Slightly-Sweet Unleavened Bread (Can Be Made GF)
This slightly-sweet unleavened bread is a new family classic for the Passover season. My sister tried it out when we went to their house for Passover Thursday night, and we loved it so much that I made it again the next day (and again when I got back to Atlanta).
Most years I try to make it home for Passover and the first Day of Unleavened Bread. It’s nice to spend the time with my parents and sister, bro-in-law, and their squidlets. Plus, I have the cutest little baking helpers…
I love this unleavened bread. It’s dense but not dry, hearty and satiating (due to the whole wheat flour and butter), and has a hint of sweet from the brown sugar and honey. It was also just as good leftover as fresh out of the oven.
Even better—you can mix it up by hand, pat out on the baking sheet, and it’s ready in half an hour, from start to finish!
It’s become a family favorite…I just learned that my sister’s kids call it “Manna 2.0” 🙂 AND, we’ve recently played around with gluten-free versions as both my sister and I needed a GF option, and it’s definitely flexible in this way.
One thing before we dive in: I keep the Days of Unleavened Bread (the week following Passover) as laid out in the bible, so I avoid leavening (sometimes called a rising agent). This can be things like yeast, baking powder, etc. (definition here). My understanding is that some Jewish people (particularly Orthodox Jews) may keep these days differently and also avoid flour and certain grains. I can’t speak to that in any way, and only you know how you keep the Passover season. YOU DO YOU. But please don’t send me angry comments, you have been warned 🙂
Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper (or grease it).
Mix the flour and brown sugar together (and salt, if not using salted butter). Add the wet ingredients and stir together. All you need is a bowl and a spoon, no electric mixer is necessary.
Plop it directly onto your prepared sheet pan. Pat or roll it out until it’s about 1/2-inch thick, and you can kind of lightly pat the edges in to make them less ragged.
Bake for about 17 minutes, until it becomes solid and slightly golden.
Let cool, then gently cut into strips. Mine kept fine in an airtight container for several days (4-5 days is probably safe).
[Updated photos added December 2023: And this has become a complete unleavened bread staple in my family in the years since!]
Other unleavened bread recipes you’ll love:
- Simple Rosemary Unleavened Bread
- Unleavened Almond Bread
- Cottage Cheese Rolls (the O.G. unleavened bread in my world)
- Spicy Unleavened Cheese Straws
- Savory Parmesan Rosemary Shortbread (Unleavened)
Slightly-Sweet Unleavened Bread
- 2 cups of white whole wheat flour (see notes on GF below)
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) of melted butter
- 1/4 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt IF your butter is unsalted
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or grease it.
- Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients and stir together (just a bowl and a spoon, no electric mixer necessary).
- Dump the dough right out onto your prepared sheet pan and pat it out with your hands to between 1/4- and 1/2-inch thick.
- Bake for about 17 minutes, until golden and mostly-set.
- Let cool, then slice into strips. It should keep fine in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
To make this gluten-free, you’ll want to ideally swap in a combination of flours, as just one won’t be able to mimic the texture and delicious taste of whole wheat flour. It can be flexible depending on what you have on-hand. I’ve used a mixture of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF mix, oat flour, and 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal. My sister used King Arthur 1:1 GF mix, Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix (which is bean-heavy, for flavor and texture), and oat flour. I think it could be great with a bit of almond flour for texture as well. Play around based on what you have and let me know in the comments what works best for you!
Original recipe here
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I made this tonight, but left out the brown sugar so that it was only lightly sweetened by the honey. Our family LOVED it!
I’m glad! I love the texture, and that it’s a little sweet (even when I pair it with savory things)…helps prevent the staleness I sometimes run into with unleavened bread after a couple days.
I made it without the sugar also. Delicious!
Does this recipe freeze well? I’d like to make it ahead of time for Communion bread at church.
Hey Patti! I honestly have never tried freezing them, but it’s definitely worth a try. My biggest worry on defrosting would be moisture, so you might think about doing it in an oven on a lower temp. I’d love to know how they turn out if you give it a try!
I’ll know next Sunday! 😄 We used a fresh one today at church and froze one for next Sunday.
Well, after thawing the frozen Communion bread, the taste and texture were fine! It kind of cracked apart, but it tasted fine. Plus, people at church really liked it. 😊
Yay! So good to know, thanks for reporting back!
I made your slightly sweet bread this morning and love it. Cannot wait to get back home to make it without the “sweet” as it has such a wonderful texture! You are making my Holy Days better with your recipes!
Thank you for the note, Connie! Let me know how it turns out without the “sweet”! I’ve also really been enjoying playing with different flavor combos on my “Simple Rosemary Unleavened Bread”…everything bagel seasoning, garlic cheddar, other herbs, or just plain sea salt.
How many people will this recipe serve? Looking for a recipe for about 60 people
Hi Sheila! So it’s a little hard to say, because it depends on what “serve” means…like for a meal where each person would have a normal serving of bread? Or like for a Passover type thing where you’re only having a small piece? This recipe makes around 30 small pieces (like 2-3 inches long and fairly thin), so I’d say you should at least double it to serve 60, and maybe triple if it’s the only bread at a meal. Hopefully that helps!