty, it actually plays other roles in baking as well.
For example, the right amount of salt balances flavors in baked goods; it can bring out the sweetness of sugar and, at the same time, prevent them from tasting overly sweet. It also can help dull the bitterness of cocoa.
Salt prevents baked goods from tasting bland, while it balances the richness of the fats. It also helps develop flavor in yeast breads and works with proteins to strengthen gluten and make it more elastic.
Salt also slows down yeast fermentation because it prevents the yeast from eating up the sugars too quickly, which otherwise would cause the dough to rise too fast and then ultimately collapse, causing bread to come out flat instead of fluffy.
Salt helps baked goods stay a little fresher for a little longer and helps delay mold from growing on them.
What is the difference between white granulated sugar and brown sugar?
The short answer is that while white granulated sugar is just pure sweetness, brown sugar is white sugar with molasses mixed into it.
Here is how that change affects your baking:
- White sugar is neutrally sweet. Brown sugar tastes like rich caramel or toffee.
- White sugar makes things crisp and light. Brown sugar traps moisture, making baked goods (like brownies) dense, soft, and extra chewy.
- Brown sugar is dark and wet; white sugar is dry and clear.
Tip: If a recipe calls for brown sugar and you’re completely out, you can make your own by thoroughly mixing a tablespoon of molasses into a cup of regular white granulated sugar, and that will give you light-brown sugar. If you want dark brown sugar, you need to mix in more molasses.
What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
Baking soda and baking powder are both synthetic leavens that help baked goods rise, but there is a difference between them.
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, which needs another ingredient that is acidic in order to be activated. When the baking soda touches the acid, it creates a carbon dioxide gas, which helps the baked good rise. Baking soda is between 3 and 4 times stronger than baking powder, and if too much baking soda is used, your baked good will end up with a metallic flavor.
Baking powder is baking soda that is already mixed with an acid and a stabilizer and will be activated by moisture and heat. Nowadays, baking powder is called double-acting because it activates twice—once when it gets wet (when you mix the ingredients together) and again when it heats in the oven.
Replacing one with the other can be tricky, and it’s not recommended. However, if you have no choice, then do solid research for substituting one for the other for the baked good you are preparing so you don’t ruin it.
What do eggs do in baking?
Eggs are made up of two parts: the whites and the yolks (the yellow).
Egg whites are made up of protein that sets when heated and helps baked goods hold their structure. The yolks are made up of fats and vitamins and help ingredients bond.
Eggs also help baked goods rise as well as keep them moist.
It is important to have the right amount of eggs when baking, because if there are too many eggs in a recipe, this can cause a rubbery, dense texture, and if there are too few eggs, this can cause a crumbly, dry texture.
The different parts of the egg will provide different textures to baked goods; using the entire egg in baking will provide moisture and help the baked good rise evenly, using extra yolks will create richer, denser textures, and extra whites will add fluffiness but may create a drier texture.
What is the difference in using oil vs. butter or margarine?
Both margarine and butter are solid fats at room temperature, and both contain more saturated fats than oil.
While margarine and butter will change from a solid to a liquid when heated, they will change back to solids when cooled again. Oil stays liquid at all temperatures. Oil also coats flour better in the preparation process before baking.
Butter “creams” better than margarine, but one cannot cream oil at all.
When converting a recipe from butter or margarine to oil, the general conversion rate is 1 to ¾ (although if you are doing more than one batch, you might need to reduce the oil because I have found that baked goods come out oily in this case).
And when converting from oil to margarine or butter, typically the ratio is 1 to 1¼, and from margarine or butter to oil, the ratio is typically 1 to ¾.
What is the difference between real vanilla extract and imitation vanilla?
Real vanilla is made from soaking vanilla beans in alcohol, imitation vanilla is synthetic, and real vanilla costs quite a bit more than imitation. Whether or not there will be a taste difference in your baking depends on the baked good, so do some research before you decide.
I personally always use the imitation as long as I have a really good brand because it’s not worth it to me to spend the extra money.
What baking equipment is good to have in my kitchen?
- a stand mixer, which I use mostly for dough and sometimes for whipping
- a hand mixer (for things that aren’t dough, and I don’t want to mix manually)
- a kitchen scale
- different sizes and shapes of baking pans, including loaf pans
- mixing bowls (or just large bowls—I have plastic, glass, and metal)
- cookie sheets
- pie dishes
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- whisks
- rubber spatulas (really good for when you don’t want to leave anything in the bowl)
- rolling pins
- a baking mat for rolling out dough
- baking strips
- a good supply of baking (or parchment) paper (also round for layer cakes)
What baking ingredients are good to keep in my kitchen for last-minute baking?
- flour
- white granulated sugar
- brown sugar (light/dark—I usually keep dark)
- confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cocoa powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- baking chocolate
- chocolate chips
- instant dry yeast
- vanilla and/or vanilla sugar
- cooking oil/cooking spray
- margarine or butter
- eggs
- honey
- instant coffee
- various extracts (real or imitation)
- a variety of fillings, frostings, and toppings:
- whipping cream
- packaged pie dough or ready-made pie crusts
- puff pastry dough
Like Jewish food?
Try these:
Jerusalem Kugel (Kugel Yerushalmi)
Lokshen Kugel
Classic Cholent Recipe—Traditional Jewish Sabbath Stew
Easy Dairy-Free Mandel Bread Recipe
Delicious, dairy-free, and easy to make mandel (almond) bread (Mandelbrot).
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1 extra cup for just-in-case)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 tablespoon almond extract (or imitation)
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract (or imitation)
- 1 cup sliced almonds (sliced any way you like them)
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Mix in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Add the oil and mix.
- Mix in the almond slices.
- On a baking sheet with parchment paper, shape loaves about 3-4 inches wide and leave equal room between the sides of the baking sheet and between the loaves (the loaves will spread while baking, so they will need room not to stick together).
- Place in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350° F and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and slice to desired width (usually around 3/4" thick), either horizontally or diagonally across the loaves.
- If you prefer more cakey mandel bread, leave to cool. Otherwise, if you prefer them more crispy, separate the slices from one another and place back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until the loaves become more slightly golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 128mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g