The flour used, cooking methods, rising agents and even the way of eating bread varies from culture to culture, but there is almost no society without an indigenous way of making bread.
It’s hard to trace back the history of bread-making and pin-point where and when the first loaf of bread was made. Mainly because there is no one culture or one geographic region that can claim ownership of bread. The flour used, cooking methods, rising agents and even the way of eating bread varies from culture to culture, but there is almost no society without an indigenous way of making bread.
Almost every country in Europe has its own unique bread-making traditions. The French pride themselves on the baguette, which is so much more than a thin long crusty loaf of bread; it is a symbol of French culture. Baguette is made with a simple combination of wheat flour, salt, water and yeast, and rarely contains any additives or preservatives. In fact, French law bans their use in baguettes. This requires baguettes to be consumed within 24 hours of baking, and you’ll almost never find a stale baguette in France.
A typical baguette is about a metre long and is usually sliced and served with cheese, jams or preserves, butter, some sort pâté or spread. It’s a common practice to indulge in dunking buttered chunks of baguette in hot coffee or hot chocolate. Brioche is another more indulgent French bread, which unlike the humble baguette is enriched with eggs, butter and sometimes sugar. Some variations are stuffed with fruit, chocolate chips and jams and served as dessert. French Fougasse is distinguished by a vertical slit or gash on the upper surface. This bread often becomes the base for calzone or is stuffed with cheese, dried fruit and other condiments.
Italy too has its own unique breads, the most popular of which is ciabatta; an oblong loaf of bread with a soft porous inside and a hard outer crust. Smaller loaves of ciabatta are used to make panini or toasted sandwiches. Ciabatta lends itself well to toasting and grilling, and is particularly delicious when brushed with olive oil. Sliced ciabatta is used as a base for bruschetta, a popular Italian appetizer. Focaccia is an Italian flatbread which is usually seasoned and topped with olive oil, garlic, salt, fresh and dry herbs, onions and a variety of other ingredients, sometimes even meats and cheese.
Focaccia is a lot like pizza base, but much thicker and softer. Much like pizza, it is baked in a stone or hearth oven. Because it is already flavoured, it doesn’t always need a topping or spread and is often served just as is, as an accompaniment to meals. Breadsticks are thin, small, crisp cylindrical pieces of bread, are usually served along with appetizers or soup and are also Italian in origin.
America has now developed a bagel tradition of its own, with each region having its own unique variations. Another European bread, which has become immensely popular in the Americas is the German pretzel. Pretzel is a knot-shaped bread, made by inter-twining a long piece of dough. Pretzels can be hard or soft, sweet or savoury. They are often coated with salt and herbs, or covered in a sweet glaze, making them an ideal snack on the go.
Most American bread-making began once the Europeans migrated to the west. Perhaps one of the only indigenous American breads is cornbread. Corn was the staple grain for Native Americans, who used coarse cornmeal to make cornbread, which can either be baked in an oven or on a stove top. Some variations of cornbread are steamed. Typically cornbread is served as an accompaniment to gravy, chilli or roast meats. In Mexico, it is often flavoured with spices or jalapenos and topped with cheese.
The bread making traditions in the United Kingdom are quite different from those of Europe. English breads are associated more with tea-time or breakfast, than with meals. The English muffin is a small round, flattish bun-like bread. Dough made with flour, salt, yeast, buttermilk and shortening is kneaded and shaped into flattened balls which are then baked on a hot griddle, not an oven like most breads. They are split or torn horizontally, and topped with butter, honey or jam. Scones are another typically English tea-time bread, made with either wheat, oat or barley flour. The rising agent used is usually baking powder, not yeast like most breads. Scones are usually made slightly sweet, and served with some jam or clotted cream.
Another global favourite is pita, which is Middle-Eastern in origin. Pita is a type of hollow flatbread, most popularly used as the base for stuffed falafel sandwiches or shawarma. After the dough has been rested and shaped into a disc, it is baked at a high temperature, which causes the inside to puff up, creating an air pocket inside. This shape makes it ideal for pocket sandwiches, which can hold a lot of filling and make for a convenient snack.
Another popular Middle-Eastern bread is Lavash.This bread has no rising agent, and is rolled out into a thin sheet before baking. The resulting bread is crisp and dry, and usually served along with hummus, dips or sauces. It is often topped with sesame seeds or poppy seeds before baking
All these diverse end products begin with the same basic ingredients, flour of some sort which is kneaded with water or milk and sometimes a rising agent, and then cooked, most often baked. Bread, in all its various forms, is truly a global staple, and besides being the base which binds most meals together, it provides most of the world with sustenance.