Why Make Homemade Matzah
Understanding Passover is an important part of understanding the New Testament and specifically the events surrounding Christ’s last days. The past few years for Passover I have been making homemade Matzah, or as my daughter called it today “Jesus Cake”. I have even had the opportunity to share it with many people at our church as a part of our Good Friday meal. This year I won’t have the joy of sharing my Matzah with the church but I do have the joy of letting you know how I make it. Making Matzah with your kids is a fun and easy activity, which allows the perfect opportunity to tell them about how Passover began in Exodus 12 and how it is tied into the Triumphal Entry, the Last Supper, and Christ’s Crucifixion when Jesus sacrificed himself as our new Passover Lamb.
How to make Matzah
What you will need
- Whole Grain flour (not self-rising)
- Water
- Measuring cups
- Roller Pin
- Fork
- Mixing bowl
- Pizza Stone or Baking Sheet
- Timer
The Time Factor
- Traditionally you have 18 min from the time the water hits the flour to the time that it should be completely done baking. The most common reasons for this is because it is believed that after 18 min the flour will begin to ferment thus making it a partially risen bread. The time factor takes on a special importance because it is supposed to remind us of the sense of urgency the Israelites would have felt as they were preparing to flee from slavery in Egypt and Pharaoh’s wrath.
Set the oven to 500 degrees and heat the stone/pan in the oven. The hotter the pan is at the beginning the less time it will take for the first batch to bake.
Place 2 cups of flour in the bowl and then add 1 cup of water. Start Timer!
Mix together with hands until it stays together, and then form into golf ball sized balls. Make sure to heavily flour the rolling pin and surface or else it will be extremely difficult to roll out.
Roll out as thin as possible.
Poke holes into the dough once flat. Place on the preheated stone/pan and throw in the oven. It should take between 4-7 min to bake depending on how thin your Matzah is.
Matzah is done when it becomes hard and has small bubbles
Let cool and it is ready to eat!