In anticipation of Passover in a few days, and needing as many activities to keep Max and Ezra busy at home these days during the pandemic, Jon decided to make matzah with them this morning (something we have never done!).
Matzah is the unleavened bread that we symbolically eat on Passover. It’s a reminder of the part of the Passover story we tell during the seder meal about when the Jews had to leave Egypt in a hurry seeking freedom and didn’t have time for their bread to rise. Because it was made so quickly, it’s more like a cracker. In modern Judaism we have decided that it should take less than 18 minutes to make it, start to finish (18 is symbolic number in Judaism).
So this morning we had our own little cooking challenge! We set out the ingredients, then set the timer for 18 minutes and got to work! The boys thought it was fun and silly to rush around so much in the kitchen. We used the recipe from PJ LIbrary, a wonderful Jewish organization that mails free monthly books to kids. The New York Times also has a recipe that looks tasty.
Basically, it’s just flour and water. We set a timer for 13 minutes to prep and roll the dough. I think Max’s favorite part was pricking them with a fork. Then with 5 minutes left, that gave us just enough time to bake it 2 minutes on each side. We finished just in time!
In the end, our matzah was a bit more chewy than crunchy, but a fun exercise nonetheless. (And a pretty tasty snack with salted butter.)
Happy Passover!
