I have rephotographed and reposted this recipe from my archives for the upcoming Passover holiday.
How cute is this recipe? Even the name is cute. “Bubaleh.”
My friend Etti Hadar shared this simple Passover recipe with me. Bubaleh is made with just four ingredients – matzo meal, egg, sugar and baking powder (plus a little oil for greasing the pan). It couldn’t be easier. Each batch makes one large bubaleh. It’s like a fluffy, eggy, chametz-free version of a pancake. Serve it on a pretty floral plate, and you’ve got a certifiably adorable breakfast, brunch, brinner or snack – especially when served alongside a dish of my world famous scrambled eggs.
Curious about how baking powder could be kosher for Passover? This issue has been discussed at length on kosher websites across the web. Baking powder is mineral based, not grain based, and therefore it does not fall under the banner of “chametz,” the group of foods that are banned for Passover. There are, in fact, several brands of kosher for Passover baking powder. Some choose not to use baking powder because they feel it does not fit the “spirit” of the Passover holiday. Others have no problem using baking powder, as long as it has a kosher hechsher. Suffice it to say, the choice to use baking powder is a matter of tradition and preference. If you’re not comfortable using baking powder during the holiday, save this recipe to use up your leftover matzo meal after the Passover week is finished.
Top your bubaleh with maple syrup, like a traditional pancake, or get creative with your toppings. My friend Beth likes hers with Passover powdered sugar or sour cream. Sweet jam or fruit toppings like strawberry would be lovely, too. So cute, so yummy… what’s not to love?
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Bubaleh
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon matzo meal
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (for Passover use a kosher for Passover-certified brand)
- Nonstick cooking oil spray or vegetable oil to grease the pan
NOTES
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the matzo meal, egg, sugar and baking powder until a yellow batter forms. Make sure the ingredients are well mixed.
- Lightly grease a nonstick skillet; I recommend a medium or large skillet because the bubaleh will be easier to turn. Heat over medium till a drop of water sizzles on the surface. Pour the batter onto the hot skillet, forming a large circular pancake.Let the bubeleh cook for about 2 minutes till bubbles rise and pop on the surface of the batter and the bottom is golden brown. Flip the bubaleh and continue cooking for another 2 minutes or so, till the bubaleh is cooked through and golden on both sides.
- Serve with your choice of toppings-- maple syrup, KFP powdered sugar, butter, sour cream, or jam. Dairy toppings will make the dish dairy instead of parve.
jack baretti says
you dont need baking powder we make ours with eggs and matzo mealand cinnamon dust with sugar after frying. we have ours with kiddush after coming back from shool
Mashugana says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am on a low carb diet, and this is perfect for one of my mini meals. As for the whipping of the egg whites, to much work! Sprinkled with some cinnamon with sugar or splenda…….HEAVEN!
I found a high fiber whole wheat matzoh, net carbs of seven, so this will be so great to make!
Sincere thanks!
Shlomit Manson says
PS: regarding the Bubaleh, I left a comment a few minutes ago – I forgot to mention that my mother would get the bubaleh to be fluffy by beating the egg whites until fairly stiff, with a small amount of sugar and fold in the other ingredients. Also she added a little vanila extract.
marla says
Okay, so THAT’s a real bubaleh! It’s more like a soufflé. Some of us like it mushier than others. You need a huge plate to slide the bubaleh onto once you’ve browned the first side. Then, you place the slightly reoiled pan over the plate and quickly (very quickly), you turn the bubaleh back over into the pan to brown the other side.
Who needs toppings? An unadulterated bubaleh is simply the best.
Shlomit Manson says
Bubaleh is firmly planted amidst some of my most cherished childhood Passover memories. It was a staple on my mother’s breakfast table. However, never with baking powder. Not because the hechsher, but because traditionally you are not supposed to use anything that would make the dough rise or puff. At least in out tradition. Also, we were not familiar with pancake syrup at all so drizzling sugar on the bubaleh was the way to go.
Tori Avey says
Shlomit I have heard great things about your bubaleh from Beth… here’s hoping you will make it for me one day!! 🙂
Susan says
Judi , your recipe sounds exactly how my grandma made it . I’ve been looking for so long. Would you mind sharing your recipe for me please 🙂 thanks Susan
Randy Galler says
Love your recipes and the history behind them. These pancakes sound delicious and will definitely make them for Passover. I also love matzah Brie Do you have your own special recipe for that?
Tori Avey says
Randy– yes! It’s super easy. You can dress the basic concept up all kinds of different ways. Here’s a link to the basic recipe: http://theshiksa.com/2010/01/21/matzo-brei/
Judi says
I love most of your recipies, but here you made a mistake.
A BUBALEH is made with whipped egg whites…and the yolks are slowly folded in….no baking powder and a little matzo meal. It blows up on it’s own and you really need to use a second frying pan to turn it over…..what you have described is really a matzoh meal pancake.
Tori Avey says
Judi, I’m sure that your definition of a bubaleh is correct for your family, however for Etti’s family this dish has been called bubaleh for generations. Bubaleh is really a nickname, anyway, since the Yiddish word bubaleh doesn’t translate to any particular recipe… rather, it’s a term of endearment (similar to “darling” or “sweetie”). Different families have different ways of making brisket, kugel, and any number of dishes. In Etti’s family, this is now and will always be considered bubaleh. I’m sure that the whipped egg white version is delicious too, and I hope to try it soon. 🙂
Edward meyer says
Thank you Judi for this recipe I will add my left over choroses. And the weird part of all this….. You wrote your reply on my birthday March 12.
Alessandra (DinnerInVenice) says
My kids are obsessed with pancakes, maybe if I make this they will forgive me for the absence of pasta during Passover…..
Rhonda says
I’ve never heard of bubblah we called them motzah meal pancakes and my mom and grandma used to make huge amounts of small ones during passover and through the year. They also made motzah farfel pancakes and motzah brei. They were all either made sweet during the day OR salty for dinners with meat or chicken. Cant wait to get cookin, now you gave me an appitite for them….. Bubbulah ( a term of endearment)!!! Please excuse my poor spelling of these words, i am better at making them than spelling them 🙂
Cookin Canuck says
What an easy and fantastic recipe! I’ll have to make this with my kids.
Arlene says
I too whipped the egg whites and folded them in. Very light. Forgot about this recipe
Deborah, the Astrogirl says
Oh yum!!! Several days into Pesach and my husband is antsy for something different. I’ll be adding these to my feast-day repertoire!
Michelle Robinson says
Somewhat off-topic, I’m so glad to know what a bubaleh is–it’s been a term of endearment that I picked up somewhere in my life, and I love it! I call my little boy, who is almost 1, my bubaleh, and he and my husband are (for whatever reason) my bublichki–my “little bagels”.
Tori Avey says
Bubaleh is a Yiddish word, you are correct that it is a term of endearment (similar to “darling” or “sweetie”). In Etti’s family this recipe picked up the nickname “bubaleh” at some point. I think it’s an awfully cute name for a pancake. 🙂
Elise says
My husbands very favorite! I do them basically the same way, except I separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff then fold them in. They are so light and fluffy when you do this. My husband’s grandmother used to own a deli
and she taught me this trick. She was the best cook 🙂
Tori Avey says
I will try that next time Elise! Grandmas are ALWAYS the best cooks, especially when they own a deli. 😉
Penni Fields says
My mom made them the same way and taught me to do the same. My kids always loved for me to make these. We topped it with sugar, powdered sugar,or syrup
dee says
i have been making them for years, but i make small ones and top with cinnamon sugar, but my dad grew up eating them with sour cream.
Foodprofessor says
This is a great recipe and has been used in my home forever (I’m 61). The only problem is your service size. These are so delicious no one eats just one.
Tori Avey says
Very true! I figure people can easily double, triple, quadruple depending on their needs. 🙂
Liz says
My mother and grandmother used to make bubbeleh with whipped up egg whites in a silver dollar size. They made the fluffiest little cakes. Special Sunday morning breakfast whether it was Pesach or not.
Phil Goldwasser says
I make a very similar pancake but use matza cake meal instead and I get something very close to a hametz pancake!
JANETTE says
THIS IS A GREAT RECIPE, LOVE THAT IT’S SO SIMPLE
sybil marcus says
wow
B.D. says
Passover pancakes are a great breakfast all year long.
Ari says
A Tip. I have make bubeleh all my life but its kind of big and have to use a plate or another pan to turn iit. Normally is done separating the eggs. But is not necessaraly if you do not separate de eggs and beat tthem with an elecrical hand mixer at max speed for a couple of minutes de mixture will grow the same as if separating the Whites from the Yolks.