Homemade Matzoh

By stancec44

This homemade matzoh couldn’t be simpler and tastes incomparably better than the stuff you buy in a box. Here’s how to make it from scratch. Homemade matzoh. Nope, we’re not kidding. It’s actually quite easy to make. And it’s pretty impressive to set it out during Passover in place of crackers for guests. As for what to schmear on that homemade matzoh, we can help with that, too. Just click your heels three times and then check out our Matzohpaloozah.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons mild olive oil (or, if you're not keeping kosher for Passover, you can substitute canola oil)
• 3/4 cup plus up to 1/4 cup warm water

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from leitesculinaria.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Ideally you would place a pizza stone on the bottom oven rack, but realistically a 10-by-15-inch baking sheet will work just dandy.

2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients, using 3/4 cup water, until everything comes together to form a dough. If the dough seems dry, add a little more water, a few drops at a time. If you do not need the matzoh to be kosher for Passover, let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes. If you do need the matzoh to be kosher for Passover, proceed immediately to the next step so that you can finish everything in 18 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten a piece slightly and pass it repeatedly through a pasta maker, reducing the thickness each time until you reach the minimum setting. Alternately, you can simply roll the dough as thinly as possible with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

4. Trim the rolled-out dough pieces into rectangles. (How many pieces of matzoh you get depends on how thinly you rolled the dough.) Use a fork to prick holes in the surface of the dough. lf salted matzoh are desired, brush or spray the dough surface lightly with water and sprinkle with salt to taste.

5. Carefully place some of the rectangles onto the pizza stone or baking sheet. They should fit snugly but should not touch. Bake until the surface of the matzoh is golden brown and bubbly, 30 to 90 seconds. Using tongs, carefully flip the matzoh pieces and continue to bake until the other side is golden browned and lightly blistered, 15 to 30 seconds. Keep careful and constant watch to keep the matzoh from burning; the exact baking time will vary from oven to oven and will get longer with subsequent batches.You want to let the matzoh get a few dots of light brown but do not let the matzoh turn completely brown or it will taste burnt. Let it cool before serving.

The homemade matzoh isn’t only fun to make, it tastes just like store-bought but fresher. And it’s more authentic-looking.

Although it was difficult to get the dough to the right consistency for rolling out, once I did, the results were wonderful. My dough was way too dry with 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water. l kept adding water (approximately another 1/4 to 1/2 cup) until the dough came together. It didn’t feel right, so I made another batch, thinking I added too much flour to the first batch. Same thing happened. So I went back to the first batch (about 10 to 15 minutes later), and voilà, the dough felt perfect for rolling out. I rolled the dough out in the pasta maker. This amount was easy to handle and made for a good-size piece of matzoh. I baked it on a hot pizza stone, and it took 1 1/2 minutes on the first side and a quick 15 seconds on the second side at 500°F. Be sure not to let the matzoh get golden brown, as it starts to taste burnt.

Just let the matzoh get a few dots of light brown and you’re good to go. Think of the possibilities: flavoring the dough with different spices, cutting it into fun shapes, etc. I can’t wait for Passover!