Hilchos B'rachos part XIII
Consuming Cake During a
Bread Meal – Part I
In the
previous shiur we commenced discussing partaking of cake during a meal and
whether it requires a בורא מיני מזונות. To
appreciate the deliberation we must understand the concept of
פת הבאה בכיסנין.
פת הבאה
בכיסנין literally
means pocket shaped bread. We recite the b’racha boreh minei mezonos
on cake, cookies and biscuits as opposed to hamotzi, even though these
items are grain based.
The
reason mezonos is recited is because Chazal did not require
washing hands and hamotzi for items not normally eaten as a meal.
What defines cake and
cookies?
We find
three opinions in halacha:
Kneaded
The
Mechaber
(Sephardim): dough kneaded with fruit juice, sugar, oil and other substances,
which produce a noticeable taste in the final product.
The
Rama
(Ashkenazim): dough kneaded with more fruit juice, oil, sugar etc. than water.
Since
bread is not usually made this way, this product in called
פת הבאה בכיסנין and its b’racha is
mezonos.
Filling
A
pastry baked with a filling comprised of honey or sugar, nuts or flavor.
Certain criteria must be met such as: the filling can be tasted in the dough,
and the
filling was baked with the dough and not merely added later.
This is
true even if the dough is comprised of only water and flour.
Crusty
Dough
baked into a crusty substance such as crackers, baigelach and cookies (biscuits)
are not bread and the required b’racha is בורא
מיני מזונות. It is for this reason that Sephardim recite mezonos
over matzo eaten during the year. On Pesach Sephardim do recite hamotzi
on matzo.
Do these three opinions disagree with each other?
The
Shulchan Aruch writes
that
the halacha is in accordance with all three opinions, which means that
one recites a mezonos for each category. [Indeed we cannot say that all
three opinions agree with each other, but we do not have evidence of any
disagreement. The result is that one recites a mezonos for these
categories].
When do we recite a mezonos? During or at the end of a
meal?
If cake
or cookies are eaten to satiate, i.e. one is still relatively hungry and cake
etc. is eaten in lieu of bread or other “meal” foods, one does not recite a
mezonos on cake.
This,
in most part, is true when eating doughnuts or
סופגניות at the conclusion of a meal.
If cake
or cookies are consumed as dainties or dessert one recites a mezonos, on
condition that they are פת הבאה בכיסנין
according to all opinions.
Although we recite mezonos over items that belong to each one
of the above categories, nevertheless, according to several poskim, it is
due to doubt whether the opinions argue, and if they do, it means that according
to one opinion a particular item will require a mezonos and according to
another opinion it will be hamotzi. So although we recite mezonos
on all categories, when one recited hamotzi at the onset of the meal, it
will include all items, unless a particular item satisfies all definitions, in
which case everyone will definitely agree that the b’racha is mezonos.
Crackers – crackers satisfy the definition of
פת הבאה בכיסנין according to one opinion, not
according to the other two, consequently one normally recites a mezonos,
but when consumed during or at the end of a meal, one will not recite a
mezonos.
Sponge cake – sponge cake satisfies the condition of being
tasty and sweet but not the other two opinions, because it does not contain a
filling, nor is it crusty. Consequently one normally recites a mezonos,
but when consumed during or at the end of a meal, one will not recite a
mezonos.
Apple cake – apple cake might contain a filling but it is not
crusty. Sometimes the dough will be very sweet, but it still lacks one of the
opinions.
Apple pie – apple pie fulfills all three conditions;
it has a crust, it contains apples and the dough is sweet. So when eaten as
dessert one recites mezonos.
