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Plain matza on pesach is Hamotzi. Fully cooked matza (eg. Keneidels) is Mezonot. What about these in between cases:

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3 Answers

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I think (so please correct me if I'm wrong & CYLOR):

Matza is considered regular bread, and the same brucha rules apply. For cooked bread, the brucha is Hamotzi if the pieces are larger than a kezayit. If the pieces are smaller than a kezayit the brucha is mezonot. (Brochos 37a)

Matza meal is matza ground up way past a kezayit, so Keneidels get a Mezonot, and I think Farfel would too. Matza Brei, and Pizza are both larger than a kezayit, and both get a Hamotzi.

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You still have to deal with is frying/putting into hot soup considered real cooking or not. – Double AA♦ Apr 6 '12 at 16:43
@Dpuble AA i can see a difference between dipping into vs. Cooking in soup, but why wouldn't frying be cooking? If it's fried like French toast, it's hamotzi since it's made with whole pieces of bread. – zaq Apr 6 '12 at 19:47
You have proved my point. Frying doesn't change the bracha of french toast, so who says it is considered cooking even for pieces less than a kezayit! (I imagine it has to do with how much liquid is used in the frying.) – Double AA♦ Apr 6 '12 at 21:06
I think it's still based on size. If you fry pieces smaller than a kezayis, like farfel, then it should should change to a mezonot. – zaq Apr 6 '12 at 22:49
Would you say the same thing for less-than-kezayit size pieces of matza-pizza which are baked with nearly no liquid at all? – Double AA♦ Apr 6 '12 at 23:19
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As far as I recall (Gemara in Berachos, and other Hilchos Berachos), the general rule is if it has צורה דנהמא (form of bread) still recognizable in the cooked product, then the beracha is hamotzi.

I can't think of any reason why Matzo pizza would NOT also be hamotzi (if it is a piece of matzo with sauce and cheese). I think even if the matzo was ground into meal, and reworked into a crust, would it would probably still qualify as hamotzi.

Chicken soup with Matzo farfel would be mezonos, since if no longer has the form of bread.

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Fried matza ("Matza Brei") - If you break the pieces so they're smaller than a kezayis, then the bracha may be mezonos. You can make a mezonos if it is deep-fried or cooked in water, but it might be hamotzi if its is just fried with a small amount of oil. (see http://www.torah.org/advanced/weekly-halacha/5770/tzav.html)

Chicken soup with crushed matza ("Matza Farfel") - If the (small pieces of) matza are cooked in the soup, it will be mezonos, but otherwise its hamotzi.

Matza Pizza - Hamotzi.

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Sources are always appreciated... Also, when you say 'cooked in the soup' do you mean on the fire, or kli rishon, or maybe even if it is still yad soledet? – Double AA♦ Apr 9 '12 at 14:56

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