How to make matzo using a pizza maker, while ensuring that it stays kosher for Passover?

Question

In preparation for next year, I would like to have fresh soft matzo every day (except Shabbat / Yom Tov of course). I recently heard of the concept of an electric pizza maker. It is basically 2 heated trays of metal that cover the dough from above and below.

To do this I will need to buy kosher for Passover flour, and make sure that the entire process is less than 18 minutes. However, what care needs to be taken so that the pizza cooker stays kosher for Passover? I won't use the device throughout the year, it will be with my Passover supplies. However, is there any issue that dough was in the device and then after I took out the matzo, some crumbs remained, and after 18 minutes turned into Chametz?

There are two issues that I can think of,

• How can I make sure not to make Chametz on Passover?
• After cooking, does the fact that the device cooks crumbs for longer than 18 minutes, cause the device to be not Kosher for Passover?

Answer 1

There's a lot of misconceptions here so I'll try and lay out the facts. As of now I will leave my answer unsourced. As others know I tend to edit my answers a lot to bring in the sources later.

1. The entire process does not need to be done in 18 minutes. You have 18 minutes from the moment you stop kneading the dough to put that matzah in the oven/hot cooking surface. Ideally you should not wait those 18 minutes but start baking as soon as you are done kneading.

2. The material of the cooking surfaces of your pizza maker is very important for this discussion. Some materials can't be kashered, so if you accidentally make hameitz one time you may not ever be able to use that pizza oven for matzah again. But if it's made of a material that can be kashered then you don't have to worry.

3. One should practice extensively BEFORE Pesah. That way you have all the answers and problems worked out. In terms of crumbs, as long as they are cooked they are not and will never be chameitz. But ideally one should measure out the dough so there are no crumbs. Personally I try and grind my own whole wheat flour because the flour is way cleaner to deal with (it's heavier so it doesn't fly all over the place) and it makes less crumbs. But it definitely makes less "fluffy" matzah.

4. I don't know if you can get Kasher l'Fesah flour all year long, but if you can kasher the pizza maker then again I'd practice with regular flour (which is allowed by the S'A anyways) and then Kasher your Pizza Maker before Pesah

5. As @DoubleAA has mentioned, I would not try and learn just from reading sources. At the end of the day you are making bread, there's a feel and a look to dough. If you've never made a dough before, you should learn from literally anyone how to roll dough and deal with dough. Once you've learned that, then you can rely on reading sources a bit more. There are also videos you can watch online, but they still won't give you a feel for the dough

Answer 2

I don't see how one can make matzos at home with a pizza maker on passover and keep to all the laws.

The issues you brought up are important. First of all, Kosher-for-Passover matzo baking requires an especially hot oven. There are many others details as well. Here is one source: can we bake our own matzos (chabad)

Besides for the many potential problems in amateur matzo baking, baking matzo over the holiday is even more problematic, as even the smallest amount of chametz cannot be nullified.