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• 1 2020-06-04T03:59:05-07:00 Zomick’s- Keeping it Local 1 plain 2020-06-04T03:59:06-07:00 Kosher laws are complex and extensive. The intention of this guide provided by Zomick’s kosher bakery is to familiarize the reader with some of the kashrut basics and provide insight into its practical application. Given the complex nature of Kosher laws, one should consult a Rabbi whenever a question or problem arises.
  
  Certain processing aid products, such as utensil coatings  (molds or pans) and oils that serve as release agents (which help release the food from its molds), although not legally classified as ingredients, make the product non-Kosher.
  
  
  Many ingredients can be Kosher or non-Kosher, depending on their origin. For example, glycerin and emulsifiers are made from vegetable (probably Kosher) or animal oils (most likely not Kosher). Finally, many ingredients are listed only in general terms, without breaking down the many complex components that make up the actual item. For example, a chocolate aroma can contain 30 ingredients, but the ingredient statement will list this entire complex of ingredients as "flavorings." Cakes, cookies and donuts generally contain butter, emulsifiers, flavors, and other kosher-sensitive ingredients, so reliable supervision is necessary.
  
  To adhere to these rules, Zomick’’s Bakery purchases products that are certified by widely accepted kosher organizations. Zomick's takes advantage of locally sourced products such as honey, fruits, and vegetables when making their baked goods. In order to maintain the highest standard, Zomick’s bakery regularly checks and cleans its inventory. The bakery also has highly-specialized maintenance support services to ensure that these important pieces of equipment function properly.
  
  Unless a person is an expert in food production, the average consumer cannot make a Kosher status assessment, so it is important to buy only those products that are backed from a trusted kashruth agency.
  Some basic household foods present various kosher problems and require kosher certification. Many types of bread are made with oils and butters. The basic ingredients of specially prepared dough mixes and dough conditioners are shortenings and di-glycerides. In bakeries, casseroles, and troughs where the dough is placed to rise and bake, are coated with grease or separating oils, which may be non-kosher. These oils often do not appear on the label. There may also be a problem with other prepared and baked non-kosher products on the same machine. These are some of the reasons why bread requires kosher supervision.
  
  It is rabbinically forbidden to produce bread using dairy ingredients. Since bread is eaten frequently with all meals, the rabbis were concerned that one might inadvertently eat milk bread with a meat meal. There are two exceptions: if the bread is baked in an unusual shape or design that indicates it is dairy, or if the bread is so small that it will be consumed in one meal.
  Because Zomick’s bakery is fully certified as kosher, the main baker and his staff always make sure that all kosher milk products come from kosher animals and do not contain non-kosher additives.
  
  Jewish law requires that a portion of the batter or finished baked goods be reserved for what is known as "challah." While any size portion is suitable for challah, it is customary to separate a portion the size of an olive. After the separation, the challah burns. This ritual is mandatory only when the owner of the dough at the time of its preparation is Jewish, and the dough is made from flour of any of the following five grains: wheat, oats, rye, spelled, and barley. Also, there is no requirement to separate challah if the dough contains less than 2-1 / 2 pounds of flour. If the batter contains at least 5 pounds of flour, a blessing is recited before separating the challah.
  If this mitzvah has not been done in the bakery, it can be done at home by placing all the baked goods in one room, breaking all the sealed material and taking a small piece of any of the baked goods and burning them.
  
  Zomick's bakery delivers the highest quality, made-from-scratch baked goods using time-honored baking techniques, while serving each community in which it operates.
   
• 1 2021-03-03T00:23:09-08:00 Challah Bread History 1 plain 2021-03-03T00:23:09-08:00 Challah is a type of braided bread to honor and sanctify Shabbat. We went to Zomick’s Kosher Bakery in order to find out more about this bread. Here, we will share what we have learned from the owner of the Zomick’s Kosher Bakery.
  
  
  A bit of history
  
  The Zomick’s Kosher Bakery owner shares that the Ashkenazi did not have a special shape or name bread for Shabbat, but simply used white flour bread, simply calling it broyt in Yiddish or lechem in Hebrew. It was in the 15th century that Jews in Austria and southern Germany adopted an oval, intertwined loaf shaped like a very popular Germanic bread which was called brchisbrod or perchisbrod.
  
  As the Zomick’s Kosher Bakery owner further shares, in honor of the winter suspension, ancient Germanic tribes prepared special loaves, some in the shape of animal. One of these loaves was inspired by an evil old Witch named Holle, depicted with long, tousled hair. This bread was made by twisting the dough to resemble this hair and they offered it to Holle, to escape her evil.
  
  “Of course, European Jews did not participate in these worships and knew little or nothing about Holle, but they adopted the form of this bread,” shares the Zomick’s owner.
  
  Thus the woven bread prepared on great occasions became the most popular form of Ashkenazi Shabbat bread. With the passage of time, the woven bread became more and more beautiful and richer. The use of oil in the dough replicated the breads offered in the Temple. Eggs and less frequently a pinch of saffron were added to simulate the yellow color of cooked manna.  As it has been indicated by Zomick’s owner, a layer of brushed egg gave the bread a bright appearance and at the end of the 15th century, decoration with seeds on the surface, especially sesame and poppy, was introduced, taking the shape and appearance of the bread we know today as Challah.
  
  “The use of the biblical name "Challah" referring colloquially to the loaves of Shabbat, was recorded for the first time in Austria in 1488, in the essay Leket Yosher by Joseph ben Moses. There he described the loaves served on Shabbat by his German teacher. Probably, the Tesesque name Holle, sounded like the biblical Challah and so the loaves were also named” indicates Zomick’s Kosher Bakery owner.
  
  Today, the use of Challah as bread and as a name has been adopted by most Jewish communities around the world, including in Israel. Zomick’s Kosher Bakery owner shares the fact that the Israeli Challah, however, tends to be less sweet and less rich than the American and European versions.