Bread

Bread is a staple food eaten by many cultures throughout history.

History

Bread is made by grinding cereals (wheat, rye or barley) into a flour and adding water to make a dough. The dough is kneaded (mixed using the flat of the hands) to trap air in the mixture and then formed into a loaf. The loaf is then baked in a hot oven until the bread is cooked.

Bread was originally unleavened until the Egyptians discovered adding yeast (a by-product of beer production), would cause the bread to rise in the manner of most modern loaves. Most modern breads now use yeast as a leavening agent although unleavened bread is still produced (some Jewish breads and "flatbreads" such as chapatis).

Sliced bread was probably one of the first convenience foods.

Types of bread

• The French Baguette - a long loaf with a hard crust.
• The Bread Roll - A small loaf of bread commonly served with a soup or as a sandwich. There are many regional words for a bread roll. Common ones include a "cob", "oven bottom", "barm", "bampot", "bap" or "stottie".
• Granary or Wholemeal bread - these contain more of the grain than white bread and are a good source of fibre.
• Naan Bread - A flat Indian bread often served with a curry.

Toast

Toasted bread is part of the first meal of the day for millions of people, particularly with butter, lard, marmalade or jam. Although toast was originally produced by grilling bread, the toaster was invented to speed up the process and is now a popular addition to the kitchen.