Unleavened describes bread or baked goods made without any rising agent, so they stay flat and dense instead of puffing up. When you make regular bread, you add yeast or baking powder to create tiny air bubbles that make the dough rise and become fluffy. Unleavened bread skips this step entirely, producing a thin, flat result.

The most famous unleavened bread is matzo, which Jewish families eat during Passover to remember their ancestors' hurried escape from slavery in Egypt, when they had no time to let bread rise. Tortillas, certain flatbreads, and crackers are also unleavened. Pizza dough and sandwich bread, by contrast, are leavened, meaning they contain rising agents that make them soft and airy.

When something is unleavened, it's deliberately made without any ingredient that makes dough rise. You can taste the difference: unleavened breads are chewier and denser, with few or no air pockets. They're often used in religious ceremonies or in cuisines where thin, sturdy bread works better for wrapping or scooping food.