Challah coach and therapist Mandy Silverman, aka Mandylicious, is the “People’s Challah Person.” She is all about helping others have success when baking challah, including how to stuff a challah.

“Challah could really take a toll on you,” Silverman says. “I spend so much time trying to help people understand their challah or baking situations … and help them feel better about themselves.”

Since challah is such a traditional Jewish bread, Silverman says people feel a lot of pressure to make it perfect. If a challah doesn’t look exactly like the one someone saw in the bakery window or at their great aunt’s dinner table, they think they have done something wrong. And they stop baking challah.

“If you see a challah somewhere, it’s not going to be the same coming out of your house,” she said. “But it’s gonna be delicious because it’s yours.”

Silverman, who started her challah journey by trying to recreate a honey-stuffed version for her mom, has proven that you can have fun with this process!

The first step is to have the right mindset.

“You want to make sure that you’re doing it because you want to try something out [and] make something yummy,” Silverman said. “And if it doesn’t look right, the first one or two or six times, that’s okay. There’s no such thing [as perfect]. It’s perfect for you.”

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On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, I speak with Mandylicious founder Mandy Silverman, a challah therapist and coach. Silverman talks about her challah journey, the secret to making good challah and how to stuff it for sweet and savory options. She also shares her recipe for Cookies & Cream Challah.

Read the full article about Mandy Silverman, listen to the podcast, and get the recipe for cookies & cream challah.