During the early morning of March 18, 2020, and prior to the earthquake, Britt Jursik was baking bread in her kitchen. When it hit the magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale, she ran towards her boyfriend and together, somewhat bewildered, they crouched under a doorway. Shortly following, and after a brief assessment with no real damage (other than drawers flying open and a hanging light fixture going wonky), she decided to follow through with the original day’s plan to bake and deliver fresh loaves of challah to her promised customers. It was on that very strange yet memorable day, Britt decided to go forward and step off her job in sales—invent a name, purchase the domain and obtain the necessary licenses—and Challah Back Dough was born.
Jursik has always loved to bake. For her baking business, she chose to focus on challah (traditional braided egg bread prepared for the Jewish Shabbat.) Britt explains, “I was attracted to the unique braids. Making challah is a fulfilling, natural and fun way to bake bread. I appreciate cuisine and craft beer and to me, this is a marriage of the two.”
Her variations on challah aren’t “traditional” but delicious and flavorful nonetheless: “OG” whole wheat with a salted crust; Albedo or white bread with honey and egg wash; Rye; the Beet-Ric (beet powder and turmeric added;) and Pretzel. She also makes gluten-free versions and chocolate babka. Preorders are necessary and Jursik makes all the deliveries herself. Britt “doughnates” 10 percent of her bread to charity and participates in local food co-ops.
For more food, click here.
