Matzos with Sesame Seeds

These matzo crackers are very hard to put down once you begin snacking on them. They are so crunchy and thin, that "just one more" doesn't seem like it would hurt.

Matzos, or Matzah, are a crisp unleavened bread traditionally eaten by Jews during Passover. It is baked quickly, to reenact the Exodus.

These would be delicious with hummus, Boursin and smoked salmon, or even butter (think buttered Saltines). They are also just as tasty plain. So good!


This recipe is from Lauren Groveman as seen on the Baking with Julia PBS show. This recipe was selected for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. The recipe is also in the wonderful Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Instead of 12 large matzos, I made 24 small ones. The goal in making these was to get them as thin as possible when rolling them out. I used a heavy marble rolling pin, which worked very nicely. I baked mine on a hot baking stone, but a hot sheet pan works nicely too.

As Lauren Groveman explains on the video, these are not "religious" motzos, because they contain salt.

Matzo Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Black pepper

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)

Kosher salt for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F (or as high as it will go) with a pizza stone or metal baking sheet on the lowest rack (remove all of the other racks). 
2. In a medium bowl, add the flour, seeds, and pepper. 
3. Dissolve the salt in the water and pour it over the flour mixture. 
4. Knead it for about 3 minutes, until it is smooth.
5. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces (or 12 if you want big crackers) and cover with plastic wrap.
6. Roll each one as thinly as possible, flouring your work surface and your rolling pin. Sprinkle the top with Kosher salt. Prick the dough all over with a fork (I rolled mine out one at a time, and baked each rolled out piece immediately, leaving the other pieces of dough in balls). 
7. One at a time, place the rolled out dough onto the stone, and quickly shut the door. Bake for one minute on one side, flip it with tongs, and cook for another minutes. Flip again if necessary, and cook for another minute. Cool on a rack. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Due to the opening and closing of the oven, you may find that you might have to bake the later ones a little longer.