One of the aspects of celebrating Passover is avoiding chametz, or leaveners, in food as a way of acknowledging the flight of the Israelites from Egypt. The Israelites did not have time to let their bread leaven once Pharaoh finally released them from bondage, or as my husband puts it, they didn’t want to wait around for Pharaoh to change his mind. If you’ve never refrained from chametz during Passover, it is a little bit difficult to wrap your mind around. No flour, no breadcrumbs, no pasta, no bread, no pizza, no cookies, no cake, well, you get the idea.
The foundation “starch” at Passover is matzoh. Using matzoh meal (finely ground matzoh) is a great substitution for flour and can be used in cooking and baking. Since it is, literally, a cracker ground down into a fine meal, not every recipe is appropriate for matzoh meal. Dense, moist cakes are the best candidates for matzoh meal, and a great recipe is worth keeping around as a favorite for a long time.
My newest find is this Banana Nut Coffee Cake. It is flavorful and moist, with a nice crumb. I think it is versatile enough to eat for breakfast and dessert.
As soon as I am done clearing my cabinets of chametz (we’ve been eating it up all week, and then we will actually burn what is left), I am going to make two of these, both to store in the freezer and pull out during the week.
Do you have a favorite chametz free recipe? This coffee cake rivals my favorite, a peanut butter pie with a matzoh meal crust. Learn more about matzoh. Read NPR’s Making the most of matzoh.