Is the product really gluten-free? Why does it only say on the box that it is made from approved gluten free kernels?
Our kernels are certified gluten free below 5ppm (ppm is parts per million). According to the law
below 20 ppm is called gluten free. We test our matzahs with an ELISA test (Alisa) after baking
to check that the product is free of gluten and then we send a sample of the matzah to a
laboratory approved by the Ministry of Health to test that they are in fact gluten-free.
The Ministry of Health does not approve gluten-free products unless it is baked in the certified
gluten-free place and since there is no such thing as a gluten free matzah bakery, it is written on
the box that the product is made from certified gluten-free grains. For logistic reasons, we indicate
on the box that the product may contain gluten.
Why is there sometimes an aftertaste when eating oat matzah?
All oat kernels have bitter enzymes, that’s why there is sometimes an aftertaste in matzah (in
the oats found on the market there are several methods of how to deal with the issue so that
there is no bitterness. The most common method is a steaming process, which of course is not
an option for Pesach because it can become chometz. There is another method to deal with
these enzymes and it is by roasting the grains).
In Tiv Hashibolet, the grains do not go through any process of heating or roasting, therefore it is
a great challenge to produce matzah without bitterness. We don’t always manage to completely
control the aftertaste, but 90% of our matzah is without bitterness since we use special methods
during grinding and production. Every year the product improves and we hope that we will soon
be able to create matzah without any aftertaste at all.
To improve the taste, it is recommended to heat the matzah before Yom Tov or on Chol
Hamoed for a few minutes in an oven or on a Pesach hotplate.
Why are gluten-free matzahs so expensive?
Indeed, our matzahs are not expensive compared to the oat matzahs found in the market. To
understand its expensive cost, you need to understand a little about the process background
and the difficult challenges that exist in the production of gluten-free matzah, unlike regular
matzah.
The first challenge – making gluten-free matzah.
Oats grow naturally without gluten, but it is necessary to protect the oats from being affected
from gluten. This is not a simple matter because gluten is something that easily sticks to the
grains during cultivation, harvesting, grinding, sifting, and baking. The oats have to be grown in
a field very far from growing any other grain, because even a bird dropping a seed from above
into such a field can spoil the entire gluten-free crop. The field has to be inspected throughout
the cultivation several times in order to make sure that no other grains have entered the crop.
Whereas most farmers rent combines to harvest their crops, our farmer uses a combine used
only for gluten free oats.
The process of growing, sowing and harvesting must be done in special fields abroad, for this
purpose flights of mashgichim are required in several stages, also, the grinding of the grains
must be in a place that is free from gluten and of course clean for Pesach.
Second challenge – preparing the bakery for gluten-free baking.
There is no matzah bakery that does not have gluten in it. Tiv Hashibolet brings special
equipment to remove the gluten from specific areas of the bakery until it is completely free of
gluten. The cleaning also includes washing the walls and ceiling in some places and then also
covering areas that can be affected with gluten during production.
Third challenge – difficulty in gluten-free production while adhering to the highest kashrut
standard.
Unlike regular matzoh, the preparation of gluten-free matzoh is more complex and the lower the
gluten level, the more difficult it is to make matzah. Dealing with the dough and baking it is quite
tedious and production is considerably slower than a regular matzah.
Working with the dough requires a lot of patience and experience in order to achieve high-
quality, tasty and thin matzah. (the thinner the matzohs, the tastier they are, but there are great
chances that they will break on the way, so we try to make them thin and tasty, but we also
make great efforts to keep them whole).
The baking itself is also more complicated and requires a larger team than a normal bakery.
After this long process, the amount of matzoh that comes out per hour is about forty percent
less than normal matzah.
Due to the difficulty in producing handmade matzoh, we throw away a large percentage of the
matzah that are not on our standard of kashrut and taste.
Until about five years ago, there was no concept of baking oat machine matzah that stops the
machinery for cleaning every 18 minutes, over time and with many repeated attempts we were
able to work with the dough so that it would be possible to stop the machines and thus get
matza on a higher kashrut standard.
Why do you not sell gluten free matza made from potato starch?
To fulfill the obligation of eating matza on the seder night, one needs to eat matza made from either wheat, spelt, rye, oats or barley and the blessing on these grains is “Hamotzi”. Oats is the only grain from these five grains that gluten free matza can be made from for Pesach to fulfill one’s obligation on the seder night. The blessing made on matza made from potato starch is “shehakol” and one does not fulill the obligation to eat matza on the seder night with these matzot.
On Pesach what brocho do you make on gluten free oat matzah?
The brocho is “hamotzi” since it is one of the five types of grain.
Do the oats undergo a roasting process?
Our kernels do not go through any roasting.
Can gluten-free flour become chometz?
Gluten free oats can become chometz like all other grains, therefore one can use gluten free
oats to fulfill the obligation of eating matza on the Seder night.
You can send us an email to tivhashibolet@gmail.com and we will be happy to send you all the
halachic information related to gluten free oat matzoh.