Hilchot Tefilla - Matza at the Seder

He places a broken matza inside a whole matza *for their matzot, like many Sephardic matzot today could be folded - Rav Eliyahu Touger

2b. Soft vs Cracker-like Matzot

“There’s lots of textual proof that matzah in Talmudic times was softer and thicker,” says Rabbi Dr. Ari Z. Zivotofsky. “Back then the matzot looked like pitot.” OU Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Avrohom Juravel also notes that the Shulchan Aruch refers to a matzah that is a “tefach thick,” which is about three or four inches thick.

A benefit is that soft matzot are indisputably deserving of the Hamotzi blessing. As for hard cracker matzot (known in halachic parlance as rekikim), some Sephardic posekim, including Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, maintain that they get the berachah of Mezonot. And not only Sephardic posekim maintain this position. The Tzitz Eliezer, Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, a well-respected twentieth-century Ashkenazi posek, debated whether Hamotzi should be recited over hard matzot, ultimately justifying the berachah on the grounds that the matzah forms the basis of the meal. (The debate over the blessing on matzah is relevant year round, not just on Pesach.)

How do soft matzot achieve their soft texture? It’s all about the water. “Generally speaking, the less water, the harder and drier the matzah will be,” states Rabbi Avraham Manning. Soft matzah bakers routinely add more than twice the amount of water used in hard matzot, making the dough pliable, he explains. Contemporary soft matzot are factory baked, wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer. (These matzot must be defrosted immediately before being served.)

Already hundreds of years ago, due to urbanization and other factors, matzah began to be produced well in advance of the holiday. Because of the long storage period, matzot were made thinner and drier so they would last. At the same time, some posekim also encouraged a thinner product fearing that thicker matzot might contain unbaked dough, which could turn to chametz. This is a serious halachic concern. “The thicker the matzah, the more likely the dough inside is not baked well,” explains Rabbi Juravel. “If water intermingles with the unbaked flour, the matzah becomes pure chametz.” Therefore, most Ashkenazic posekim are opposed to Ashkenazim consuming soft matzah on Pesach. Rav Schachter, however, does permit soft matzos on Pesach. His position is that one may eat soft matzas so long as they are from a reliable Sephardic hechsher that has a tradition on how to bake these matzas.

Yom Tov Tzemah, a representative from the Alliance Israelite Universelle, who visited Yemen in 1920, noted that while the soft matzot the Yemenites baked during the holiday were far tastier than the Ashkenazi cracker variety, the twice daily baking schedule was grueling for the bakers—most of them female. “What is the life of the women here, if not sadness and work?” he wrote

[jewishaction.com]

*The Rambam's statements are quoted from Pesachim 109a. However, Rashi, the Ra'avad, and others interpret חוטפים מצות to mean that the matzot are eaten hurriedly. The Rambam's interpretation is the source for the custom of stealing matzah at the Seder. (Rav Eliyahu Touger)

Can we use whole wheat matzot on Seder Night?

There are two requirements in the "ingredients" of a matza

1] That it should be made from the "Five Grains," which are Wheat, Barley, Spelt, Oats, and Rye. Based on this, it receives a status of "Lechem" [bread]. Matzot must be a "Lechem Oni."

2] It must be made from an ingredient that is "ra'uy lehachamitz," which means that it is "potentially" able to become chametz - and because it is watched and baked in haste, never did actually become chametz.

Wheat can become chametz, but the bran part cannot. A matza which is "mostly" bran, may not be used. A matza made of mostly bran would lack the first of the conditions that a matza must be a "lechem" a bread. When using whole wheat matzot that are "mostly wheat," no added matzah for the shiur 'Kazayit" is needed to compensate for the bran part. This only holds if the whole wheat is from the entire wheat ground in its original form.