Recipe Of The Day: How To Make Matzo For Passover
If you celebrate Passover, then chances are you've spent a lot of time eating matzo (sometimes spelled matzah or matza). From matzo balls to matzo kugel to matzo candy, the unleavened cracker-like bread is an integral part of the holiday. Perhaps your family stocks up on boxes at the grocery store, or maybe you go the extra mile to procure some special Shmura matzo. But have you ever considered making your own?
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If you haven't, then let this be the year. It's kind of the perfect way to cap off a year full of DIY pandemic projects, either on your own or with kids. So before you rid your kitchen of chametz, save some flour for matzo making.
This may feel strange as flour is typically banned during Passover, but matzo is the one place where it is permitted. Alternately, you can make matzo ahead of time. If you're really serious, you'll also need an oven that is kosher for Passover.
Either way, making your own matzo couldn't be simpler. All it takes is flour and water, plus some oil for brushing and salt or whatever seasonings you want.
There is so much symbolism associated with matzo. As the story goes, the Israelites didn't have time to let their dough rise before fleeing Egypt. So to honor that, no risen or fermented bread is eaten during the week of Passover. In order to truly be matzo, no more than 18 minutes should pass between the time you start mixing the dough and when it comes out of the oven because supposedly this was all the time the Jews had to flee. How strictly you stick to that is up to you.
So how do you make homemade matzo from scratch? Simple. Simply preheat your oven so it is super hot, then mix together flour and water until a dough forms. Roll out small pieces until they are as thin as a sheet of pasta; it's OK if they are not perfect circles. Poke the rolled out dough all over with a fork, brush with olive oil and season with salt or whatever you like. Everything bagel seasoning? Go for it. Zaatar matzo? Sounds delicious. Then bake it for two and a half minutes, flip and bake for two more. When you remove it from the oven, you should have perfectly crisp matzo ready to eat.
What should you do with matzo? Eat it, of course! You can also crumble it to make matzo meal to use as a breadcrumb replacement, you can make toaster oven matzo "pizzas," spread Nutella or nut butter on it for a snack or — our favorite — you can (and should) make chocolate-covered matzo candy with an array of delicious toppings. Either way, chag Pesach sameach!
Homemade Matzo Recipe
This recipe is courtesy Beth Ebin
Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cups warm water, plus more as needed
- Olive oil for brushing
- Salt and seasonings, as desired
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 500F. Place an inverted baking tray on the center rack.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix together 4 1/2 cups flour and 3/4 cup water until a smooth dough forms. Add water by the tablespoon if the dough is too dry.
Step 3: Break off pieces of dough and roll out until very thin. Poke all over with a fork. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with desired seasoning.
Step 4: Carefully place dough on top of the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 2 1/2 minutes. Using tongs, flip matzo and bake for another 2 minutes. Remove from oven and repeat with remaining dough. Enjoy!
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