Mazta season is here!
Matza baking has begun and here is my call out to TFLers knowledge.
Matza baking is how I got into bread beaking.
Our family has been baking for about 5 years - learning and lovin every part of it.
I'm happy to answer any questions -
Here are the rules:
Dry and wet ingredients stay far apart until the moment the mixing begins.
First flour, then water.
Pure, unbleached, freshly ground grain (wheat, rye, spelt, barley, oats). Any extraction rate.
Cold water, pref. spring that has sat in a cool place overnight.
The dough must remain cold until the second it hits the hearth floor
1 to 1.5 kilo of flour max per batch for hand kneaded Matza
47-49 % hydration for Ashkenazi Matza and up to 62% hydration for Sepharadic.
Perforate for an even and quick bake.
Completely mixed, kneaded, and baked in 18 minutes....
Here are some of my questions this year:
What is the best method to hand mix the the flour and water as quickly as possible? Low hydration gets "thirsty" and then the dough is too tough to handle.
I've seen people do this in 30 seconds! I can't get past 2 minutes and I still have a crumbly dough.
What chemical and biological things are happening when the dough is warm? Is there is difference (scientifically) when the dough is cold?
I came to understand bread baking from all the restrictions of the matza baking tradition.
David