24. The blessing on Matzah Brye

Matzah Brye:[1]

How it is made: The Matzah is broken to pieces and then soaked in water until soft. It is then drained. One then beats a couple of eggs and mixes it with the matzo. It is then fried in a pan with butter or oil. Alternatively, it is cooked in a pot without much oil or liquid.

Less than Kezayis pieces and Lost appearance of Matzah: If the Matzah brye has been broken to pieces that are less than a kezayis or one uses ground matzah flour, and has lost its appearance of Matzah [such as due to the soaking, or due to using ground matzoh flour], then its blessing is Mezonos and Al Hamichyah even if one sets a meal over it and will eat it to the point of satiation. This applies whether it is baked, cooked in a pot or panfried.

Less than Kezayis pieces but retains appearance of Matzah: If the Matzah brye has been broken to pieces that are less than a kezayis, but has retained its appearance of Matzah [such as if it did not soak long enough, or did not soak with enough water, to make it disintegrating and lose its appearance], then if a very minute amount of oil is used for the frying simply so the Matzah does not stick, the Matzah remains Hamotzi according to all.[2] If however one uses a larger amount of oil then it is disputed[3] as to its blessing, and the main ruling follows that it should only be eaten within a meal, and if one does not do so then he should recite Mezonos and Al Hamichyah.

More than Kezayis pieces: In all cases that there are pieces of matzoh which retain more than a Kezayis even after the cooking, then such pieces would be Hamotzi and Birchas Hamazon, in all cases.

The blessing if baked in pot versus panfried: There is no difference in the above regard whether the Matah brye is being cooked in a pot or fried in a pan if the Matzah pieces are less than a Kezayis, and have disintegrated to the point that they are no longer recognizable as Matzah as in either case the product is Mezonos. However, if the Matzah did not disintegrate, and still retains its appearance of matzoh then there’s a difference between whether it is panfried with a nice amount of oil in which case its blessing is subject to debate and should be eaten within a meal as stated above, or is cooked in a pot or without much oil in which case it certainly remains Hamotzi. In the event that the pieces of matzoh retained their Kezayis size, then it remains Hamotzi in all cases.

[1] See Seder 2:15; 168:20; Ketzos Hashulchan 48:14-15; Piskeiy Teshuvos 168:16

[2] Seder 2:11

[3] See Seder 2:12-13 that there are two disputes in this matter, one regarding if frying is considered like cooking or baking [Seder 2:12], and another in whether cooking less than Kezayis bread pieces makes it become Mezonos [Seder 2:13].

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