Bakers for Ukraine

The Menu

As I mentioned on Monday, I’m going to be participating in the Bakers Against Racism Bake for Ukraine drive over the next few weeks. I thought I could use this week’s email to encourage and share resources for anyone else who wants to participate, as well as a menu for my own drive.

My plan is to take paid pre-orders and then deliver the goods when I have enough time to bake them—that way I’m not necessarily limited in how many orders I can take.

Here’s what I plan to offer so far (subject to change based upon interest, check back here for an up-to-date list). I’ve included links to recipes and my own notes in certain cases, should you want to make any of these for your own bake sales, and will add more once I have time, so check back here.

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Makoviy rulet—a Ukrainian poppyseed Easter bread ($10/each; 6 available SOLD OUT!!), using Olia Hercules’ recipe, halved in scale and with a few minor tweaks of my own. (My notes are here.)

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A 7-grain-sunflower seed porridge pan bread ($10/each; 6 available SOLD OUT!). Wheat and sunflowers are Ukraine’s number one and two largest food exports. (The Ukrainian flag, a field of blue over a field of yellow, is—depending upon whom you ask—meant to represent blue sky over a field of wheat or a field of sunflowers.) You may have seen the viral video of the Ukrainian woman offering Russian soldiers sunflower seeds to put in their pockets so that sunflowers would grow on the soil where they died. (The formula is here.)

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Rye gingersnaps ($10/twenty-five cookies; 6 available ).

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Sunflower seed-sourdough granola (also contains oats, wheat flour, sesame seeds, flax seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, nigella seed, dried dates, honey, & olive oil) ($15/one-pound bag; 6 available).

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All of these will be available to pick up from me in Central Square, Cambridge, MA sometime over the next few weeks, depending on my free time and your availability/needs. If you’d like to place an order, email me at ajanjigian+bakeforukraine at wordloaf dot org to make arrangements and for payment details. ALL proceeds from sales will be donated to Ukrainian relief charities.

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I haven’t settled upon which charities to donate to, but here is a list of the ones currently on my radar. I’ll update this list over time as well; feel free to suggest others in the comments below. I’m particularly interested in finding out if anyone is working to help the people of color—Africans and Indians especially—who are apparently having a difficult time getting out of Ukraine.

• World Central Kitchen Chefs for Ukraine. This José Andrés-founded charity is already on the ground in Poland providing meals to Ukrainian refugees and is working to set up operations in Romania as well.

• Caritas Ukraine Appeal Caritas is an international Catholic charity that has been active in Ukraine since 2014.  Funds raised will provide food, drinking water, safe accommodation and hygiene kits to those impacted by the conflict.  Money raised will also assist with safe transportation for those looking to reach loved ones in safe areas.

• USA for UNHCR.  The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has been providing refugee assistance inside Ukraine since 2014 and is working to get safe access inside Ukraine to provide assistance to those displaced by the ongoing war.

• Sunflower of Peace. Sunflower of Peace started a fundraiser to provide medical and humanitarian aid that will be used by the paramedics and doctors in the areas that are affected by the violence in Ukraine. They are acquiring and distributing first-aid backpacks, medicine, medical instruments, and other means of survival that are saving hundreds of lives.

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As a way for people outside of the Boston area to contribute, I am also considering doing a fundraising Zoom workshop for my new soda bread recipes later this month (in time for St. Patrick’s Day), if I can find the time. Stay tuned for details soon.

—Andrew