Zoë Bakes Deep Dive: Family Recipes

A Q&A with Morgan Dachis, baker and owner of Morgan's Broth & Buns.

Baking is something that goes back many generations in my family, so sharing these recipes meant a lot to me. The recipes of my ancestors were mostly lost to time, but a few made it into my hands and I cherish them. I didn’t grow up making them with my mom or even my grandma Berkowitz, because the baking gene skipped a couple of generations. Luckily my grandma wrote some of them down for me before she passed away because they’d only been shared verbally from one generation to the next and would have been gone forever. I am super grateful to have those recipes which carry so much history and love in them. Making those family recipes with my mom on the show was even more poignant than I anticipated and I will always treasure this episode.

To make it even more special my mom and I got to meet and bake with Morgan, her mom, Nina, and grandmother, Doodles. The three generations make the most glorious challah right in their family home. It is delicious, full of joy and love! My mom and I felt instantly at home with these women. They shared their stories and some tricks for braiding the bread with us.

So many people asked for my mom’s super simple chicken soup recipe, so she shared it. For anyone who is not in Minneapolis to order Morgan’s sensational challah, I’ve shared a recipe you can make at home.