Sacramental bread

Bread used in the Christian rite of Communion, either thin unleavened wafers or loaves of leavened bread, depending on the church.

Sacramental bread: A stack of thin, round, plain white unleavened wafers and a small round unleavened loaf on a linen cloth
  • Cakes, cookies, pastries and baked goods

Also called: communion bread, communion wafer, consecrated host, holy host, host

In the Roman Catholic Church and many Western churches, the bread is a thin, round unleavened wafer made only of wheat flour and water and baked between heated plates. Eastern Orthodox churches use a leavened loaf called prosphora, stamped with a seal before baking. Some Protestant churches use ordinary bread.

This bread is usually prepared by religious communities or specialist bakers following church guidelines. It is included in this encyclopedia as a type of baked wafer and bread with a long tradition, not as a dessert.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Bread for the Mass, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops