Prayer and Blessings
How to Transform Bread into Mezonot Bread?
Question
Greetings, how can I turn bread into Mezonot bread? What must be included in it? If there are several options, I would appreciate receiving all of them. What quantity of Mezonot bread requires the Blessing After Meals?
Answer
To the inquirer,
How can I turn bread into mezonot bread?
- Answer: The definition of bread for which we recite the blessing "Hamotzi" is determined by the fact that its dough consists solely of flour and water.
Dough that has been mixed with fruit juices to the point that their flavors are noticeable in the dough is blessed "borei minei mezonot" according to the Shulchan Aruch (which is the ruling for Sephardim).
For Ashkenazim who follow the ruling of the Rema, it is not enough for the flavor to be noticeable in the dough; the additional ingredients (such as eggs, fruit juices, oil, sugar, honey, etc.) must together constitute the majority against the amount of water added (i.e., the additional ingredients must be more than 50% of the liquid that was added to the dough).
What must be included in it? If there are several options, I would appreciate receiving all of them.
- Several examples were mentioned above in parentheses.
What quantity of Mezonot bread requires the Blessing After Meals?
- According to the Pitei Teshuvah: if one eats less than 200 grams, he recites "borei minei mezonot", and at the end, "al hamichya";
If one eats more than 230 grams (the quantity for a fixed meal) - he recites "hamotzi" and ultimately the Blessing After Meals, Birkat Hamazon.
Between these quantities, there is a doubt [and one must be careful not to eat that much outside of a meal; and if one finds himself in such a situation, he should recite "Hamotzi" and eat more until he reaches the quantity necessary to recite the Birkat Hamazon].
Wishing you a joyous Shavuot,
Rabbi Nachum
עברית
