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What Bracha are the Croutons that are really just dried pieces of bread separately and when there in my instant soup and is there a difference?

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Great question! This comes up for us so many times at a kiddush that often has croutons in the salad. –  RCW Dec 31 '10 at 21:38
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3 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

The way it works:

Bread that is cut into pieces retains its status of bread (i.e. Hamotzi) no matter how small the pieces get. So if you or anyone would cut the bread and then bake it again, it wouldn't matter and it would still be Hamotzi [unless you cut it less than a K'zayis an cook it in water to a certain degree... but not so practical]

However, there's a famous shitah (R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach) that holds that if companies make croutons - even though it's bread at an intermediate stage - since the end product will be croutons (which should be Mezonos for its own reasons) the entire product is Mezonos. In other words, it doesn't get a status of bread if the end-game is to make it into something else.

So in short:

  • If it's homemade from bread it's Hamotzi (even in Salad - because it cannot become a Taful)
  • If it's manufactured (like the way you say - i.e. made from bread) we have the above Machlokes
  • If it's deep fried then it would appear everyone agrees it's mezonos.
  • If it's a "yellow-type" crouton (i.e. deep fried and no where near bread) it's a clearcut Mezonos.

I'm not sure about the one's in instant soup (I've never personally come across them), but is seems they're like the second type mentioned above.


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yydl- why is the 2nd type a machlokes (other than the usual pas habaa b/kisnin issue)? –  YDK Dec 28 '10 at 19:23
@YDK because if the manufacturer makes it into bread at one point - the it becomes Hamotzi, and cannot go back. Just about every manufacturer will make it that way... –  yydl Dec 28 '10 at 19:47
Can you find the FAMOUS shitah you cant remeber and post it here thanks –  SimchasTorah Dec 28 '10 at 22:02
I wrote I think R' Auerbach. Don't have it on hand though. Maybe tomorrow will show you... –  yydl Dec 28 '10 at 22:28
Okay I also corrected the answer slightly. Plus I am now sure it was R' Auerbach –  yydl Dec 29 '10 at 2:08
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Real croutons such that you would make yourself or have in a restaurant would be hamotzi. It's just regular bread that was cut into pieces (Shulchan Aruch O.C 165:10.

Osem makes a number of crouton varieties. These would be mezonos (S.A. O.C. 165:7, 3rd Yesh mefarshim + M.B 35)

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I heard in the name of the Rav Ovadia Yosef that it is Mezonot, if each piece is at least Kazayit you say Hamotzi.

Look at Hazon Ovadia page סה and סו, I think it would apply to our case, maybe I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

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This answer would be much more valuable if you could add a source. –  Isaac Moses Dec 28 '10 at 16:10
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