Wheat germ and ground flax seed roll.

Question

Hello I cannot eat flour and so cannot bless המוציא on bread nor say ברכת המזון. I am able to eat wheat germ ...נבט חיטה, and ground flax seeds פשטן. I add salt and boiled water to an ounce of each, and bake the mixture into a little roll. Could I say המוציא on this little roll? שנה טובה.

Answer

Shalom!

Thank you for your question!

The bracha “hamotzi” can only be recited on bread made from one of the five grains, namely, wheat, oat, spelt, rye, and barley. One must also recite the “Birkat Hamazon” after eating them. Breads made from beans, corn, and/or millet flour, are “shehakol” and one only recites “borei nefashos” after eating them.

Rice flour bread would be “mezonos” and one would recite “borei nefashos” after eating it. If one were to mix all these “non-hamotzi” flours the bracha would follow the majority ingredient. For example, if one makes a bread from a mixture of rice flour and corn flour then the bracha would follow the majority ingredient. As such, if there is more rice flour, the bracha would be “mezonos” and if there is more corn flour, the bracha would be “shehakol.”

One could turn such breads into a “hamotzi” bread by adding gluten-free oat flour. If one adds enough of such gluten-free oat flour that one can discern its taste (as opposed to just adding it for consistency) then the bracha would become “hamotzi” since oats are one of the five grains that are “hamotzi.” If using this option to make one’s bread “hamotzi” one must be sure to eat a “kezayit” of oats. For example, if the bread is made with two cups of corn flour and one cup of oat flour then one would have to eat 3 “kezayis” in order to be able to recite the “birkat Hamazon.”

So to answer your question, if your wheat germ product is from wheat, there would be a way to make it hamotzi. However, it appears that some wheat germ might actually be from sprouts and not wheat, at all. So be sure you know the source of your wheat germ

Sources: Challa 3:7, Zevachim 78a, OC 208, YD 324

 


Comments

Have an additional question on this topic or need clarification? Leave your comment below. (Please note that the comment will not be published but will be sent directly to the answering Rabbi for review and a private response)

Please sign up or log in to submit your comment

Become our patrners in supporting and spreading the Torah
Help us answer more questions faster and better
Join the mission
More questions in this category