So I want to make my own Matzah

Rappel

Sun, Apr 07 2019, 7:31 pm

I know a family which makes their own small amount of matzah every day of pesach. Mom kneads, daughters roll with Dad and Dad bakes. They keep the whole process under 11 minutes, including washing up.

Go for it, OP! Enjoy the mitsvah!

(Just practice ahead of time so you don't run into time issues on pesach itself.)

amother

Floralwhite

Sun, Apr 07 2019, 7:47 pm

Rappel wrote:

Thank-you!

Iymnok

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 2:29 pm

Our friend said his chabura tries to keep the time that the dough is not being worked to under half a minute.

I’d recommend listening to the recent shiur by Rabbi Orlofsky on Torahanytime. He discusses matza and even answers your question.

amother

Floralwhite

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 2:40 pm

Iymnok wrote:

Thanks.

trixx

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 2:52 pm

amother wrote:

Availability of Matzah isn't a concern. My Costco sells shmurah matzah.

There is just a disconnect for me this year - of eating matzah shipped from miles away. We remember the quick escape from Egypt by purchasing matzah, produced several/many weeks ago, boxed and shipped to our local grocery stores.

And doing it 'just for fun' like my three year old - isn't going to help.

So do you also grind your own Gefilte fish from a carp in the bathtub and sew your own yom Tov clothing?

Sorry for being cynical, I don't mean to be mean. I appreciate the intent but it doesn't make sense to me (unless you can find a way to make it work 100%). To risk one of the most severe aveiros in the Torah for the sake of feeling good... I can't understand it.

amother

Floralwhite

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 3:42 pm

trixx wrote:

I started this thread to figure out about the availability of flour that I could use. I didn't come here looking for validation, or an analysis of the risk/benefit of this undertaking. I appreciate everyone's concerns.

amother

Orange

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 3:59 pm

My family makes our own matzah (in a matzah oven that we have, regular ovens dont get hot enough) and we buy the flour from the local matzah bakery. You can also grind your own kernels.

amother

Floralwhite

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 4:44 pm

Raisin wrote:

OP, what are you planning to use for an oven?

Newly purchased pizza oven.

The issue (in terms of equipment and inputs) is actually - the water.

amother

Puce

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 6:35 pm

OP, do you live near a matzah bakery? Many allow chaburah runs (groups of people who come to bake their own matzos). I don't know the rules regarding women, but it can't hurt to ask.

nchr

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 6:36 pm

amother wrote:

I'm in a huge city.... I can buy matzah. There just isn't a matzah bakery here that I know of.

If you want to pay for it, I have no problem shipping matzah to you.

nchr

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 6:37 pm

amother wrote:

OP, do you live near a matzah bakery? Many allow chaburah runs (groups of people who come to bake their own matzos). I don't know the rules regarding women, but it can't hurt to ask.

Women bake most of the matzah we eat.

amother

Puce

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 6:48 pm

nchr wrote:

Women bake most of the matzah we eat.

That is true (well, depending on the bakery) but it still does not mean that the bakeries allow chaburos of women. Not saying that they don't, just that women workers and women chaburos are not the same thing.

And now I see that I've missed OP's post about not living near a bakery, so there goes that idea.

PinkFridge

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 7:15 pm

OP, I wish you well. And to be able to do this, you're probably going to have to be very organized and calm, and I wish you all the kochos you need to pull it off. Whether or not it works out (and I assume you'll know if it doesn't), I hope it brings you peace and a feeling of accomplishment and - if I'm on the right track - closure.

samantha87

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 9:16 pm

amother wrote:

Newly purchased pizza oven.

The issue (in terms of equipment and inputs) is actually - the water.

Pizza oven sounds like a great idea! A regular oven would be good for Syrian "pita" matzos but you could probably make Ashkenazi "cracker" matzos with a pizza oven. But what would be wrong with the water? Is it a hard water/soft water thing? Or the minhag to let it sit overnight?

amother

Floralwhite

Mon, Apr 08 2019, 9:32 pm

samantha87 wrote:

I'm still working through the requirements for the water. I don't want to start up a halachic conversation here. (Yes I have a Rav).

amother

Denim

Tue, Apr 09 2019, 12:52 am

Op, I really understand and admire your desire to get into the spirit of the mitzvah of matzah. Of course, Jews made their own matzah at home until commercial matzah bakeries opened in the 19th century. I don't think that they were eating chometz for 3000 years. And still, I'd stick with supervised matzah.

This reminded me of a story. Many years ago, one of the richest and most generous Jews where I grew up was a serious Litvak. Erev Pesach, chassidim used to bring him their mitzvah matzah, made in the afternoon. He would thank them, and promptly take it to his back yard and burn it.