How to bake matzo at home. Recipe for making Jewish matzo. Matzo made from wheat and corn flour

During the Soviet years, our fathers and grandfathers stood in lines for it, comparable only to the lines for scarce caviar or for exhibitions of Western art, and even earlier, at the risk of their lives, they produced it in the ghetto in the territory occupied by the Nazis and in the Gulag camps. The issue of baking it or delivering it from abroad was sometimes decided at the level of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee and the leadership of the KGB.

All this related to matzo, an indispensable part of the Passover seder and the Passover celebration in general. The word “matza” itself (in Hebrew “matzot”) literally means “squeezed out” or “deprived of moisture.” This word refers to flatbreads made from unleavened dough, which for Jewish believers are the only type of bread allowed for consumption during the Passover holiday.

Eating matzah reminds the Jews that during the Exodus, their ancestors “baked the dough that they carried out of Mizraim into unleavened cakes, for it had not become leavened; for they were expelled from Mizraim and could not linger” (Shmois, 12:39). Therefore, even now matzo consists of only two components - flour and water. Everything else (even salt) is prohibited to be added. In connection with this unpretentiousness, the Torah also calls matzah “lechem oni” (“bread of sorrow” or “bread of poverty”). Eating matzo reminds Jews of how their ancestors, relying on the help of the Almighty, left Egypt without even storing food supplies. Therefore, in the book “Zohar,” one of the fundamental works on which Kabbalah is based, matzah is called “food of faith.” It also explains that such an identification is largely based on the fact that faith is a kind of “reflection” of matzo - it also includes only two elements: humility and submission, and nothing more. It is believed that a Jew who eats matzah each time emphasizes the immutability of his ancestors’ decision to exodus from Egypt and makes his personal “Exodus” from the “Egypt” of the material world.

There is another interpretation of the reason for eating matzo on Passover. It takes us back to the time of the creation of the world. According to this interpretation, the forbidden fruit that Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge was not an apple, but a grain of wheat. Having tasted it, the first man lost his idea of ​​the Creator. Thus, by eating matzah on Passover, we correct Adam's mistake. At the same time, since every person is like Adam, and the Passover holiday is the beginning of a new life cycle, then eating matzo is an opportunity to renew and improve your Jewishness as a way of life.

Matzo is an essential part of the first two seders. At the same time, Jews are forbidden to eat matzo on the eve of Passover (sometimes it is even believed that matzo cannot be consumed during the month before the onset of Passover). According to tradition, this is done in order to awaken in them a greater desire to taste matzah during the holiday.

Although formally matzah was allowed to be baked from any grain whose flour could be fermented (spelt, oats, rye, barley, wheat), in practice matzah is usually made from wheat flour. At the same time, special precautions are used to prevent the dough from fermenting when baking matzah. For example, since leaven is usually favored by elevated water temperatures, water for matzo is usually prepared ahead of time. Another way to combat sourdough is to pierce the dough to remove any air bubbles in it. The entire process of making matzah until baking should not exceed 18 minutes (this time is the minimum period for the natural processes of fermentation of the dough to begin).

Many centuries each Jewish family I cooked my own matzah in my own oven. In addition, many communities baked matzah for those of their members who were unable to do so themselves. At that time, making matzah consisted of 18 steps, full list which are listed on the website matza.ru. First, flour was poured in and water was poured in, then they were mixed. Then next employee, to whom the initial batch was transferred, thoroughly kneaded the dough on a special metal table called a “finer.” The dough was shaped into a “sausage”, which was handed over to the rolling team. Each of them received their own piece of this “sausage” and turned it into a flat cake. Then holes were made in the cakes and they were handed over to the baker. He hung the cakes on poles and placed the poles in the oven. When ready, the cakes were removed from the oven, laid out on a clean table and sorted, leaving only blank sheets. In the middle of the 19th century, in connection with the development of technology and the movement of Jews to cities where it was no longer possible to prepare matzo individually, new way Matzo making is machine-made. It was first used in Austria in 1857. Its appearance caused a long aloha dispute between rabbis - whether the innovation would contribute to the penetration of moisture into the flour and, thereby, leavening of the dough. But in the end, the machine method won, and this led to a change in the shape of the matzo - from a round or oval flatbread, it turned into the square so familiar to us, since machines, of course, found it convenient to cut square pieces of dough. Nowadays, almost all matzo is baked by machine. In the old fashioned way, in the oven, only the so-called. matzo shmurah (protected matzo), the flour for which is made from grain that is under special supervision from the moment of harvest.

Matzo– this is a traditional Jewish bread, which is usually prepared and eaten directly during national holiday Passover. During the celebration, it is forbidden to consume many foods, including sourdough bread. Therefore, Jewish bakers large quantities preparing matzah.

Matzo is a round or square unleavened flatbread. Mentions of them are found in the Old Testament. It is believed that it is Jewish people came up with a recipe for making matzo, since during Lent it was impossible to eat classic leavened bread.

Today, this pastry is eaten not only on Passover, but also on any other day. Many other original dishes are also prepared from matzo, and the nationality of the cook does not play any role in the preparation of the flatbread.

An interesting fact is that matzo is often included in the menu of various diets, despite the fact that the product is made from flour. However, matzo does not have a very high calorie content: 350 kilocalories per hundred grams of product. This baking also contains a large number of useful microelements. In addition, matzo contains many carbohydrates, which allows you to quickly saturate the body and restore strength, while consuming a small amount of the product.

In Hebrew, matzo means pressed or devoid of moisture dough. It was allowed to bake such a product from any grain that could be leavened, but matzo was traditionally prepared from wheat flour. Only used during cooking cold water, as it prevented the dough from fermenting. Also, the matzah was pierced several times with needles before baking to remove air bubbles from the dough. In addition, there was a strict procedure for preparing and baking the product, the duration of which should not exceed 18 minutes. This is exactly how much is needed for fermentation processes to begin, which should not be allowed during the preparation of matzo.

Several centuries ago, matzah was prepared by several people at the same time, and the manufacturing process consisted of eighteen steps. Nowadays, baking can be done with your own hands without outside help. In our article we will talk about this in more detail.

How to cook at home?

It is much easier to prepare Jewish matzo at home than in the days of our ancestors. They had to use several people to make the cooking process more productive: one of them kneaded the dough, the second rolled it out, the third pierced the future matzo with needles to get rid of air, and the fourth completed the process by sending the baked goods into the oven.

Today there are many bread factories in which the preparation of matzo is automated. But the most delicious pastries, as you know, is done at home. Therefore, we invite you to adopt a simple recipe for making Jewish bread at home.

1. Prepare the necessary ingredients. For the matzo you will need cold water and wheat flour.
2. Take a deep bowl, sift the flour into it and make a small well into which you should pour water. Knead the dough until it becomes homogeneous and dense.
3. Roll it up ready dough into a thick roll and cut into equal pieces. Then they need to be rolled out so that their thickness is no more than three millimeters. Prick the rolled out pieces of dough with a fork in several places to release the air.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, place the dough on a baking sheet and bake the matzo for ten minutes.
5. The pastries will be ready when they are golden brown and slightly crispy.

This simple recipe for traditional Jewish bread will help you make homemade matzah in no time. We assure you that, having tasted such food once, you will no longer be able to buy store-bought baked goods, since homemade always tastes better.

Matzo dishes

Matzo dishes are original and tasty food, which is very easy to prepare. There are many varieties of snacks and desserts that only become tastier with the addition of Jewish bread. Alternatively, you can make matzah from tasty pie or cake. Since the cakes will be unsweetened, you can use delicious cream from cream, condensed milk, chocolate or jam. Also very original would be a pie with fruit, for example, apples, cherries, apricots or plums.

Matzo can be added to first courses by making dumplings or balls from it, which are perfect for soup or borscht.

You can come up with a large number of snacks with meat, sausage, eggs, vegetables and fish that can be prepared from matzo. If you show your imagination, you will get original and delicious dishes, which will surely delight you and your family. The main thing is to bake the matzah correctly, and then you can eat it with great pleasure.

Bread is an international dish. Every race or nationality has a variation of it. And here it no longer matters what kind of source this product is baked from: maize, rye, wheat or fruits. The main thing is that all nationalities have a food made from flour, which is given special meaning. But only the Jews give their bread such important role and are so sensitive to both its composition and its preparation.

Unbiased description

From a non-Jew's point of view, what is matzah? Thin, unleavened, dry flatbreads that have absolutely no taste, and even from the very beginning (for Russian and European tastes) are stale. They must be baked without yeast, without eggs, without oil (even vegetable oil and even for greasing a frying pan), and the resulting bread should be pale, thin and brittle. And if in last years Since the same lavash has replaced the usual loaves and loaves for many, Jewish matzo is not very tasty, probably even for the Jews themselves, and can only tempt those who are diligently losing weight. However, it is filled with deep sacred meaning, and therefore is not just a food product.

Proper matzah

If you remember what real matzo is, that it is not only very much but also part of the Jewish religion, then you must respect the traditions of its preparation. So, the flour from which these cakes are made must “be able” to ferment, but given its abilities, it cannot be allowed to do this. That is, rye, barley, spelt, oats, and wheat are suitable as a base. But matzo is almost always made from wheat flour.

Three types of Jewish bread

In fact, there are four varieties of it. However, chametz is a very special case. It does not carry a semantic load, since it is prepared using yeast and other ingredients besides flour and water. This is why it is forbidden not only to eat chametz, but also to have it in the house during the entire week of Passover. This is what distinguishes its composition from the dough from which matzo is prepared (everyone has already understood that this dough should be extremely unleavened). And if we take into account only bread prepared without yeast, then we can divide it into categories as follows.

The main criterion that this particular matzo is suitable for Passover, that this culinary product meets all the requirements, is flour. The grain from which it is ground must be closely monitored from the moment of collection. Bread that meets these strict requirements is called matzah shmurah, that is, preserved, preserved. This is an exclusively festive, solemn option.

If vigilance begins after grinding grain into flour, baking from it is considered as if it were everyday. There are no special requirements for it, and there are even certain indulgences that are unacceptable for sacred bread.

And the last type is matzo ashira, that is, rich matzo. What is this? Bread, the dough for which is kneaded without water, but with butter, wine, eggs, honey. It is no longer too kosher; it can be eaten either by weak old people, or by seriously ill people, or by children. Even pregnant women can use it only in case of difficult pregnancy.

Rules are also followed for industrial bread

Technological progress has given rise to serious debate: can matzah be baked in a factory? The Orthodox believed that machine grinding of grain into flour leads to its saturation with water, and therefore fermentation can begin, and the matzah will no longer be correct. Considering that even salt is not added to the dough (and it is not a provocateur of fermentation, so this is just a sign of vigilance), such a harsh approach is not surprising. IN modern production The matzo dough kneading process stops after 18 minutes to prevent possible fermentation.

Matzah at home

If you want to try Jewish bread, or you need it to prepare other dishes, you don’t have to look for a store that sells matzo. Its recipe is extremely simple, and even an inept housewife will quickly master it. 3 kilos of flour will use 5 liters of water, and you won’t need anything else from the products. The flour is sifted and poured into a mound, on top of which a depression is made. Water slowly pours into it, in a thin stream, and always cold. The dough kneads very quickly (remember: the whole process only takes 18 minutes!). This rule also has a technical basis: it dries quickly, if you hesitate, you will get dry crusts throughout the entire structure of the dough. The flatbreads are rolled out very thin on a floured table. The thinner the matzo, the more authentic it is. Pricks are made with a fork, and the sheets are spread on a baking sheet. If you still don’t know how to cook matzo, keep in mind: you need to preheat the oven in advance so as not to exceed the 18-minute limit. The flatbreads are baked literally within 2-3 minutes: the dough does not contain “heavy” ingredients and is rolled out very thin.

It's not just bread...

Matzo by itself is not very tasty. However, it is used not only in the form of cakes; There is flour from this bread product, on the basis of which simply culinary masterpieces are obtained. However, there are also matzo dishes that will satisfy even the most demanding taste. Let us mention, for example, “Matsyki”. They take 5 sheets of matzo, 8 eggs (half boiled, half left raw), processed cheese, boiled potatoes and fried onions. Boiled eggs, cheese, potatoes and fried onions are passed through a blender. It is worth holding the matzo over the steam for a minute so that the leaves soften. Then comes the layering: a plate of matzo - a layer of filling - a plate of matzo, etc. It is better to coat Jewish bread with mayonnaise, but it is not necessary. The resulting “cake” is cut into pieces, each of them is dipped in whipped a raw egg and fried in a frying pan. You can sprinkle the cut pie with grated cheese and bake in the oven. In general, the filling for such a snack can be anything - unleavened matzo dough is compatible with all products.

For example, you can please your children with a delicious and quick cake. For him, out of 5 pieces of matzo, only one is left, and the rest are broken. The jam is diluted with boiling water and poured into the wreckage. While the syrup is absorbed, sugar and sour cream are combined. The cake pan is covered with film (food film, of course), filled with a mixture of soaked matzo and sour cream whipped with sugar. The last matzo cake is placed on top. All this stuff is put into the refrigerator for two hours, then it is turned over so that the matzo becomes bottom, the film is removed, and the entire product is sprinkled with grated chocolate (chopped nuts, whipped cream, candied fruits). Your children will be happy!

Matzah or matzot are thin flatbreads made from unleavened dough that is not fermented. This is the only type of bread that, according to the Torah, is allowed to be eaten during the holiday of Pesach (Jewish Passover). Matzah appeared during the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, when the exiled Israelis carried dough out of the city, which had not had time to sour, and were forced to dry the thin cakes under the scorching sun on their backs.

Matzo is baked 2 weeks before Passover, strictly following a recipe that has remained unchanged for several thousand years. Unlike any other baked goods we are accustomed to, kosher matzo is prepared from only two ingredients - premium flour and water in a 2 to 1 ratio, without the use of sourdough, yeast or even salt. As for flour, it can be anything: wheat, rye, barley or oatmeal. The main thing is to knead the dough very quickly. No more than 18 minutes should pass from the moment the water comes into contact with the flour, otherwise the process of fermentation of the flour will begin. Thinly rolled cakes are placed on a dry roasting pan, without oil, and baked like a waffle between two hot metal surfaces. At home, you can simply bake matzo in the oven.

When ready, unleavened matzo is a thin and brittle, but dense flatbread that is completely white and floury in color. Due to its composition and cooking technique, unique Jewish bread is considered one of the healthiest. Kosher matzo is eaten as bread, and is also ground into so-called matzo flour, from which many holiday dishes(using regular flour during Passover is strictly prohibited).

Recipes from matzo are very diverse; they are used not only as a basis for toasts (sandwiches) for mincemeat; puddings, cookies, cakes, pies are baked from flour based on it, and dumplings are prepared. Matzo is fried, used for breading cutlets and fish, as well as making pancakes.

step-by-step photo recipe for making unleavened flatbreads

Ingredients:

• flour - 250 g;
• water - 125 ml.

Cooking process:

Carefully sift the flour through a sieve into a mixing bowl or pour high slide onto a clean work surface. We make a large depression in the center of the flour and pour ice water (unboiled) into it. Knead the dough quickly so that no lumps form.

The dough should be tight and dense, but at the same time pliable and elastic, like plasticine. Place it on a silicone mat or a lightly floured work surface and divide by 6 equal parts.

Roll out the dough into very thin flat cakes - each no more than 1.5 mm thick. The shape can be either round or more oblong or oval. We often pierce the surface of each flatbread with a fork to ensure free movement air during baking (matzo will not bubble). You need to work very quickly, not forgetting the 18 minutes allotted for preparation, which are given for kneading, rolling and baking the unleavened flatbread in the oven. Otherwise, the matzah will not be considered kosher.

Place the dough cakes on a dry baking sheet and immediately send it to the oven, preheated to 160-170 degrees, for 5 minutes.

Carefully, so as not to burn yourself, turn the matzo over to the other side and bake for another 3-4 minutes, until the flatbread begins to brown slightly around the edges.

The matzo is very thin and crispy, like crackers.

The flatbread keeps well and is ideal for grinding into matzo meal, either coarse or fine. If desired, the basic recipe can be used as a basis for your own culinary experiments, adding, for example, herbs or spices - you will get a new, completely different taste, although such matzo will no longer be considered kosher.

Matzo: recipe and photo from Nika especially for the site Notebook

- (Italian mazzo). In the printing house: a leather pad with a wooden handle for putting paint on the set; now replaced by a roller, a reel. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. MATSA [other. Heb.] unleavened bread from ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Ivan Lyudvigovich (1893) a prominent Soviet art critic. R. in Austria-Hungary. Son of a village teacher. He graduated from high school, worked as an intern in a pharmacy, and later took up journalism. From 1915 he began publishing in various magazines (articles about Ibsen,... ... Literary encyclopedia

Y; and. [other euro matsāh] In ritual Jewish cuisine: unleavened bread made from wheat flour in the form of thin dry flatbreads (baked for Passover). Bake matzo. Treat yourself to matzo. * * * matzah (Hebrew), thin dry flatbreads made from unleavened dough (unleavened bread), which... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (more correctly mazzach, that is, unleavened, not sour, not sweet). Name special type unleavened bread, tightly rolled into a sheet of dough up to 2-3 mm thick, baked in a special roasting pan: waffle-type, without butter, between two hot... ... Culinary dictionary

Dictionary Ushakova

1. MATZAH, matzos, women. (foreign) (typ.). Leather pad on the handle for adding paint to the set. || Same as knurling. 2. MATZAH, matzos, plural. no, female (Old Heb. maccah). Unleavened Easter bread made from wheat flour in the form of round thin flatbreads (in... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

MATSAH, s, female. For Jewish believers: Easter unleavened thin cakes (1 value) made from wheat flour. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Unleavened bread, flatbread, bread, cake Dictionary of Russian synonyms. matzo noun, number of synonyms: 4 cake (2) flatbread... Synonym dictionary

- (Hebrew), thin, dry flatbread made from unleavened dough (unleavened bread), which Judaism requires believers to eat on Passover... Modern encyclopedia

Books

• Makhzor. Jewish prayers for the New Year. Vilna, 1899. Printing house of L. L. Mats. Owner's binding. The condition is good. Makhzor is a book containing a collection of holiday prayers and praises for the entire year, a prayer book for…
• Makhzor. Jewish prayers for the Feast of Tabernacles. Vilna, 1899. Published by L. L. Mats. Owner's binding. The condition is good. Makhzor. Jewish prayers for the Feast of Tabernacles. Hebrew text with literal Russian parallel translation. WITH…