Slight clarification: Adding dairy to the bread would not have made the bread treif (not kosher) in and of itself, but it would have made the bread dairy. And if you’re a production bakery, using milk or milk products in your bread would generally make all your products dairy, unless you’re either running two completely separate lines or taking the care to clean and kosher the mixers and other equipment between batches. (This would probably not fly with the casual sort of arrangement between bakery and rabbi described here.) Since the laws of kashrut prohibit mixing meat and milk, dairy bread could not be used to make meat sandwiches or a stuffing to go inside a chicken, or even just eaten alongside a roast to sop up gravy. But it would still be fine to use for a cheese sandwich, or to eat with anything vegetarian. (This is why many recipes for challah call for oil rather than butter: many families eat challah as part of their Shabbat meal, which would often be a meat meal.) If you’re selling bread to a population that includes folks who keep kosher, it’s easier to keep everything pareve (containing neither meat nor milk) and make it simpler for everyone.
Slight clarification: Adding dairy to the bread would not have made the bread treif (not kosher) in and of itself, but it would have made the bread dairy. And if you’re a production bakery, using milk or milk products in your bread would generally make all your products dairy, unless you’re either running two completely separate lines or taking the care to clean and kosher the mixers and other equipment between batches. (This would probably not fly with the casual sort of arrangement between bakery and rabbi described here.) Since the laws of kashrut prohibit mixing meat and milk, dairy bread could not be used to make meat sandwiches or a stuffing to go inside a chicken, or even just eaten alongside a roast to sop up gravy. But it would still be fine to use for a cheese sandwich, or to eat with anything vegetarian. (This is why many recipes for challah call for oil rather than butter: many families eat challah as part of their Shabbat meal, which would often be a meat meal.) If you’re selling bread to a population that includes folks who keep kosher, it’s easier to keep everything pareve (containing neither meat nor milk) and make it simpler for everyone.
Thanks Melissa! Kosher rules are far from my familiarity, and I really appreciate having this spelled out.
Hi,
Museo del Pan (Bread Museum) in Mayorga, Valladolid (Spain).
Kind regards.