Hand Made Matzot Instructions

General Overview

1. These instructions are for the corona emergency and for people who have contacted me and are concerned they will not get matzah for Pesach. In normal times, you should not make matzah without learning the laws in detail and observing actual matzah baking due to the heavy responsibility of potential chametz.
2. The prohibition of owning/eating chametz on Pesach carries the most severe of heavenly penalties, that of karet. This is a serious responsibility should you decide to bake matzah. The following rules must be followed to the letter.
3. The basic principle is that from the moment the flour and the water are mixed, you have 18 minutes to get it into the oven. That assumes that the dough is worked constantly
4. The dough should NEVER stop being worked. You can’t leave some dough on the table top for a minute or two. It must have constant kneading or squeezing.
5. The 18 minutes assumes normal temperature. But if something heats the dough or water up, like being close to the oven, or working outside in the sun, the concern is that the chemical process of leavening will be sped up and chametz will form in less than the 18 minutes. Therefore, the entire process should be done away from the oven and indoors away from windows.
6. All vessels and instruments used in this process must be new or kashered for pesach. If new, you need to toivel them.
7. Because of the 18-minute rule, any dough from a previous batch must be eliminated before the next batch is started. This includes from all tables and surfaces, all utensils, hands and under the fingernails. Rings and watches should therefore be removed before starting. Shirt sleeves must be rolled up, not pushed up or they will slide down. Long sleeves touch the dough and transfer chametz after 18 minutes.
8. Need lots of clean towels and paper towels. More than you think. Soap for hands, scrubbies to clean the surfaces and the rollers and the hole makers. Nail cutter in order to be sure nails are short so  dough does not get stuck underneath. Some small nail brushes to clean in between 18 minute cycles.
9. It takes a while to get the knack of this so don’t be discouraged if the first matzot are not kosher.

Leshma – Intent for the mitzvah

Since, this is for the mitzvah of matzah, every step of the process should be done for the sake of the production of matzah. That includes: the grinding, water preparation and the entire process from the minute of mixing till the baking. We say out loud  “ לשם מצות מצוה  – Leshem matzot mitsvah meaning-_ “for the sake of the matzot that will be used for the mitzvah of matzah”

The Flour

The flour must be made from wheat (or one of the “5 grains”). Commercially made flour is NOT TO BE USED FOR MATZOT. It is both dampened in the grinding process which renders it chametz and ground much to fine.

1. Ideally you should go find a field and be involved in the cutting of the wheat. The wheat should be guarded from having any water or rain on it from the time of cutting.
2. In a worst-case scenario like Corona, you could buy the raw grains and have them ground in a clean grinder.
3. If neither are available contact your Rabbi or Ari Zivotofsky ( ari.zivotofsky@biu.ac.il ) or me, Ari Greenspan ( ari@greenspandental.com) for advice.

For those of you in Africa who have contacted me , traditional stone grinders are found in villages https://www.123rf.com/photo_106026447_an-african-woman-grinding-cereals-millet-into-flour-using-traditional-grindstones-burkina-faso-.html

1.  You must be sure they are clean and dry. Use a dry metal brush, to clean the surface.

A small coffee grinder can be cleaned well and used. See   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcqrjmwJ3Ug

1. The flour should be rough, not fine like store bought white flour.

The Water

1. The water must not be drawn from the faucet and used immediately. We use “ mayim shelanu”.That is water that was drawn and let to “rest” for 24 hours. Bottled water with no additives is permissible.
2. The water must be room temperature. Not hot.

The Oven or cooking surface

1. The oven must be kosher for Passover. If you are using your kitchen oven then clean and kasher it. If you are using a stone wood or gas oven, get it very hot and have coals on the baking surface to kasher it. If you are using a metal  surface with heat underneath then kasher it with a blow torch beforehand.

For those of you in India, who contacted me  you can use a Tandoor oven but make sure the oven has been red hot to kasher it and the metal poles and of course have nothing else in the oven while baking   (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmLA_cnX5-A

1. A Tandoor is a great matzah option and if any of you can find an Indian restaurant who is willing to bake with you then get the guy who does the baking ( on the wall of the oven) to work it with you .
2. The oven in your kitchen should be at least 400+ degrees F when baking.

Mixing the flour and water (1-2 minutes) very energetically –TOTAL TIME 2 MINUES

1. The flour should be sifted in a new sifter and placed in the thoroughly dried, clean mixing bowl. The water should be poured in, being careful not to cause a flour cloud and getting flour on the water cup which would become chametz if left alone. AS SOON AS THE FIRST DROP OF WATER HITS THE FLOUR START THE TIMER FOR 18 MINUTES
2. Say Leshem Matzot Mitzva out loud.
3. Start mixing. The Ashkenazi dough is VERY dry. You will feel that there is not enough water initially. You want it very dry or it will stick to the table and not roll well and be hard to clean up.
4. The flour to water ratio is about 1:0.5.  Meaning 1 kilo of flour to a bit less than 500 ml of water.
5. Use 250 grams of flour for the first mix or 2 until you get the hang of it. Never use more than 1.2 kg at one time as it is too much to handle without it turning chametz.
6. You should not add more flour to the mix if it is too wet as the flour will often not be incorporated and will not bake well. You can add a bit more water if it feels too dry.
7. Mix in the bowl for 1-2 minutes. No rush usually if using a small amount of flour.
8. Take the dough out of bowl and knead for another minute. Do not want to see unmixed flour in the  dough

Kneading the dough (1-2 minutes) TOTAL TIME ELAPSED 4 MINUTES

1. The dough should NEVER be left without working it lest it begin to become chametz

The next step is to divide the dough into matzah size pieces and roll each piece into a “matzah” that is thin and of uniform thickness. This should take about 5-7 minutes. TOTAL TIME ELAPSED 11 MINUTES – SO YOU SEE THERE IS NO CRAZY RUSH.

1. Ideally use a metal countertop which can be cleaned or get a roll of disposable paper and roll on top of it. The countertop must be cleaned, or the paper changed every 18 minutes.
2. Take a piece of dough the size of an egg. Roll it out with a roller. It will be much smaller than you are used to but much easier to bake in a small oven. While it is being rolled, if there is other dough left in the batch, someone else must continue to work that dough.
3. For rolling, a copper or stainless steel pipe or plastic roller is   best because it is easy to wash every 18 minutes. Wood is not good as it needs sanding each cycle.
4. Roll it as round as you can but don’t be concerned about shape. You want it as thin as you can. Thick dough will not bake well in the center and have chametz inside despite looking fully baked on the outside.

The reason we make holes is to allow the steam of the water to escape without causing the dough to puff up like a pita. You can use a  pattern maker   – see  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32922064720.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_0,searchweb201603_0,ppcSwitch_0&algo_pvid=9c5d6985-5535-4b19-b29d-c14da9afd83d&algo_expid=9c5d6985-5535-4b19-b29d-c14da9afd83d-47

1. Or you can use a fork. Stipple it well

Placing in oven and baking 1-5 minutes

1. Best is a big spatula or your hands. The spatula or other tool used should be covered and that covering changed every piece of matzah if possible, otherwise every 18 minutes. A good free covering available in Africa is large banana leaves. The ideal way to bake the matzah is to get a piece of stone, or brick or marble and heat the oven up well. The stone retains the heat and radiates heat from below and cooks well. You usually need to flip the matzot.
2. You may not take them out to check and then place back in. Try and evaluate and if necessary flip them inside the oven. Wear a glove for the heat.
3. Have a cardboard box to put them in to cool
4. If using a pillow to smack it on the wall of an oven, change the paper on the pillow for each one as it heats up in the oven when placing the matzah.

Checking to see if they are kosher

1. Do not touch them if you have dough on hands. Go WASH YOUR HANDS
2. Use a different spatula or tongs to remove from the oven than one that touched the dough.
3. THIS IS CRITICAL– especially for a non-experienced baker. Check every matzah by hand. When they come out they are all a bit soft. Let it cool a bit and then see if they are crispy and don’t bend. The outer edges are always well baked. If the center is  soft and you feel it is  not fully baked, YOU CANNOT PUT THE MATZAH BACK IN ONCE IT COMES OUT. If after you have removed it and let it cool a bit, the center is soft, break it open and look to be sure it is baked  and not raw (which, if the center was soft, it likely is). You can run your fingernail over the whole matzah to feel if it is crispy and well baked. You can also look at the color. If it is very pale it is likely not baked.
4. If it is not baked through, throw it in the garbage. Any matzah about which you have any doubt if it is fully baked should be discarded.

Clean up

After every 18 minutes, stop, wash and dry everything well. Make sure no matzah dough is stuck anywhere.

Hafrashat ( separating ) challah

1. Since each 18-minute batch is less than the amount for which challah must be separated, no challah is removed from the dough.

If by the end of multiple rounds enough dough was baked that it would require separating challah, all of the matzah should be placed in a box or on a table that is then covered together and challah is separated. The bracha is “…..l’hafrish challah” and a piece of matzah is then broken off, the statement “harei zuh challah” is made,, and the piece is burnt. See  https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/363331/jewish/6-Separating-Challah.htm

List of items to buy

Scrubbies to clean surfaces, new soap, nail brushes, nail clippers, metal brush if needed, many paper towels, roll of butcher paper for  surface if using, rolling pins, hole maker (forks or pattern maker), 2 spatulas or tongs – 1 for the dough the other to remove the baked matzot. Cardboard box to hold the matzot after checking them. Garbage for non baked matzot.