A variety of breads at the Boudin Bakery

Bread is a staple food around the world that is prepared by baking a dough of flour and water.^[1] It may be leavened or unleavened. Salt, fat and a leavening agent such as yeast are common ingredients, though breads may contain a range of other ingredients: milk, egg, sugar, spice, fruit (such as raisins), vegetables (such as onion), nuts (such as walnuts) or seeds (such as poppy seeds). The word bread can refer to: bread, the group of staple foods. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... A rack of bread in a Boudin bakery. ... Lactose is a disaccharide found in milk. ... Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. ... Not to be confused with fats. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin showing coloured alpha helices. ... Thiamine mononitrate Thiamine or thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, is a colorless compound with chemical formula C12H17ClN4OS. It is soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol. ... Riboflavin (E101), also known as vitamin B2, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in animals. ... Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin whose derivatives such as NADH, NAD, NAD+, and NADP play essential roles in energy metabolism in the living cell and DNA repair. ... R-phrases 36 S-phrases none Flash point Non-flammable Related Compounds Other anions NaF, NaBr, NaI Other cations LiCl, KCl, RbCl, CsCl, MgCl2, CaCl2 Related salts Sodium acetate Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient considered sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all (97–98%) healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group. ... Lactose is a disaccharide found in milk. ... Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. ... Not to be confused with fats. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin showing coloured alpha helices. ... Thiamine mononitrate Thiamine or thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, is a colorless compound with chemical formula C12H17ClN4OS. It is soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol. ... Riboflavin (E101), also known as vitamin B2, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in animals. ... Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin whose derivatives such as NADH, NAD, NAD+, and NADP play essential roles in energy metabolism in the living cell and DNA repair. ... R-phrases 36 S-phrases none Flash point Non-flammable Related Compounds Other anions NaF, NaBr, NaI Other cations LiCl, KCl, RbCl, CsCl, MgCl2, CaCl2 Related salts Sodium acetate Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient considered sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all (97–98%) healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group. ... A staple food is a food that forms the basis of a traditional diet. ... Some examples of baked food. ... Dough Dough is a paste made out of any cereals (grains) or leguminous crops by grinding with small amount of water. ... For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... A leavening agent (sometimes called just leavening or leaven) is a substance used in doughs and batters that causes a foaming action. ... Edible salt is mostly sodium chloride (NaCl). ... For other uses, see FAT. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. ... A leavening agent (sometimes called just leavening or leaven) is a substance used in doughs and batters that causes a foaming action. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Yeast. ... A glass of cows milk. ... Chicken egg (left) and quail eggs (right), the types of egg commonly used as food An egg is a body consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing of some type, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo. ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely-traded commodity. ... For other uses, see Spice (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Raisins Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... For other uses, see Vegetable (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Onion (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Nut (disambiguation). ... This article is about the walnut tree. ... This writeup is about biological seeds; for other meanings see Seed (disambiguation). ... This article is about the plant. ...

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The development of leavened bread can probably also be traced to prehistoric times. Fresh bread is prized for its taste, aroma and texture. Retaining its freshness is important to keep it appetizing. Bread that has stiffened or dried past its prime is said to be stale. Modern bread is often wrapped in paper or plastic film, or stored in an airtight container such as a breadbox to keep it fresh longer. Bread that is kept in warm, moist environments is prone to the growth of mold. It becomes stale more quickly in the low temperature of a refrigerator, although by keeping it cool, mold is less likely to grow. An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... Staling is a chemical and physical process in bread that reduces its palatability. ... For other uses, see Paper (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plastic (disambiguation). ... A typical wooden breadbox. ... This article is about the fungi known as molds. ... Fridge redirects here. ...

The inner, soft part of bread is referred to as the crumb, which is not to be confused with small bits of bread that often fall off, called crumbs. The latter term is in common use, while crumb is an esoteric word used mainly by culinary professionals. The outer hard portion of bread is referred to as the crust. Culinary art is the art of cooking. ...

[edit] Usage

Bread can be served at any temperature ranging from room temperature to hot. Once baked, it can subsequently be toasted. It is most commonly picked up and eaten with the hands, or sometimes with a knife and fork. It can be eaten by itself or as a carrier for another, usually less compact food. Bread may be dunked or dipped into a liquid (such as beef gravy, olive oil, or sardine pâté), topped with various spreads, both sweet and savory, or serve as the enclosure for the ubiquitous sandwich with any number of meats, cheeses, vegetables or condiments inside. For other uses, see Temperature (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Room temperature (disambiguation). ... This article is about the food. ... For other uses, see Gravy (disambiguation). ... For the Popeye character, see Olive Oyl. ... Sardines in the Pacific An open Sardines can Sardines on a plate grilled Sardines For the hide and seek-like game, see Hide and seek. ... For other uses, see Sandwich (disambiguation). ... A condiment is a garnishment applied to food in the form of a sauce, powder, spread, or similar delivery medium. ...

[edit] Etymology

The word itself, Old English bread, is common in various forms to many Germanic languages; such as Frisian brea, Dutch brood, German Brot, Swedish bröd, and Norwegian and Danish brød; it has been claimed to be derived from the root of brew, but more probably is connected with the root of break, for its early uses are confined to broken pieces, or bits of bread, the Latin crustum, and it was not until the 12th century that it took the place—as the generic name for bread—of hlaf (hlaifs in Gothic: modern English loaf), which appears to be the oldest Teutonic name; Old High German hleib and modern German Laib, or Finnish leipä, Estonian leib, and Russian хлеб (khleb) are similar (all are derived from the Old Germanic word for "loaf"). Old English redirects here. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Germanic languages form one of the branches of the Indo-European (IE) language family, spoken by the Germanic peoples who settled in northern Europe along the borders of the Roman Empire. ... The West Frisian language (Frysk) is a language spoken mostly in the province of Fryslân in the north of the Netherlands. ... Swedish (svenska) is a language spoken principally in Sweden, Finland (Finland-Swedish, Swedish: finlandssvenska), Åland and in the coastland of Estonia Swedish is classified as a member of the East section of the Scandinavian languages, a sub-group of the Germanic group of the Indo-European language family. ... A 16th century brewer A 21st century brewer This article concerns the production of alcoholic beverages. ... For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. ... The Germanic languages are a group of related languages constituting a branch of the Indo-European (IE) language family. ... The (Late Old High) German speaking area of the Holy Roman Empire around 950. ... Finnish is spoken by the majority in Finland and by Ethnic Finns outside of Finland. ...

[edit] History of bread

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first breads produced were probably cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water, and may have been developed by accidental cooking or deliberate experimentation with water and grain flour. Descendants of these early breads are still commonly made from various grains worldwide, including the Mexican tortilla, Indian chapatis, rotis and naans, Scottish oatcake, North American jonnycake, Middle Eastern pita, and Ethiopian injera. The basic flat breads of this type also formed a staple in the diet of many early civilizations with the Sumerians eating a type of barley flat cake, and the 12th century BC Egyptians being able to purchase a flat bread called ta from stalls in the village streets.^[2] An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... This article is about the Mexican Tortilla. ... An Indian girl baking chapatis. ... It has been suggested that Chapati be merged into this article or section. ... A bakery near Kabul, Afghanistan Naan (Hindi: नान, Urdu/Persian: نان, IPA [nɑn]) is a round flatbread made of white flour. ... This article is about the country. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Oatcake An oatcake is a type of cracker or pancake, made from oatmeal, and sometimes flour as well. ... North American redirects here. ... Jonnycake (also spelled johnnycake, journey cake, and other forms) is a type of cornmeal pancake once popular in American cuisine and still strongly identified in particular with the food of the state of Rhode Island. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... For other uses, see Pita (disambiguation). ... This meal, consisting of injera and several kinds of wat or tsebhi (stew), is typical of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. ... Sumer (or Šumer; Sumerian: KI-EN-GIR [1]) was the earliest known civilization of the ancient Near East, located in lower Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), from the time of the earliest records in the mid 4th millennium BC until the rise of Babylonia in the late 3rd millennium BC. The term... (13th century BC - 12th century BC - 11th century BC - other centuries) (1200s BC - 1190s BC - 1180s BC - 1170s BC - 1160s BC - 1150s BC - 1140s BC - 1130s BC - 1120s BC - 1110s BC - 1100s BC - other decades) (3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC) Events 1200 BC - Ancient Pueblo Peoples...

The development of leavened bread can probably also be traced to prehistoric times. Yeast spores occur everywhere, including the surface of cereal grains, so any dough left to rest will become naturally leavened. Although leavening is likely of prehistoric origin, the earliest archaeological evidence is from ancient Egypt. Scanning electron microscopy has detected yeast cells in some ancient Egyptian loaves. However, ancient Egyptian bread was made from emmer wheat and has a dense crumb. In cases where yeast cells are not visible, it is difficult, by visual examination, to determine whether the bread was leavened. As a result, the extent to which bread was leavened in ancient Egypt remains uncertain.^[3] Binomial name Triticum dicoccon Schrank Emmer wheat is a low yielding, awned wheat. ...

There were multiple sources of leavening available for early bread. Airborne yeasts could be harnessed by leaving uncooked dough exposed to air for some time before cooking. Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples." Parts of the ancient world that drank wine instead of beer used a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting, or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source for yeast. The most common source of leavening however was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter.^[4] Pliny the Elder: an imaginative 19th Century portrait. ... Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... The Lady of Baza, made by Iberians The Iberians were an ancient, Pre-Indo-European people who inhabited the east and southeast of the Iberian Peninsula in prehistoric and historic times. ... A bread starter, also called a sponge, consists of a simple mixture of flour, water, and a leavening agent (typically yeast or yogurt), and is added to bread dough before the kneading and baking process as a substitute for yeast. ...

Even within antiquity there was a wide variety of breads available. In the Deipnosophistae, the Greek author Athenaeus describes some of the breads, cakes, cookies, and pastries available in the Classical world. Among the breads mentioned are griddle cakes, honey-and-oil bread, mushroom shaped loaves covered in poppy seeds, and the military specialty of rolls baked on a spit. The type and quality of flour used to produce bread could also vary as noted by Diphilus when he declared "bread made of wheat, as compared with that made of barley, is more nourishing, more digestible, and in every way superior." In order of merit, the bread made from refined [thoroughly sieved] flour comes first, after that bread from ordinary wheat, and then the unbolted, made of flour that has not been sifted."^[5] The Deipnosophistes (deipnon “dinner” and sophistae, “the wise ones”) is variously translated as The Banquet of the Learned or Philosophers at Dinner or The Gastronomers is work of some 15 books (some complete and some surviving in summaries only) by the ancient Greek author Athenaeus of Naucratis in Egypt, written... Athenaeus (ca. ... Diphilus, of Sinope, poet of the new Attic comedy and contemporary of Menander (342-291 BC). ...

Peasants sharing bread, from the Livre du roi Modus et de la reine Ratio, France, 14th century. (Bibliothèque nationale)

Within medieval Europe bread served not only as a staple food but also as part of the table service. In the standard table setting of the day the trencher, a piece of stale bread roughly 6 inches by 4 inches (15 cm by 10 cm), served as an absorbent plate. At the completion of a meal the trencher could then be eaten, given to the poor, or fed to the dogs. It was not until the fifteenth century that trenchers made of wood started to replace the bread variety.^[6] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The new buildings of the library. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... A staple food is a food that forms the basis of a traditional diet. ... Trencher table setting [Copyright C. Higgins] A trencher (from Old French tranchier; to cut) is a type of tableware, commonly used in medieval cuisine. ...

Otto Frederick Rohwedder is considered to be the father of sliced bread. In 1912 Rohwedder started work on inventing a machine that sliced bread, but bakeries were reluctant to use it since they were concerned the sliced bread would go stale. It was not until 1928, when Rohwedder invented a machine that both sliced and wrapped the bread, that sliced bread caught on. A bakery in Chillicothe, Missouri was the first to use this machine to produce sliced bread. Otto Frederick Rohwedder (July 7, 1880, Des Moines, Iowa–November 8, 1960, Concord, Michigan), who grew up in Davenport, Iowa, United States, invented the first automatic bread-slicing machine. ... Sliced bread. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

For generations, white bread was the preferred bread of the rich while the poor ate dark bread. However, in most western societies, the connotations reversed in the late 20th century with dark bread becoming preferred as having superior nutritional value while white bread became associated with lower-class ignorance of nutrition.^{[citation needed]} (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Nutrition Facts table indicates the amounts of nutrients which experts recommend you limit or consume in adequate amounts. ...

Another major advance happened in 1961 with the development of the Chorleywood Bread Process which used the intense mechanical working of dough to dramatically reduce the fermentation period and the time taken to produce a loaf. This process is now widely used around the world in large factories. The Chorleywood Bread Process, or CBP, was developed in 1961 by the Flour Milling and Baking Research Association at Chorleywood and is now used to mMedia:Example. ... For other uses, see Fermentation. ...

More recently, and especially in smaller retail bakeries, chemical additives are used that both speed up mixing time and reduce necessary fermentation time, so that a batch of bread may be mixed, made up, risen, and baked in less than 3 hours. Dough that does not require fermentation because of chemical additives is called "no-time bread" by commercial bakers. Common additives include reducing agents such as L-cysteine or sodium metabisulfite, and oxidants such as potassium bromate or ascorbic acid.^[7] Often these chemicals are added to dough in the form of a prepackaged base, which also contains most or all of the dough's non-flour ingredients. Using bases and sophisticated chemistry, commercial bakers have made possible the fresh production of imitation artisan and sourdough breads by semi-skilled labor working in smaller shops. Bread improver has been a common ingredient in bread since the early 1950s used to speed up bread production. ... Cysteine is a naturally occurring hydrophobic amino acid which has a sulfhydryl group and is found in most proteins, however only in small quantities. ... R-phrases   S-phrases   Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 Â°C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Structural formula of sodium metabisulfite Sodium metabisulfite or sodium pyrosulfite (American spelling; English spelling is Sodium metabisulphite or sodium pyrosulphite) is an inorganic compound... Potassium bromate (KBrO3), is a bromate of potassium and takes the form of white crystals or powder. ... This article deals with the molecular aspects of ascorbic acid. ...

Recently, domestic breadmakers that automate the process of making bread are becoming popular in the home. Breadmaker A breadmaker is a home appliance for baking bread, it handles the process from ingredients to a finished loaf automatically. ...

[edit] Cultural and political importance of bread in Western and Eastern cultures

As a foodstuff of great historical and contemporary importance, in many cultures in the West and Near and Middle East bread has a significance beyond mere nutrition. The Lord's Prayer, for example, contains the line 'Give us today our daily bread'; here, 'bread' is commonly understood to mean necessities in general. In Israel the most usual phrase in work related demonstrations is "lekhem, avoda" [bread, work], and during the 1950s, the beatnik community used the term bread as a euphemism for money.^{[citation needed]} The word bread is now commonly used around the world in English speaking countries as a synonym for money, in part, derived from the rhyming slang "Bread and honey". The cultural importance of 'bread' goes beyond slang, however, to serve as a metaphor for basic necessities and living conditions in general. A 'bread-winner' is a household's main economic contributor and has little to do with actual bread-provision, for example. This also goes along with the phrase "putting bread on the table." A remarkable or revolutionary innovation is often referred to as "the greatest thing since sliced bread." In the USSR, Lenin and his fellow Bolsheviks promised "Peace, Land, and Bread," which thereby became a mainstay slogan of Soviet propaganda. In Newfoundland, bread was seen as having the power to protect against fairies. The term "breadbasket" is often used to denote an agriculturally productive region. In Slavic cultures bread and salt is offered as a welcome to all guests. The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... For other uses, see Beatnik (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Money (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Synonyms (in ancient Greek, συν (syn) = plus and όνομα (onoma) = name) are different words with similar or identical meanings. ... Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London. ... This article is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... The Breadbasket of a country is a region which, because of richness of soil or advantageous climate, produces an agricultural surplus which is often considered vital for the country as a whole. ... Distribution of Slavic people by language The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe, where they constitute roughly a third of the population. ... Bread and salt is a Slavic welcome greeting ceremony. ...

The political significance of bread is considerable. In Britain in the nineteenth century the inflated price of bread due to the Corn Laws caused major political and social divisions, and was central to debates over free trade and protectionism. The Assize of Bread and Ale in the thirteenth century showed the importance of bread in medieval times by setting heavy punishments for short-changing bakers, and bread appeared in Magna Carta a century later. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Corn Laws, in force between 1815 and 1846, were import tariffs ostensibly designed to protect British farmers and landowners against competition from cheap foreign grain imports. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between nations, through methods such as high tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, a variety of restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports, and anti-dumping laws in an attempt to protect domestic industries in a particular nation from foreign take-over... In Old English law, the Assize of Bread and Ale (Latin: Assisa panis et cervisiæ) was a 13th-century statute that set standards of quality, measurement, and pricing for bakers and brewers. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... This article is about the English charter issued in 1215. ...

In contrast, in much of Asia rice is much more prominent as a staple and much of the connotations of bread as a cultural symbol of basic necessities are replaced by rice. To the more conservative elderly generations of Chinese in southern China, the appearance of rice on the table is a fundamental constituent of a meal. Meals made of bread, such as a sandwich, however substantial they may be, are considered as only light snacks in the eyes of the elderly generation. However for northern Chinese wheat is the staple cereal of which the mantou, the steamed bread of China, is the equivalent of the bread roll in the West. Alternative meaning: In geology, North China (continent) and South China (continent) were two ancient landmasses that correspond to modern northern and southern China. ... For other uses, see Sandwich (disambiguation). ... Mantou or man tou (Simplified Chinese: 馒头; Traditional Chinese: 饅頭; pinyin: ), sometimes known as Chinese steamed bun, is a kind of steamed buns typically served in Northern Chinese cuisine. ...

[edit] Types

Bread is a popular food in Western and most other societies, although East Asian societies typically prefer rice or noodles. It is often made from a wheat-flour dough that is cultured with yeast, allowed to rise, and finally baked in an oven. Owing to its high levels of gluten (which give the dough sponginess and elasticity), common wheat (also known as bread wheat) is the most common grain used for the preparation of bread, but bread is also made from the flour of other wheat species (including durum, spelt and emmer), rye, barley, maize (or corn), and oats, usually, but not always, in combination with wheat flour. Although common wheat is best suited for making highly-risen white bread, other wheat species are capable of giving a good crumb. Spelt bread (Dinkelbrot) continues to be widely consumed in Germany, and emmer bread was a staple food in ancient Egypt. Canadian bread is known for its heartier consistency due to high protein levels in Canadian flour. For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ... A cook making hand-pulled noodles. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat Wheat For the indie rock group, see Wheat (band). ... For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ... Dough Dough is a paste made out of any cereals (grains) or leguminous crops by grinding with small amount of water. ... Oven depicted in a painting by Millet An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. ... Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous mixture of ergastic (i. ... Binomial name Triticum aestivum L. Common wheat (also known as bread wheat) is by far the most important wheat species in cultivation today. ... Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum durum) is the only tetraploid species of wheat widely cultivated today. ... Look up Spelt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name Triticum dicoccon Schrank Emmer wheat is a low yielding, awned wheat. ... Binomial name Secale cereale M.Bieb. ... For other uses, see Barley (disambiguation). ... This article is about the maize plant. ... Binomial name Avena sativa Carolus Linnaeus (1753) The Oat (Avena sativa) is a species of cereal grain, and the seeds of this plant. ...

• White bread is made from flour containing only the central core of the grain (endosperm).
• Brown bread is made with endosperm and 10% bran. It can also refer to white bread with added colouring (often caramel colouring) to make it 'brown'.
• Wholemeal bread contains the whole of the wheat grain (endosperm and bran). It is also referred to as 'whole grain' or 'whole wheat' bread, especially in North America.
• Wheat germ bread has added wheat germ for flavouring.
• Whole grain bread can refer to the same as 'wholemeal bread', or to white bread with added whole grains to increase its fibre content (i.e. as in "60% whole grain bread").
• Granary bread is bread made from granary flour. Trademarked to Hovis, it is made from malted white or brown flour, wheat germ and whole grains.

European sweetbread (strucla) Hovis bread on the shelf Hovis is a UK brand of flour and bread, now owned by Premier Foods. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 581 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1162 pixel, file size: 499 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Strucla, a type of sweet bread from Europe. ...	Four loaves Image File history File linksMetadata Four_loaves. ...	French bread Download high resolution version (2256x1480, 571 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...	Breads and Bread Rolls at a bakery Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1177, 397 KB) Breads and rolls File links The following pages link to this file: Bread ...
Tin Vienna bread Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x989, 326 KB) Tin Vienna Bread File links The following pages link to this file: Bread User:Fir0002/Fir0002 gallery/20D/Other ...	Bread in a traditional oven Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...	Pre-sliced bread Bread Photo by Michel Marcon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...	Bread rolls Download high resolution version (1600x1057, 256 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Pain aux noix (nut bread) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...	A cereal grain Oats, barley, and some products made from them. ... Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a grain, technically a caryopsis). ...	Close up of sourdough bread slice Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 771 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1244 pixel, file size: 201 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A detailed photo of the crumb of a slice of my sourdough bread. ...	A selection of breads Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (872 × 581 pixel, file size: 473 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
Crust-less bread covered by a mold Binomial name (Ehrenb. ...

[edit] Composition and chemistry

[edit] Formulation

The amount of water and flour are the most significant measurements in a bread recipe, as they affect texture and crumb the most. Professional bakers use a system of percentages known as Bakers' Percentage in their recipe formulations, and measure ingredients by weight instead of by volume. Measurement by weight is much more accurate and consistent than measurement by volume, especially for the dry ingredients. Baker percentage is a way of indicating the proportion of ingredients when making bread. ...

Flour is always 100%, and the rest of the ingredients are a percent of that amount by weight. Common table bread in the U.S. uses approximately 50% water, resulting in a finely-textured, light, bread. Most artisan bread formulas contain anywhere from 60 to 75% water. In yeast breads, the higher water percentages result in more CO₂ bubbles, and a coarser bread crumb. One pound (500 g) of flour will yield a standard loaf of bread, or two French loaves. For other meanings of gram, see gram (disambiguation). ...

Calcium propionate is commonly added by commercial bakeries to retard the growth of molds. Calcium propionate or calcium propanoate has the formula Ca(C2H5COO)2. ...

[edit] Flour

Main article: Flour

Flour is a product made from grain that has been ground into a powdery consistency. It is flour that provides the primary structure to the final baked bread. Commonly available flours are made from rye, barley, maize, and other grains, but it is wheat flour that is most commonly used for breads. Each of these grains provides the starch and protein necessary for the production of bread. For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ...

The quantity and quality of the proteins contained in the flour serve as the best indicator of the quality of the bread dough and the finished bread. While bread can be made from all-purpose wheat flour, for quality bread a specialty bread flour, containing more protein, is recommended. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin showing coloured alpha helices. ... Dough Dough is a paste made out of any cereals (grains) or leguminous crops by grinding with small amount of water. ...

Wheat flour in addition to its starch contains three water-soluble protein groups, albumin, globulin, proteoses, and two non-water soluble protein groups, glutenin and gliadin. When flour is mixed with water the water-soluble proteins dissolve, leaving the glutenin and gliadin to form the structure of the resulting dough. When worked by kneading, the glutenin forms strands of long thin chainlike molecules while the shorter gliadin forms bridges between the strands of glutenin. The resulting networks of strands produced by these two proteins is known as gluten. Gluten development improves if the dough is allowed to autolyse. You may be looking for albumen, or egg white. ... Globulin is one of the two types of serum proteins, the other being albumin. ... A proteose is any of varius water-soluble compounds that are produced during digestion by the hyrolytic breakdown of proteins. ... Glutenin (or glutenine) is a protein best known for its role, along with in gliadin, in the creation of gluten with its disulfide inter and intra molecule links. ... Gliadin is a glycoprotein, present in wheat and some other cereals, best known for its role, along with glutenin, in the formation of gluten. ... Kneading dough for white bread Kneading is a process in the making of bread, used to mix together the ingredients and add strength to the bread. ... Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous mixture of ergastic (i. ... Autolyse (AH-toh-lees) refers to a crucial step in the bread making process, but it is often omitted by baking cookbooks and textbooks. ...

[edit] Liquids

Water, or some other liquid, is used to form the flour into a paste or dough. The volume of liquid required varies between recipes, but a ratio of 1 part liquid to 3 parts flour is common for yeast breads while recipes that use steam as the primary leavening method may have a liquid content in excess of one part liquid to one part flour by volume. In addition to water, other types of liquids that may be used include dairy products, fruit juices, or beer. In addition to the water in each of these they also bring additional sweeteners, fats, and or leavening components.

[edit] Leavening

Leavening is the process of adding gas to a dough before or during baking to produce a lighter, more easily chewed bread. Most bread consumed in the West is leavened. However, unleavened breads have symbolic importance in Judaism and Christianity. Jews consume unleavened bread called Matza during Passover. They are also used in the Christian liturgy when they celebrate the Eucharist, a rite derived from the narrative of the Last Supper when Jesus broke bread with his disciples during a Passover Seder. An image of a machine-made Matzo Matzo (also Matzoh, Matzah, Matza, Hebrew מַצָּה maṣṣā), an unleavened bread, is the official food of Passover. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... Matza (also Matzoh, Matzah, Matzo, Hebrew מַצָּה maṣṣā), an unleavened bread, is the official food of Passover. ... This article is about the Jewish holiday. ... A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... For other uses, see Eucharist (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see The Last Supper (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Table set for the Passover Seder The Passover Seder (Hebrew: סֵדֶר, , order, arrangement) is a Jewish ritual feast held on any of the eight nights of the Jewish holiday of Passover (which begins on the 15th day of Hebrew month of Nisan). ...

[edit] Chemical leavening

A simple technique for leavening bread is the use of gas-producing chemicals. There are two common methods. The first is to use baking powder or a self-rising flour that includes baking powder. The second is to have an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk and add baking soda. The reaction of the acid with the soda produces gas. [[Image:PIPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPbe caused by ingredients like buttermilk, lemon, yoghurt, citrus, or honey. ... An ingredient used in many foods, flour is a fine powder made from grain or other starchy food sources. ... Percentages are relative to US RDI values for adults. ... Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), or sodium hydrogen carbonate, also known as baking soda and bicarbonate of soda, is a soluble white anhydrous or crystalline compound, with a slight alkaline taste resembling that of sodium carbonate. ...

Chemically-leavened breads are called quick breads and soda breads. This technique is commonly used to make muffins, pancakes, American-style biscuits and sweet breads such as banana bread. Whole wheat soda bread (known as wheaten bread in Northern Ireland) Soda bread is a type of quick bread in which yeast has been substituted with baking soda. ... For other uses, see Muffin (disambiguation). ... Two pancakes with maple syrup. ... A biscuit is a type of food. ... Banana bread Banana bread is a sweet, cakelike bread which contains mashed bananas. ...

[edit] Yeast leavening

Many breads are leavened by yeast. The yeast used for leavening bread is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same species used for brewing alcoholic beverages. This yeast ferments carbohydrates in the flour, including any sugar, producing carbon dioxide. Most bakers in the U.S. leaven their dough with commercially produced baker's yeast. Baker's yeast has the advantage of producing uniform, quick, and reliable results, because it is obtained from a pure culture. Many artisan bakers produce their own yeast by preparing a 'growth culture' which they then use in the making of bread. This culture kept in the right conditions will continue to grow and provide leavening for many years. Typical divisions Ascomycota (sac fungi) Saccharomycotina (true yeasts) Taphrinomycotina Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts) Basidiomycota (club fungi) Urediniomycetes Sporidiales Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic micro organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1,500 species described;[1] they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans. ... Binomial name Meyen ex E.C. Hansen Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of budding yeast. ... Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds that act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy, other forms being fat and protein. ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely-traded commodity. ... Carbon dioxide (chemical formula: ) is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Binomial name Saccharomyces cerevisiae Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of budding yeast. ... In biology, a pure culture is a population of identical cells originating from a single cell. ...

Both the baker's yeast and the sourdough method of baking bread follow the same pattern. Water is mixed with flour, salt and the leavening agent (baker's yeast or sourdough starter). Other additions (spices, herbs, fats, seeds, fruit, etc.) are not necessary to bake bread, but often used. The mixed dough is then allowed to rise one or more times (a longer rising time results in more flavor, so bakers often punch down the dough and let it rise again), then loaves are formed and (after an optional final rising time) the bread is baked in an oven. Challah proofing in loaf pans. ... Oven depicted in a painting by Millet An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. ...

Many breads are made from a straight dough, which means that all of the ingredients are combined in one step, and the dough baked after the rising time. Alternatively, dough can be made using a preferment, when some of the flour, water, and the leavening are combined a day or so ahead of baking, and allowed to ferment overnight. On the day of the baking, the rest of the ingredients are added, and the rest of the process is the same as that for straight dough. This produces a more flavorful bread with better texture. Many bakers see the starter method as a compromise between the highly reliable results of baker's yeast, and the flavor/complexity of a longer fermentation. It also allows the baker to use only a minimal amount of baker's yeast, which was scarce and expensive when it first became available. Most yeasted preferments fall into one of three categories: poolish or pouliche, a loose-textured mixture composed of roughly equal amounts of flour and water (by weight); biga a stiff mixture with a higher proportion of flour; and pâte fermentée, which is simply a portion of dough reserved from a previous batch. Biga is a type of sourdough starter used in Italian baking. ...

[edit] Sourdough

Main article: Sourdough

Sourdough loaves

The sour taste of sourdoughs actually comes not from the yeast, but from a lactobacillus, with which the yeast lives in symbiosis. The lactobacillus feeds on the byproducts of the yeast fermentation, and in turn makes the culture go sour by excreting lactic acid, which protects it from spoiling (since most microbes are unable to survive in an acid environment). All yeast-leavened breads used to be sourdoughs, and the leavening process was not understood until the 19th century, when with the advance of microscopes, scientists were able to discover the microbes that make the dough rise. Since then, strains of yeast have been selected and cultured mainly for reliability and quickness of fermentation. Billions of cells of these strains are then packaged and marketed as "Baker's Yeast". Bread made with baker's yeast is not sour because of the absence of the lactobacillus. Bakers around the world quickly embraced baker's yeast for it made baking simple and so allowed for more flexibility in the bakery's operations. It made baking quick as well, allowing bakeries to make fresh bread from scratch as often as three times a day. While European bakeries kept producing sourdough breads, in the U.S., sourdough baking was widely replaced by baker's yeast, and only recently has that country (or parts of it, at least) seen the rebirth of sour-vinegar dough in artisan bakeries. According to Alton Brown, host of Food Network's "Good Eats" television show, each region of the world has different strains of lactobacillus, hence the flavor of the bread made from home starters is unique. The San Francisco Bay Area is especially famous for its sourdough breads. Sourdough starter made with flour and water refreshed for 3 or more days Sourdough (or, more formally, natural leaven or levain) refers to the process of leavening bread by capturing wild yeasts in a dough or batter, as opposed to using a domestic, purpose-cultured yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1600x1067, 604 KB) Sour dough loaves File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sourdough ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1600x1067, 604 KB) Sour dough loaves File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sourdough ... Sourdough starter made with flour and water refreshed for 3 or more days Sourdough (or, more formally, natural leaven or levain) refers to the process of leavening bread by capturing wild yeasts in a dough or batter, as opposed to using a domestic, purpose-cultured yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ... Species L. acidophilus L. brevis L. delbrueckii subsp. ... For other uses, see Symbiosis (disambiguation). ... For the production of milk by mammals, see Lactation. ... Alton Brown (born on July 30, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is an American food personality, cinematographer, author, and actor. ... Food Network is an American cable network that airs many specials and recurring (episodic) shows about food. ... Good Eats is a television cooking show created and hosted by Alton Brown that airs in North America on Food Network. ... Bay Area redirects here. ...

Sourdough breads are most often made with a sourdough starter (not to be confused with the starter method discussed above). A sourdough starter is a culture of yeast and lactobacillus. It is essentially a dough-like or pancake-like flour/water mixture in which the yeast and lactobacilli live. A starter can be maintained indefinitely by periodically discarding a part of it and refreshing it by adding fresh flour and water. (When refrigerated, a starter can go weeks without needing to be fed.) There are starters owned by bakeries and families that are several human generations old, much revered for creating a special taste or texture. Starters can be obtained by taking a piece of another starter and growing it, or they can be made from scratch. There are hobbyist groups on the web who will send their starter for a stamped, self-addressed envelope, and there are even mailorder companies that sell different starters from all over the world. An acquired starter has the advantage to be more proven and established (stable and reliable, resisting spoiling and behaving predictably) than from-scratch starters.

There are other ways of sourdough baking and culture maintenance. A more traditional one is the process that was followed by peasant families throughout Europe in past centuries. The family (usually the woman was in charge of breadmaking) would bake on a fixed schedule, perhaps once a week. The starter was saved from the previous week's dough. The starter was mixed with the new ingredients, the dough was left to rise, then a piece of it was saved (to be the starter for next week's bread). The rest was formed into loaves which were marked with the family sign (this is where today's decorative slashing of bread loaves originates from), and taken to the communal oven to bake. These communal ovens over time evolved into what are known today as bakeries, when certain people specialized in bread baking, and with time enhanced the process so far as to be able to mass produce cheap bread for everyone in the village.

[edit] Steam leavening

The rapid expansion of steam produced during baking leavens the bread, which is as simple as it is unpredictable. The best known steam-leavened bread is the popover. Steam-leavening is unpredictable since the steam is not produced until the bread is baked. Popovers A popover is a light, hollow roll made from an egg batter similar to that used in making Yorkshire pudding. ...

Steam leavening happens regardless of the rising agents (soda powder, yeast, baking-powder, sour dough, egg snow…)

• The rising agent generates carbon dioxide - or already contains air bubbles.
• The heat vaporises the water from the inner surface of the bubbles within the dough.
• The steam expands and makes the bread rise.

It is actually the main factor in the rise of bread once it has been put in the oven. CO₂ generation, on its own, is too small to account for the rise. Heat kills bacteria or yeast at an early stage, so the CO₂ generation is stopped. Carbon dioxide (chemical formula: ) is a chemical compound co