Friday evening marks the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
The centerpiece of the holiday table is challah, the traditional Sabbath bread of the Jewish faith.
It’s typically an oblong, braided loaf. For Rosh Hashanah, it’s round, to symbolize the cycle of the year.
Mandy Silverman of Sharon makes a living out of baking challah and teaching others how to make it. And her recipes go far beyond the traditional plain loaf.
Known as Mandylicious online, Silverman just published her first cookbook, “Twisted: A New Approach to Challah, Babka and Other Twisty Breads.” She joined WBUR’s All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins to make challah stuffed with pomegranate-glazed apples.
Mandy Silverman’s newly published cookbook, “Twisted: A New Approach to Challah, Babka and Other Twisty Breads” (Lynn Jolicoeur/WBUR)
Her challah-making journey started 14 years ago, when she heard about a honey-stuffed challah her mother had eaten at a party. Since the party host wouldn’t share the recipe, Silverman became determined to figure out how to make it for her mother. She had previously been too intimidated to try to make the traditional bread she had grown up eating.
“I always tell people that there is nothing I have ever failed at more in my life than learning how to make challah. It was every mistake I made,” she said. “The most basic mistake that a lot of people make is killing the yeast. So if you don’t treat the yeast properly or don’t use the right kind of yeast, or use too much or use too little, then your whole loaf will be dead.”
Challah stuffed with pomegranate-glazed apples, made by Mandy Silverman (Lynn Jolicoeur/WBUR)
She now makes challah with everything from caramelized onions to pulled brisket to cookie butter latte inside.
“There are definitely people out there … that would comment, like, ‘Your bubbe would be rolling over in her grave if she saw what you were doing to challah,’ or, ‘you are an embarrassment to the people.’ And I think now the people are seeing that this has brought in a whole new generation of people and bringing an interest from all over.”
This segment aired on September 11, 2026.
