How To Make Creamy, Crunchy Matzo Brei

Passover lasts an entire week. A very, very long pizza-less and pasta-free week. Fortunately, bubbes have come to the rescue. Over many generations, some pretty inventive grandmas and great-grandmas have come up with Passover-friendly dishes to sustain their hungry families and friends during that week — recipes that are inexpensive, made with easy-to-find ingredients, and don’t require much work. Matzo brei is exactly that. It remains a staple breakfast and lunch food, and it’s been around so long for one other reason: it tastes great.

For Jews of Eastern European or Russian descent, matzo brei defines the homeyness of Passover. Matzo brei (pronounced Mah-tzo-bry; rhymes with “fry”) is simply matzo — the holiday’s famously unleavened cracker — that has been soaked, softened, and fried in egg.

During Passover, Jews refrain from eating leavened foods, including bread, which makes matzo a hot commodity. Jews from different regions have different traditions, so prohibitions can vary significantly, but for most families of Eastern Europe and Russian descent, they include refraining from wheat, barley, spelt, oats, rye, legumes, rice, and even corn. These prohibitions last beyond the holiday’s large feast, the Seder, which encompasses a variety of ritual foods, prayers, and a veritable multitude of heritage dishes.

One big pancake or lots of small bits? Water or egg to soak? Sweet or salty matzo? The short answer to all of these questions is that it’s up to you. Every family has their own way of making matzo brei, so there’s no hard-and-fast rule on any of these variables. Here are a few pointers for making matzo brei the way you want it.

• Matzo brei pancake vs. matzo brei scramble: Some families pour the entire matzo-egg mixture into the oiled pan, lower the heat, and flip it over halfway through the cooking, so you get a large, pan-sized whole that can be divided up into wedges. With this method just be sure to cook the middle all the way through. It’s a bit tricky to get the center to set, so scrambling is my suggested way to go, especially if you’re a first-timer. Give it a whirl around the pan the same way you would scrambled eggs. The variation in size makes it interesting to eat.
• Team eggs: Many recipes instruct soaking the matzo in water or running it under water until it is very soft, adding it to the eggs for a super-quick dunk, and then pouring it into the pan. Not mine, and (I hope) not yours from now on. Allow me, ladies and gentleman of the matzo brei-cooking public, to state my case. Eggs are liquidy. They are packed with taste and nutrients. Just like I do when making French toast, I use eggs to soak my matzo. You do have to soak it for a while, it’s true, but the egg infiltrates every pore of the matzo and infuses it with a delicate, rich flavor. You’ll find that it cooks like a dream, too, enabling the matzo to keep its integrity and not fall apart, but becomes soft and pliable and ready to crisp up from the buttery heat of the pan.

Obviously you can use anything you like, but I prefer egg matzo. Egg matzo is made from egg in addition to the flour and water and grows softer when soaked than the standard variety. Matzo brei works just fine with gluten-free, spelt, or plain varieties. I would, however, avoid the shmura matzo. I use it at the Seder, but honestly, it really tastes like cardboard — and no amount of egg or soaking can save it.

So now you’ve got a steaming plate of matzo brei in front of you and it’s time to bring on the flavor. I like it with mounds of cinnamon sugar. My mom likes it with maple syrup or cane syrup. Love jam? Give your matzo brei a healthy dollop. Some folks love it salty, and if you’re like my great uncle, you’re digging in with ketchup.