Komish Broit

Komish broit, sometimes spelled mandel bread or kamish, is the Jewish answer to Italian biscotti. The technique is the same: a soft dough is shaped into logs, baked, sliced on the diagonal, then baked again until dry and crisp. The flavor signature is different. The use of matzo meal and potato starch alongside cake flour makes komish broit naturally suited for Passover and gives the cookie its characteristically tender, slightly crumbly bite instead of biscotti’s stone-hardness.

The small handful of chocolate chips folded into the dough is the classic addition, but komish broit travels in many variations across Jewish family recipe collections. Cinnamon sugar rolled on the still-hot slices fuses to the surface as the cookies dry in the second bake, creating that signature glittering crust.

The 15-minute fridge rest matters. The dough is loose and oily straight from the bowl, but a quick chill firms it up enough to shape into clean logs.

Pro Tips

• Bake on parchment, not foil. Foil can stick and tear when slicing.
• Slice while the logs are still hot. Cold logs crack and crumble under the knife.
• Use a serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion. Pressing down crushes the cookie.
• Watch the second bake closely. The cookies go from dry to burnt in about 2 minutes.

Variations

• Stir in chopped toasted almonds or walnuts along with the chocolate chips.
• Add a teaspoon of orange or lemon zest to the dough for a brighter, citrus-forward cookie.
• Skip the chocolate chips and add 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds for a traditional Eastern European version.