Halacha Orach Chaim 168

Aruch Hashulchan in 168:24 brings an interesting twist to the rules of Pas Habah Bekisnin. On the surface, it seems that there are three opinions regarding Pas Habah Bekisnin. Any product that does not fall into one of those three categories, and is baked like bread, would be considered bread.

However, the Aruch Hashulchan says that this is not true. On the contrary. The defining factor as to whether something is Pas Habah Bekisnin, is decided by customary use, and these criteria are only examples. If the product is usually eaten as a snack, like these three products, the Bracha would be a Mezonos. If it is usually eaten as a staple in a meal, the Bracha would be Hamotzei.

Based on this, we would like to look at two specific foods,
Soft Pretzels and Bagel Chips

Soft pretzels are essentially bread in a pretzel form. It would therefore seem obvious that a Hamotzei should be recited. However, based on this Aruch Hashulchan, the issue becomes a bit more cloudy. Is it a meal food, or a snack food? There is no clear consensus from contemporary Posrkim. Some therefore suggest that soft pretzels should only be eaten when washing in a traditional meal.

Most packaged bagel chips are manufactured by slicing whole bagels, and making them into smaller chips. It would therefore seem that a Hamotzei should be recited. However, based on the Aruch Hashulchan and other variables, a Mezonos can be recited. Since the original intention was to be used as a snack food, it is not considered completed earlier in the process. In addition, the pieces are rebaked and broken smaller than a Zayis, like we discussed in our earlier post. You can find that discussion here. It would therefore seem that a Mezonos can be recited.