After all the weeks spent preparing for Pesach, your house is finally Chametz- free. Now arises another challenge – how to determine the appropriate Bracha for foods made with Matzah.
What is “bread”?
“Bread” is defined as a product consisting of one of the 5 grains1 and meant to be used as bread2. The Bracha of Hamotzi Lechem Min Ha’aretz is recited. Even if bread is reduced in size and converted into crumbs or matzah meal it retains its bread status and Hamotzi is recited.
What about my Matzah ball?
Bread can lose its bread status and become Mezonos when it loses its bread appearance and is considered a Tavshil3 – a cooked dish (e.g. pasta, oatmeal or even your Matzah ball.) Its Bracha is downgraded to a Borei Minei Mezonos.
This change occurs when the bread pieces are broken down in size to smaller than a Kzayis4 and either
- Halachically cooked (regardless if they retain the appearance of bread) or
- Combined together in liquids such as egg, oil, gravy, honey to the extent that they no longer resemble bread. Typically, Matzah meal loses its appearance when mixed into a batter with egg or other liquids; matzo balls would have a Bracha of Mezonos.
When is bread “Halachically cooked”?
Kli Rishon:
Halachic cooking certainly occurs in a Kli Rishon, a pot of liquid5 heated on the fire6. Mixtures containing crushed Matzah smaller than a kzayis cooked in a Kli Rishon are no longer considered bread; if no other steps are taken, their Bracha is Mezonos. (If the recipe requires additional baking see section “Bread Again?”)
Iruy Kli Rishon:
It is questionable if pouring hot liquid directly from a Kli Rishon onto the bread or Matzah pieces Halachically cooks and alters their Hamotzi bread status.
Kli Sheini
If the hot liquid is poured into a second pot or a dish before the Matzah contents are added, that dish is considered a Kli Sheini. Halachically a Kli Sheini does not cook contents submerged in it. Crushed Matzah placed in a Kli Sheini is not considered cooked and is still considered bread. A Hamotzi would be recited provided the Matzo meal has not yet lost its bread status before reaching this step (See section below Cooked vs Baked paragraph 1).
Pan frying
With little or no oil: Pan frying with only enough oil to prevent scorching is considered baking rather than cooking and does not alter the bread’s status. Hamotzi would be recited provided the Matzo meal has not yet lost its bread status before reaching this step.
Deep frying: When a fried item is covered by oil or other liquid, many Poskim7 consider this equivalent to cooking with water and would consider its bread status altered.
Ordinary pan frying: There is a halachic question if this is considered cooking9 or baking10. Even according to the opinions that consider it baking, its bread status will still depend on whether the mixture still has the appearance of bread. Typically, Matzah meal batter (e.g. Matzah meal latke or chremsel) loses its appearance when mixed with egg or other liquid ingredients; if so, it would be Mezonos11.
Larger pieces of crushed matzah (fried Matzo farfel and Matzah brei) often will still look like Matzah even when mixed in liquid12. Since it is questionable whether the frying removes its bread status, recipes of this type should be consumed together with a definite Hamotzi to avoid the Bracha question. Alternatively, one can deep fry or briefly13 cook the Matzah before frying.
Bread Again?
If matzah is kneaded and formed into a piece the size of a Kzayis (e.g. a Matzah ball), can it regain its Hamotzi status? It depends if it is cooked or baked:
Cooked: The prevalent custom is to recite a Mezonos for reconstituted matzah/ bread crumb batter when it is only cooked.
Baked: If the Matzah meal (or pieces smaller than a kzayis) had been cooked in a Kli Rishon or lost its appearance in the oil or egg batter prior to baking (e.g. Matzah rolls/popovers), it is debatable whether the subsequent baking restores the bread status.14 15
If the Matzah pieces had not been halachically cooked but only softened in water or mixed in egg or oil but are big enough to still resemble Matzah (e.g. Matzah Kugel, they never lose their Hamotzi status.
As we thank Hashem for the miracles of Yetzias Mitrayim, we can also thank Him for the sustenance He provides by reciting the appropriate Beracha for each variety.
B’Teyavon!16
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2. As opposed to the category of bread called Pas Habaah Bkisnin which is either 1. crispy, 2. sweet-flavored or 3. filled with fruit. By design these are not intended for regular bread use unless a Halchic quantity is consumed and it is explicitly shown that it is being used as bread.
3. Mishna Berura 168:49
4. No single piece larger than the approx volume of 29.5 cubic ounces.This can be visualized by that which would fill a 1 ounce shot glass. For extensive details how to calculate a Kzayis see Halachos of Kzayis, Feldheim Publishing
5. Cooking with oil instead of water, such as deep frying according to many Poskim, is equivalent to cooking with water. See Halachos of Brochos, Feldheim page 469 footnote 25
6. Even once removed as long as it retains the temperature of Yad Soledes (approx. 110 F)
7. See Halachos of Brochos, Feldheim page 469 footnote 25
8. Significant oil used but not enough to submerge the food as is done when deep frying
9. Mishna Berura 164:56
10. Mogen Avraham quoted in Mishna Berura 164:56 and Chazon Ish Orach Chayim 26:9
11. See Mishna Berura 168:59 and Halachos of Brochos, Feldheim page 472 footnote 37 (last parentheses)
12. See Chazon Ish Orach Chayim 26:913 Cooking Matzah pieces in a Kli Rishon for a minute is adequate. (See Halachos of Brochos pg 473 footnote 38,39)
14. See Mogen Avraham quoted in Mishna Berura 168:59, Chayei Adam Klal 54:12
15. If the mixture of additional ingredients of egg, oil or sugar are so significant in which case it is concerned a dessert type cake or roll referred to as Pas Ha’baa Bkisnin then even if the baking restores it to its former state, it will still follow the rules of Pas Ha’baa Bkisnin. See Mishna Berura 168:59
16. Thank you to my father, Chef Alan Solomon, for sharing his culinary expertise to help clarify some of the information for this article.