Halachot of Pas Haba BiKisnin

 

1. Pat HaBah BeKisonin
1. The general definition = bread which people wouldn’t base their meal around and thus, the beracha for such bread is mezonot.
2. There are 3 opinions as to what is Pat HaBah BeKisonin:

_1st Opinion, Rambam – Dough that is needed with fruit juice/sugar, and is sweet.

1. According to the Shulchan Aruch and the halacha for Sephardim is that the amount of additives need to be tasted in order to receive a beracha of mezonot.
2. The Rema says when the additives are the Ikkur and according to the Shlah that means when there is a majority. Therefore, the halacha for Ashkenazim is when there is more fruit juice/sugar than water – then it is a mezonot.
3. Keep in mind that this is referring to fruit juice of 100% concentration. But if you were to use a lower concentration fruit juice than only that percentage contributes to the overall ratio. (For example, 10 ounces of 50% juice counts like 5 ounces of pure juice.)

_2nd, Rabbenu Chananel, Rashba – Dough that is filled with sweet things on inside.

1. The filler needs to be placed inside the dough pocket before the baking process.
2. An example of this type is babka cake that has chocolate (or anything else for that matter that is sweet) inside the bread. Additionally, think of a jelly hu’mantachin as an example.

_3rd, Rav Hai Gaon – Dough that has been overcooked and is dry and brittle.

1. An example would be pretzels and bread flats.
2. Bagel chips are an item of controversy and some say to say Hamotzei on them if they come from normal bagels which weren’t made with the intention of later turning them into chips.

3. The Shulchan Aruch understands the 3 opinions as arguing on each other, and rules that out of uncertainty we would treat any item that satisfies even one of the 3 conditions as Pat HaBah BeKisonin.
4. The brocho for Pas haba bikisnin is mezonot and al hamichya, unless one eats the shiur of “kviat seudah”. Please see the next discussion where it will be covered in depth.

2. Matzah
   1. For Ashkenazim, Matzah doesn’t fall into Rav Hai Gaon’s category since it is eaten as a mainstay of the meal and therefore doesn’t fit into the definition of Pat HaBah BeKisonin. For Ashkenazim, matzah is hamotzei like regular bread.
   2. Sephardim agree that on the holiday of Pesach, many people use matzah as the mainstay of the meal and therefore on Pesach it deserves a hamotzei. However, during the rest of the year, they argue people don’t use it as the mainstay of meal – then it qualifies as Pat HaBah BeKisonin and receives a mezonot.

 

3. Pizza
1. Within the category of Rabbenu Chananel, there is a disagreement among the poskim whether the filler needs to be sweet or not. Some want to say that it doesn’t make a difference if the bread was filled with chocolate or meat. Others argue that it indeed does. Only when they filler is sweet would the bread not be used as a mainstay of the meal. But where one would insert meat or cheese or something that is eaten normally during the meal, then surely the bread is hamotzei.
2. The Mishna Berura holds like the second opinion and only sweet fillers can turn the bread into Pat HaBah BeKisonin.
3. Accordingly, the sauce and cheese on pizza doesn’t change the bread and therefore normal pizza would be hamotzei. However, if the dough is kneading with a majority of fruit juice or milk or sugar then it would be mezonot not because of Rabbenu Chananel but due to Rambam’s opinion.
4. Regardless, even Pat HaBah BeKisonin requires a Hamotzei and Birkat HaMazon if one eats enough to make it into his meal. (This is discussed further in Halachot of Shiur Kviat Seudah)

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