Really Good Matzo Recipe by Beauty Bagels

REALLY GOOD MATZO RECIPE BY BEAUTY BAGELS

“For a week or so every spring, our friends Blake Joffe and Amy Remsen, of Beauty’s Bagel Shop in Oakland, California, break down their kitchen at the end of the day, and then restart it, staying late into the night, to make matzo. Three hundred pounds of it for Passover. What comes out, more than the Talmudically prescribed 18 minutes later, is something you won’t find in a standard box of Streit’s: flaky, blistered, flavorful matzo. While thousands of years of tradition might call for nothing but flour and water, Beauty’s adds two tiny but mighty ingredients: olive oil and salt (kosher, of course). But is the matzo itself kosher? “I don’t know,” says Joffe. “But I don’t care. It tastes good.” Amen to that. They sell it at their own shop for twelve dollars per pound [455 g]. “Usually people buy a pound or two [a little less than half a kilo or a kilo], then supplement,” he says. “They only want to pay so much for the good stuff.” Fair enough: A standard box of cardboard sells for around three bucks. Blessed be Blake Joffe and Amy Remsen, owners of Beauty’s, for granting us this recipe. Be sure to use enough olive oil to make the dough supple and easy to handle. “

– Wise Sons

Makes 12 matzos 2¼ cups [315 g] all-purpose flour, plus more as needed ⅓ cup [75 ml] extra-virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt ½ cup [120 ml] room-temperature water Fine sea salt for sprinkling

Put a pizza stone on an oven rack (a large baking sheet will do, in a pinch) and preheat the oven to 500°F [260°C] for about 45 minutes.

Flour a wooden pizza peel or the back of a cold baking sheet generously.

Combine the flour, oil, and salt in a food processor.

With the motor running, slowly add the water. The dough will come together into a soft ball. If it is sticky at all, add more flour, 1 Tbsp at a time.

Divide the dough into twelve portions. Using a floured rolling pin, roll one portion at a time on a well-floured work surface into a round about 8 in [20 cm] in diameter and just thin enough to see through. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt and press in the salt with your hands.

Prick the dough all over with a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up too much).

Carefully place the dough on the pizza peel or cold baking sheet. Gently slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone and bake until the matzo is a light golden color, crisp on each side, and a bit darker at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes, turning once with a wide spatula for even cooking.

Transfer the matzo to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

The matzo will keep, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

NOW LET’S SEE IT! We’re all in this together – and what a better way to share it with the community but through social media. Careful not to eat too much before you take the picture!

Be sure to tag @JCCSF on Facebook and Instagram. And our partner @Wisesonsdeli on Facebook or @Wisesons on Instagram.