Hafrashas Challah - Wheat Starch (Cont'd.)

QUESTION: Why is bread made from wheat starch not exempt from challah? The halacha by Challah is that if the dough is owned by a non-Jew, it is exempt from Challah. Making wheat starch involves dissolving flour in water, drying it and then milling it back into flour. Since this “dough” is made in a non-Jewish factory, and dough made by a non-Jew is exempt from challah, the wheat starch should be viewed as already having been made into dough and thus exempt from challah.

ANSWER: It is true that if a non-Jew makes dough, it is exempt from challah, and even if a Jew purchases this dough and bakes it subsequently into bread, there is no mitzvah to separate challah. However, that does not apply to wheat starch. This is because the company has no intention to make dough for the purpose of baking. Only dough which is made to be baked (or, according to some opinions, even boiled) is obligated in challah. If one made dough to eat as dough, it is not obligated in challah. This is certainly true regarding factories that produce wheat starch. They have no intention to make the dough into bread. Therefore, the Jewish consumer who turns it into dough to be baked is obligated in challah.

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