IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD (south Florida) parve bread with a kosher label is becoming harder and harder to find. Too many bakeries have dropped certification.
Gone are Arnold and Sara Lee, two popular brands.
One brand with an unusual name, “Bimbo,” still is available at Walmart – or at least some Walmarts.
What to do, what to do?
BAKE YOUR OWN
OK, I realize that baking bread from scratch can be too time consuming for our home chefs who also have to deal with jobs outside the house and with children in the house, but there IS a middle ground.
If – big “if” – you can find it.
The middle ground is to buy (almost) ready to bake frozen dough.
There is a company I know about – there may be others – that sells bake-it-yourself products that are UO parve.
I “discovered” Rhodes rolls and loaves when I was working a contract in Bloomington IL c 2000.
I was partial to the wheat bread and Texas wheat rolls. (Rhodes entire product line is available online at /nhttp://www.rhodesbakenserv.com/rhodes-products/ )
I have NO financial interest in Rhodes Breads. The only reason for this blurb is to encourage people to try the products; if they are not available locally, contact Rhodes customer service (customersatisfaction@rhodesbread.com) and tell them you want their product in your area – also contact the stores where you buy bread with a kosher label.
My Spouse has been using Rhodes white bread to make hallot. The product comes three or five loaves in a bag in the frozen food section – when it’s available. (We stock up.) Unfortunately for us, the only Rhodes products the local Walmart carries are white bread loaves and dinner rolls.
The cost of a Rhodes loaf is less that most non-kosher breads.
Rhodes DOES require both planning and patience.
Since it’s frozen, it needs time to thaw to room temperature.
Then it needs time to rise.
Baking time is only 30-35 minutes.
Producing good tasting breads and rolls is simple enough for me to do it (but it always tastes better when the Spouse does it). Just follow the directions on the bag.
Of course there is nothing to stop anyone from adding their personal preference … a little garlic power or an egg wash.
Rhodes does the prep; no heavy duty mixer with bread hook needed; no touring the market’s shelves for the basic ingredients. It’s great for bachelors (and bachelorettes) and on-the-road consultants (how I came to appreciate Rhodes’ products).
So what if Arnold and Sara Lee dropped their certification – Rhodes and its Orthodox Union parve certification saves the day . . . at least at my house.
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