The Fresh Loaf

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Fun with Matzo

varda's picture
varda

Fun with Matzo

Matzo has two ingredients - flour and water.   It is supposed to be baked not more than a couple of minutes after adding the water to the flour.    It's not supposed to rise at all so it has to be pricked.   When you put all that together you get a very, very easy recipe.   And yet, I've never tried to make it before.   Passover starts tomorrow night.    Matzo has two identities.   One, it is supposed to be the extremely quick travel bread that the Jewish slaves slapped together for the road when they were in such a hurry that they didn't have time to let it rise.   But it is also referred to as the "bread of our affliction."   And if you look back at the ingredient list - exactly the same as for paste - you kind of get that point as well.   In other words it really doesn't taste very good.   Anyhow, after all these years, I decided to try it myself.   I specifically decided not to look up a recipe.   What's to look for?    It's flour and water.   It's made fast.   It's pricked.   End of story.

My approach:  

Preheat oven to 450F.   Then quickly mix 100g AP flour with 65g water, roll it out, prick with a fork all over, and put in the oven (I used a perforated pizza tray.)   Bake until slightly brown.  Show your kids.   My son is eating it now.   Delicious he tells me.   Right. 

Comments

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

form small balls and cook in chickensoup. With some rye bread and a schmaltz schmear, yummmmmm !

anna 

varda's picture
varda

You don't mix spices into the dough and cook in chickensoup.   First you make the matzo.   Then you crush it up into matzo meal.   Then you make your matzo balls and cook in chicken soup.    Tricky aye?  

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

matzo ball maker :)

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

OK ...I looked up how to make schmaltz, but have two questions now:

- No salt in the schmaltz? 

- How to make a schmear the right way ...with schmaltz or anything else?

 

Thx,

Brian

 

 

varda's picture
varda

so I don't know.   It's just rendered chicken fat, so why not add salt?   As far as I know, "schmear" is not a technical term.   I think it's best translated as "spread" so you can have a schmear of creamcheese, or a schmear of jelly or whatever.  But people who eat in New York delis are better qualified to answer that one. 

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

Not being Jewish, I didn't know for sure about the salt, e.g. what the tradition or practice was/is.  BUT, since I like all things salty and fatty ...I figured that something made from fat NEEDS salt!  heh heh... Like Julia Child said, don't modify something to make it healthy to eat all the time ...make it RIGHT and then just eat it less often if it's not good for you as a regular dish.  That way, it's always as good as it gets...

 

Brian

 

 

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

in Germany we used rendered goose fat with bits of fried skin and, yes, salt.

Spread (schmeared) on a warm piece of rye bread ....  to die for !!!  :)

Ditto for chicken fat (and salt).

 

 

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

very nice!  I like anna's suggestions, too!

Sylvia

varda's picture
varda

I've been fascinated by the idea of making matzo for a long time, and when I finally did it, it took less than 20 minutes.   Plus the five minutes or so that it took my son to eat it.  -Varda

Syd's picture
Syd

Great idea, Varda.  I was just researching matzo the other day.  I'll have to see if I can find the post....I think it was on TFl...anyway the gist of it was that the poster said (traditionally) the whole process should take no longer than 15 minutes.

Syd

varda's picture
varda

and since I was just hacking around I'm sure I broke most of them, except perhaps for the timing.  But I think I've satisfactorily demonstrated to myself at least, that it doesn't make much difference if it's store bought or home made.   Matzo is just matzo, except when magically transformed through matzo meal into many other marvelous things.  -Varda

caryn1047's picture
caryn1047

I found this article re: all the details re: making matzo very interesting.  I thought others might as well.

 

http://tinyurl.com/3beu3ab

 

Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

varda's picture
varda

A quote from the article - "He was instrumental in bringing back to current use the Biblical color tekhelet (sea blue), and recently hosted a meal featuring exotic kosher foods such as water buffalo and locusts."   Now there's a guy with imagination.   Thanks for posting.   -Varda

kim's picture
kim

Varda,

Your matzo reminds me about my friend’s grandma chicken soup with matzo, I missed them so much. I think I will do your matzo after I finish baking my breads while the oven still hot. Thanks and Happy Easter.

Kimmy

varda's picture
varda

Kimmy,  I hope you have your friend's Grandma's recipe for chicken soup.   enjoy the Matzo.  -Varda

caryn1047's picture
caryn1047

Amazing video inside factory making "Shmurah Matzah". 

http://tinyurl.com/3lttyzd

varda's picture
varda

That youtube was very interesting.   I learned that my oven was not close to hot enough - the narrator said that the matzo was in the oven for only 15 seconds.   I also have a terrific hankering for that lever operated mixer/kneader.  I just have to knock a hole in the side of my house so I can fit it in.   Oh and I also learned that a whole lot of guys can make a whole lot of matzo in a very short time if they know what they're doing.   -Varda

louie brown's picture
louie brown

Here's a photo of the Shmura matzah. We receive a few boxes of these each year from a friend who is close with the community that makes it.

The hiatus from baking over Passover marks the change of seasons in our house. When I go back to it next week, the temperature and humidity in the kitchen will gradually increase into the summer, causing changes in the various formulae.

Also attached, a photo of the best chocolate cake ever, made with matzah meal and appearing only at the seder.

varda's picture
varda

I want the whole thing.   -Varda

MangoChutney's picture
MangoChutney

A bit of humor, perhaps.  When I was a teenager I had matzo ball soup at a restuarant while out on a date,  and I decided I wanted to make some at home.  I found a box of matzo meal at the grocery store, with an enticing picture of the desired soup on the front.  I bought it and brought it home, only to discover that what I had bought was more or less a box of cracker crumbs.  Notably lacking was the rest of what goes into matzo balls, as well as the pot of chicken soup.  Learn something new every day.  *laugh*

varda's picture
varda

that you could think you could buy a little box of something, and presto chango.... soup!   I love it.   -Varda