Cookbook:Matzo

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes

Matzo (Hebrew/Yiddish: מצה) is an unleavened bread, central to the Jewish celebration of Passover.

To comply with Jewish dietary laws, matzo prepared for Passover must comply with the following rules:

• It must be prepared by observant Jews
• It must be prepared with wheat flour and water only
• It must be prepared using dishes and surfaces completely free of chametz (leavened bread made from wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt)
• It must be prepared from shmura flour, which has been protected from moisture
• The entire baking process must take no more than 18 minutes from start to finish
• After baking, a portion of matzo must be separated, and, following a brief prayer, burnt completely

Ingredients

Use any amount of flour and cold water in a ratio of 3 to 1; 600g of flour is sufficient for 8 large pieces of matzo.

Procedure

1. Slowly add water to the flour, stirring constantly, until dough becomes solid. Knead quickly and firmly until smooth.
2. Divide dough and roll each piece until very thin. Using a fork or a pizza-dough docker, poke holes through the dough on both sides. The holes should go completely through the bread.
3. Heat oven to 300˚C/600˚F, or as high as your oven will go if it can't reach that heat.
4. Bake 2-4 minutes on a baking sheet until crisp.

Notes

• Temperatures of 300°C (600°F) or more are ideal, but that requires a baker's oven. On a home oven, set to "maximum broil."