Before or After Dough Rises?
1. The chiyuv to separate challah takes effect immediately after the dough is formed, if there is enough flour to require hafrasha of course (the shiur is detailed in the previous issue, 333). Thus, one may do hafrasha either before the dough rises or after it rises, as the chiyuv of hafrasha depends on the amount of flour in the dough, not the size of the dough (כמבואר בשו''ע יו''ד סי' שכ''ד סי''ד ). However, if there is a chance one will need to add flour to the dough before arranging it, it is better to do hafrasha after adding the flour unless one has in mind at the time of hafrasha that it should also cover the flour that will be added.
Oatmeal Cookies
2. The chiyuv hafrashas challah only applies to dough; a dough is something made from flour, water, and the like. However, a mixture of grain kernels clumped together with sticky ingredients is not considered a dough for the purposes of hafrashas challah.
3. Oat flour with wheat flour. When making cookies from ‘oat flour’ mixed with wheat flour, the flours combine for the minimum shiur to require hafrasha, as the dough is made from both types of flours – oat and wheat – and it is defined as a dough. When the combined amount is enough to require hafrasha, hafrasha must be done (שו''ע סי' שכ''ד ס''ב ).
4. Wheat flour with whole oats. If whole oats are added to wheat flour, the oats do not combine for the minimum shiur of flour, as kernels do not make dough (ע''פ גמ' מנחות דף ע' ע''א, חלה פ''א ה''א, או''ז הל' חלה סי' רי''ד ). Thus, if there is a minimum shiur of just wheat flour, hafrashas challah is required; if there is not the minimum shiur from wheat alone, the dough is potur from challah. However, if the kernels were soaked in water, crushed, and mixed with wheat flour such that it more resembles a dough, hafrashas challah is done without a bracha (עי' מש''כ מו''ר הגרי''י בלויא בלקט העומר פ''ה הע' ט ').
5. Wheat flour with instant oats. Oat flakes, e.g., Quaker brand oats [from where the Hebrew generic term קווקר comes] meant for quick preparation which more resemble flour, are the most commonly used oats for oatmeal cookies. A combination of these instant oats with wheat flour can create a mixture just like dough. Thus, the oats are also counted toward the shiur; if, between the instant oats and the wheat flour together, there is a minimum shiur for hafrasha, the dough requires hafrashas challah.
6. It should be noted that the quantity of instant oats required for hafrasha is different than the quantity of oat flour (given in the previous issue, 333). The shiur for instant oats is smaller, as they have a greater volume per unit of weight, and the chiyuv of hafrasha is based on volume (Issue 333, par. 16). Thus, 800 grams or more of instant oats requires hafrasha without a bracha. If it is mixed with wheat flour, one must calculate the shiur accordingly.
A Freezer for “Combining in a Basket” [צירוף סל ]
7. Combining in dishes. If two of the same type of dough are in the same dish and neither one has the minimum shiur for hafrasha, the dish combines them; they are viewed as one and the chiyuv hafrasha applies. Similarly, if the two doughs were baked when they did not have the minimum shiur but were placed in the same dish after the baking, the dish combines them, and the chiyuv hafrasha takes effect even after they are baked (שו''ע סי' שכ''ה ס''א ).
8. Combining in a freezer. Accordingly, many poskim discuss the halacha when one bakes multiple items, each without the minimum shiur for hafrasha, and then stores them in the freezer. Being that the freezer has the status of a כלי if it has a capacity of less than forty sa’ah [about 330 liters], do we view the freezer as a container that combines the baked items? If we do, one would need to do hafrashas challah on items made from the same type of dough which, all together, have enough flour to require hafrasha.
9. For example, if one baked challos for Shabbos using 1 kg of flour [less than the shiur] and placed them in the freezer, and then made the same quantity of challos and placed them in the freezer together with the first batch, does the chiyuv hafrasha take effect? The same shaila applies when one bakes many of the same type of cakes or cookies for a simcha or the like.
10. Strictly speaking. Strictly speaking, many poskim agree that the freezer does not combine items, for multiple reasons. Items are placed into the freezer for frozen storage, not with the intention to combine them (שו''ת שבט הלוי ח''י סי' קצ''ב, הגרשז''א בשש''כ ח''ב פמ''ב הע' ל''ט, שו''ת מחזה אליהו סי' קי''א -קט''ז ). Also, usually each item in a freezer is enclosed in its own bag, which creates a separation between them that does not allow them to combine in a dish (שו''ת מנח "י ח''ח סי' קט ). There are also other reasons to be meikel (עי' שו''ת מנחת חן יו''ד סי' ס''א ). Hence, the general public has a reliable basis to be meikel.
11. Machmirim. Nevertheless, some are machmir out of concern that a freezer does work to combine the baked items, especially if they are not in plastic (קובץ מבית לוי ) or if it is a basic plastic covering not there for the purpose of creating a separation, but just to prevent the items from getting the “freezer taste,” which is viewed like a part of the baked item (הגר''נ קרליץ, מנחת שי סי' ט''ז).
12. To avoid any possible safeik, it is worthwhile to remove all the baked goods of the same type and combine them in a dish or bag to create a definite chiyuv with a quantity one can make a bracha on. Then, hafrashas challah should be done so that it definitively covers everything. This is because if the combined quantity would not require a bracha according to all poskim, the items are still subject to safeik, so when they are returned to the freezer, there is a possibility that they will again combine with other items of the same type which did not have a valid hafrasha, and the cumulative quantity will have the minimum shiur to require hafrasha according to all poskim.
