Thomas Christians of the Malabar coast in India. Holy loaf Prior to the English Reformation, there was a tradition where households took turns to bake and present a "holy loaf" to the parish church. This was blessed and distributed at the end of mass, sometimes in sizes corresponding to the social status of the recipient. Historian Peter Marshall describes the baking of this bread as a "quasi-liturgical role for local women". See also Christmas wafer Sacramental bread References Religious food and drink Breads Eastern Christian liturgical objects