To find out how many cups of flour are needed for 1 loaf of challah bread, we start by determining how much flour is used for each loaf.
The baker used 3 1/2 cups of flour for 3 loaves. We can first convert 3 1/2 cups into an improper fraction:
\[ 3 \frac{1}{2} = \frac{7}{2} \text{ cups} \]
Next, we will divide this amount by the number of loaves (3):
\[ \text{Flour per loaf} = \frac{7/2}{3} = \frac{7}{2} \times \frac{1}{3} = \frac{7}{6} \text{ cups} \]
So, the amount of flour needed for 1 loaf of challah bread is \( \frac{7}{6} \) cups, which can also be expressed as:
\[ 1 \frac{1}{6} \text{ cups} \]
Thus, 1 loaf of challah bread requires \( \frac{7}{6} \) cups or 1 1/6 cups of flour.