Recipes for Rosh Hashanah- Gluten & Wheat Free

I originally posted this last September. Since Rosh Hashanah is a little earlier this year, I thought I would re-post for those who are looking for something to make that is wheat & gluten free during the High Holy Days. Best of all, these are both wonderful recipes that are sure to bring smiles.

The oven has been working hard tonight. I just finished making a loaf of challah for Ella to take with her to school. It has been very hard to find a decent challah recipe. I have attempted about 10 assorted breads and none have really "done it" for me. But I just found one on a blog that truly impressed me. The best part... it was EASY! And quick. Since Ella is allergic to sesame, I opted for purple sprinkles which she liberally helped me decorate. The blog where I discovered this recipe suggests using a braided loaf pan (GF challah is impossible to braid) but I improvised since I have no such pan. I used a 9" cake round cake pan and sprayed it really well with cooking spray. Then I used a #20 scoop to create mounds which I filled the pan with. I allowed it to rise, as specified. And then I glazed the dough with an egg yolk wash. Ella was then brought in to sprinkle until her little heart was content. And boy, oh boy were we happy with the result. The bread was light and dense all at the same time. And the flavor was also really close to true challah. Here is the link to the recipe... And this is what mine looked like...

If you are wondering, we could not wait to tear into this bad boy. Thus, the torn bit on the lower left hand side of the photo. This blogging rookie maneuver was worth it as Ella proclaimed... "Mommy, this is the best challah... EVER!"

Next in the oven cue was Gluten and Wheat-Free Honey Cakes. Not sure if I have mentioned this before but Ella is REALLY into the Wiggles. On one of their videos they reference honey cakes. Being the foodie that she is, Ella NEEDED to know what honey cakes are. I had not made them before so I was not quite sure. But I stumbled onto this amazing recipe. Which I decided to make as a special treat for the children on Rosh Hashanah. My original plan was to also make a apple sauce with lots of butter and brown sugar (my family is not Kosher). But after making these little gems, I am not sure they need anything. They are, off the charts, delicious. Honestly, they would be fantastic for any party and could be served to anyone, not just the eating impaired. If you are lucky enough to enjoy nuts, I think that this would be a delightful texture to go along with the airiness of the cake. But powdered sugar also does the trick. I bought a mini-bundt pan which had 6 cake slots. The recipe made so much batter, I decided to use muffin tins (greased) and cooked the remaining for approx. 10 minutes. Which yielded 18 muffins plus the mini bundts. This is what I came up with...