The sages offer a more lenient reading of "bread of affliction" than Rabbi Yishmael. Where Yishmael excluded enriched doughs from the Passover matzah obligation, the sages rule that a person may fulfill the obligation with all of them — including matzah made from second-tithe grain.
Their interpretation of lechem oni — "bread of affliction" — focuses not on the dough's simplicity but on its preparation method. The phrase means that the matzah must not be kneaded with wine, oil, or other liquids. Only water may be used in the kneading. This is the "affliction" the Torah describes: the absence of enriching liquids during the critical mixing stage.
But here is the surprising leniency: while the kneading must use only water, the shaping of the matzah — forming it into its final shape before baking — may involve any liquid. A person may coat, brush, or form the matzah with wine, oil, honey, or other substances. The restriction applies specifically to the kneading, not to every stage of preparation.
This distinction between kneading and forming created practical flexibility for Jewish households. The matzah could be plain in its foundation — water and grain, nothing more — while still allowing some variation in its final presentation. The "affliction" was built into the dough's core, but its surface could carry a touch of abundance.
The sages' reading balances two values: faithfulness to the memory of hardship and recognition that the festival is also a celebration.