Matzah: The Bread Without Leaven
Feast of Unleavened Bread – Instruction, Symbolism, and Practical Application
Removing Leaven, Removing Pride, Remembering Redemption
Greg Witter | Ephraim’s Cry
Hebraic Mindset Study Series
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Introduction: What Is Matzah — and Why Does It Matter?
Matzah (מַצָּה) is not a religious prop.
It is not a cultural token.
It is not optional symbolism.
It is commanded.
Exodus 12:15 — “Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread… whoever eats what is leavened… that soul shall be cut off from Israel.”
Exodus 13:6–7 — “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread… no leaven shall be seen with you.”
This is not tradition.
This is Torah.
Matzah means bread without leaven — not bread without ingredients.
The command is specific: remove leaven (fermentation, rising agent, decay starter), not flavor, not salt, not oil.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is about cleansing, separation, and remembrance.
Deuteronomy 16:3 — “You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction — for you came out of Egypt in haste.”
Matzah is redemption bread.
It is haste bread.
It is humility bread.
The Spiritual Meaning of Leaven
Leaven in Scripture represents corruption, sin, pride, and permeation.
1 Corinthians 5:6–8 — “A little leaven leavens the whole lump… therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven… but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Yahusha warned:
Matthew 16:6 — “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”
Leaven spreads quietly.
It inflates.
It changes the whole batch.
Removing leaven is not just about bread.
It is about heart condition.
Psalm 51:10 — “Create in me a clean heart, O Elohim.”
The physical act teaches the spiritual discipline.
Basic / Simple Matzah Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups general-purpose flour (level, unshifted, not packed)
½ tsp salt
Water — 2–3 cups, enough to form dough
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Mix flour and salt.
Add water slowly until dough forms.
Knead briefly.
Roll thin (⅛” max thickness).
Stripe and pierce.
Bake directly on rack 2–3 minutes per side.
Bake total 6–7 minutes depending on thickness until crisp.
Simple.
Clean.
Torah-compliant.
No leaven.
No fermentation.
No delay.
Enhanced Recipe – My Preferred Method
Ingredients:
2 cups general-purpose flour (or 50/50 GP and wheat flour)
½ tsp salt
3½ TBSP melted butter
¾ cup half & half (or milk/cream)
Melt butter. Mix with salt and half & half.
Add flour and mix well.
Knead and divide into 4 balls.
Roll very thin (⅛” max).
Stripe and pierce.
Bake at 450°F for 6–7 minutes total.
☆ Use baking screens if desired for flatness and easier handling.
This does not violate Torah.
Butter is not leaven.
Milk is not leaven.
Oil is not leaven.
Leaven is the issue — not richness.
Optional Flavor Variations
Garlic powder
Everything bagel seasoning
Cinnamon & sugar (reduce milk slightly if adding syrup)
Italian herbs
Olive oil glaze
Kosher salt and crushed red pepper
All permitted — as long as there is no leavening agent.
Precision matters.
Sweeter Variation (~5 pieces)
3 cups flour
½ cup softened butter
2 tsp – 2 TBSP sugar
½ cup half & half
Mix, roll, pierce, bake at 450°F.
Whole Wheat / Einkorn Version
5 cups whole wheat (Einkorn preferred)
2 cups hot water (or half & half)
2½ tsp sea salt
2 TBSP olive oil
Form 3 oz balls.
Roll into 6” circles, ⅛” thick.
Cook in dry cast iron pan until browned both sides
OR bake at 450°F 2–3 min per side.
Makes 12–14 matzot.
Matzah Pizza – Feast Favorite
Roll thin to pizza size.
Bake 5 minutes on preheated stone.
Remove.
Add toppings: sauce, cheese, herbs.
Bake ~12 minutes until melted and browned.
Kids love it.
Families enjoy it.
Torah remains intact.
Covenant Guardrails
Unleavened means without leaven.
It does not mean flavorless.
It does not mean joyless.
It does not mean legalistic minimalism.
Deuteronomy 12:32 — “You shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
Adding man-made burdens is as wrong as ignoring commandment.
Keep the command clean.
Do not invent restrictions Scripture does not state.
Do not water down what Scripture clearly commands.
Prophetic Dimension
The Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately follows Passover.
Redemption first. Cleansing next.
Messiah is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Then we purge the leaven.
The sequence matters.
Redemption leads to sanctification.
Freedom leads to purification.
Unleavened bread represents sincerity and truth.
It represents a life not puffed up with pride.
Make It Interactive
How do YOU make your matzah?
Do you prefer simple and crisp?
Soft and pan-cooked?
Garlic? Sweet? Whole wheat?
Post your favorite recipe below.
Share your method.
Let’s strengthen one another in keeping the feast correctly — without leaven and without man-made additions.
Torah is not burdensome when understood correctly.
It is precise.
It is clean.
It is life-giving.
Keep it simple.
Keep it scriptural.
Keep it joyful.
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#SincerityAndTruth#PassoverPreparation#HebraicMindset#DoNotAddOrSubtract
