Easy Unleavened Bread Recipe

This soft & chewy unleavened bread is easy to make and only requires 3 ingredients (flour, salt, and water), making it an excellent option when you are short on time or during religious celebrations like Communion or Passover.

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Over the years, I have developed many variations of unleavened bread, including recipes for traditional matzah, Communion bread, and gluten-free alternatives. Through this journey, I have learned the specific criteria and religious requirements for both Jewish and Christian traditions. As a baker who strives for perfection, I have returned to this recipe to refine the measurements and workflow—ensuring you can bake this 3-ingredient unleavened bread within the strict 18-minute window required for Passover—while also providing an oven-baking technique for Communion to ensure your flatbread does not crumble when cut for the service.

Please keep in mind  that I am a professional baker, not an expert in rabbinical law or theology. While I have carefully developed this recipe for unleavened bread to meet the technical 18-minute standard for Passover and the simple requirements for Communion as my communion bread recipe, but traditions can vary. Therefore, I highly recommend consulting your local Rabbi or church leader before preparing this recipe for strict religious holidays or sacramental use.

Unleavened Bread Meaning

Technically, unleavened bread means any type of bread made from simple ingredients, without any leavening agent, and can be made from rich or enriched dough. But for Jews and Christians, unleavened bread can be more, as it is eaten during religious celebrations like the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzah) or during Passover. If you’re wondering about bread types that are unleavened, you can check my Types of Unleavened Bread article.

Leavened vs. Unleavened Bread: Key Differences

When we define leavened bread, we mean any bread made with a leavening agent, like yeast, baking powder, or baking soda. The majority of leavened breads rely on a lengthy fermentation process, in which yeast consumes sugars to release gases, resulting in an airy, thick, and fluffy crumb, which are the characteristics that define modern bread. But when I define unleavened bread historically, it is perhaps the oldest food on Earth, with the earliest evidence of bread dating back nearly 14,400 years to a site of hunters and gatherers in the Natufian period in northeastern Jordan, as I read in The History of Bread’s  article.

From a biblical perspective, leavened and unleavened bread are powerful symbols of the spiritual condition of man, with leaven being used almost universally in the Bible to symbolize sin, corruption, and pride, as written in Corinthians 5:6-8. Unleavened bread, on the other hand, represents purity, honesty, and humility, as well as a lasting reminder of the Israelites’ hasty liberation from Egypt.

For many traditions, this “sinless” bread is the only ingredient suitable for Holy Communion, as it represents the untainted body of the Messiah.

Ingredients You’ll Need & Why

Making unleavened flat bread is the simplest bread you can make, as it requires only 3 basic bread ingredients: wheat flour, salt, and water that are likely already in your hands. Because we skip the fermentation process entirely, this recipe demands minimal kneading to be successful and involves zero rising time. Using these simple ingredients not only saves time, but also makes it the go-to-choice for those who need to adhere to the strict 18-minute standard for Passover.

How to Make this Unleavened Bread Recipe

Before we dive into how to make unleavened bread, we include oven baking time in the recipe card below. Note that I have already developed a communion bread recipe specifically designed for oven baking if you’d like to prepare it that way. If you prefer a bread made without yeast and have a richer taste and a soft and chewy texture, you can try your hand at this no yeast flatbread made with olive oil.

Now, let me show you how to make this recipe step by step in under 18 minutes.

First, mix the flour and salt together. If you are preparing this bread for Passover, set a timer for exactly 18 minutes from the moment the water touches the flour; other than that, you can skip this step and prepare the recipe without rushing. Add the water and combine all the ingredients by hand or with a  wooden spoon, or a dough whisk until a shaggy mass forms, you need a total of 2-3 minutes to do this step.

Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface and transfer the dough onto it. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until it becomes supple and elastic (Use your hands if you want to knead faster). There is no need to knead the dough until it becomes smooth, as we do with yeast bread; just make sure that the dough does not stick.

Preheat griddle or electric skillet over medium-to-high heat. 

Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece into a circle 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and about 1/4 inch (4-5 mm) thick. If you are wondering whether you can make smaller dough circles, the short answer is no, as this is a skillet-baked bread w making it with more than 1/4 inch (4-5 mm) thick and yields to unbaked doughly inside.

Once you’ve rolled out the first piece, place it directly into the preheated hot skillet. Cook for 60–90 seconds per side, turning it with a slotted turner until it’s golden brown. To save time, roll out the second piece while the first is cooking, so it’s ready to go immediately after. 

If you are making this bread specifically for Holy Communion, I recommend baking it in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 8–9 minutes. This yields a sturdier bread that does not crumble when cut into small squares for the service.