The Bread that Satisfied Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

The Facts, Please! Bread was a very important part of a Jewish meal in Bible times. For most people, the main meal consisted of bread, cheese, fruit, and vegetables. Meat was not eaten often. Bread was so important that the term “eating bread” meant “having a meal.”

The Facts, Please! The best bread was made from wheat. A cheaper, coarser bread was made from barley.

The Facts, Please! After the grain had been ground into flour on a hand mill, the flour was mixed with water and kneaded on a small kneading trough. Unleavened bread was then baked into thin, round cakes that were quite hard. To make leavened bread, a piece of dough from the previous batch was added to the new dough. The leavened lump was left by the fire, sometimes all night, to let the dough rise. The dough was divided into round cakes that looked something like round stones, about nine inches across and as thick as a finger. Then it was baked on flat stones or in a simple earthenware oven, heated over a fire.

The Facts, Please! God told the Israelites to take some of the first grain that they harvested and give it to the Lord. This was called the firstfruits. It could be in the form of the grain itself or baked into bread.

Bible Story: How 100 Hungry Men Were Fed 2 Kings 4:42-44