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Steamed bread – mezonot or hamotzi?

Question:

There’s a certain type of bread roll made in Asian cuisines called Bao, also known as steamed buns or baozi. They can either be stuffed with something, usually meat or sliced and used like a sandwich.

A Sephardi friend of mine, told me he read an article for a Rav that said since this bread is not cooked in a normal fashion, but rather it’s steamed, it should be considered like mezonot.

I’ve asked my Ashkenazi chavruta, who then asked another Rav about this and they could not come up with a reason why it could be considered mezonot. And when dining in kosher restaurants that serve such items at least one has told people it’s mezonot and others have said it’s hamotzi and one should wash.

I have no issues washing and bentching afterwards, I just want to be sure I’m doing to right thing.

Answer:

 From what you are describing it seems that the bracha is indeed mezonos. This is because steaming is considered like cooking, and cooked dough, although it is controversial, the minhag is to make mezonos on it.

Sources:

O:Ch 168-13, Conversation with R’ A Mandelbaum shlit”a, author of V’zos Habracha, R’ Y. Leshinsky shlit”a

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2 Comments

  1. Bagels are generally boiled before baking… By the same reasoning they should also be mezonot???

    1. True, but since they are only cooked briefly, they are still considered baked, not cooked.

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