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And She Fed Him (Bread and) Milk
With the holiday of Shavuot approaching, it becomes worthwhile to note two particular items of food that have a unique connection to the holiday – and discuss a halacha that applies when the two items come together.
Bread is connected to Shavuot through the Shtei HaLechem – the Two Loaves that were offered on this holiday in the Beit HaMikdash. Milk is associated with Shavuot by way of the well-known custom to eat dairy.
What happens when bread and milk come together? We have the halacha of dairy bread.
Ordinarily, when a food product is made using kosher ingredients, on non-compromised kosher equipment, with no mixing of dairy and meat, the food product is kosher.
But bread has an additional requirement. In order for bread to be considered kosher, it must be pareve.
The reason for this is highly sensible. Bread is the kind of thing that yields leftovers. If a person were to serve a dairy bread with a dairy dinner one night, and then put the remaining slices back in the refrigerator, who is to guarantee that someone will not go into the refrigerator the next day, take out two pieces of that bread, and make a bologna sandwich for his lunch?
And so, dairy bread (or bread kneaded with meat gravy) is considered non-kosher; and if you use your bread machine to bake a dough containing milk (or meat) ingredients, the bread machine becomes non-kosher and must be kashered.
There is one exception. If the bread is baked in such a way that it is immediately and clearly recognized by its shape and/or size that it is dairy, the restriction falls off. This is why English muffins can be certified kosher. They have a distinctive appearance, and that is enough to prevent the concern that they will be used with meat.
So this Shavuot, let us enjoy our bread, and let us enjoy our dairy foods. But let us make sure that they are not one and the same, unless they are baked in accordance with the laws of our Sages and earn the halachic seal of approval!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Goldberger