ElfyAccording to the Torah, during the seven-day Passover holiday, God instructed the Israelites (modern Jews and Samaritans) to consume only unleavened bread.
Matzah can be soft like pita bread or crunchy. Because soft matzah has such a short shelf life, only the crispy kind is commercially produced. Matzoh balls meal is crispy matzah crushed into a flour-like consistency.
Matzah meal is used to produce matzah balls, which are the main component of matzah ball soup.
| Prep time | Cook Time | Rest Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 18 min | - | 48 min |
Religious significance
There are several reasons for matzah’s significance.
The first is historical: Passover commemorates the escape from Egypt.
According to the biblical story, the Israelites escaped Egypt so quickly that they couldn’t wait for their bread dough to rise, the bread, when cooked, was matzah.
Another symbolic purpose for eating matzah:
Matzah, on the one hand, represents redemption and independence, yet it is also known as lechem oni, or “poor man’s bread.”
As a result, it serves as a reminder to be humble and to remember what life was like under service. In addition, because leaven “puffs up,” it represents corruption and vanity. Eating the “bread of suffering” is a lesson in humility as well as an act that increases one’s appreciation of freedom.
Another theory is that matzah has been used to replace the pesach, or customary Passover offering made before the Temple was destroyed.
The Passover Seder meal is full of symbols of salvation, including the final sentence, “Next year in Jerusalem,” but the usage of matzah is the oldest symbol.
Ingredients
Instructions
Put the water and flour into a standing mixer and knead it into a completely smooth dough.
Place the finished dough onto a floured surface and divide it into walnut-sized pieces.
Then, also dusted with plenty of flour, roll out the dough pieces into paper-thin sheets, then brush off the excess flour.
Then press both sides with the coarse sea salt. Make sure that there is not too much salt, because it is easy to oversalt, and that the salt crystal does not pierce the dough anywhere.
After that, poke the dough into thick strips with a fork so that they don’t become lumpy.
Now put them on a tin and bake them in a 250°C (482 °F) preheated oven until they are golden brown and crispy.
I also turn them half way through baking so that they bake evenly. It took me about 18 minutes to bake, but of course it depends on the oven.
The fried, crispy sheets are also very tasty as a snack, but they are excellent as an appetiser, even spread with butter.
Enjoy, Good Appetite!
