The Basics Of Bread

Bread is readily available in a variety of flavors, varieties and sizes. Nevertheless, they are often all the same. It is advisable to know more about the numerous varieties to understand the numerous ways of creating them. The more you learn the elements and attributes of dough, the far better the quality of your products. Discover more about bread and see how much more you can add to create your own special taste and design.

What's Bread?

Bread is usually a basic food created by cooking water and dough of flour and possibly other substances. Doughs are normally baked in the Western world and a number of other countries. In other cuisines, bread is fried, steamed or baked on a hot skillet. It might be unleavened or leavened too.

Salt, leavening agents and fat like baking soda and yeast are essential ingredients. Bread may also have other ingredients like egg, sugar, milk, spice, fruit like raisins, nuts like walnuts, vegetables like onion and seeds like poppy seeds. Bread is considered one of the oldest created foods in the world, dating back hundreds of years. Leavened bread can also be traced back to prehistoric periods.

More About Bread

Fresh bread is acquired for its quality, aroma, taste and texture. It is significant to maintain its freshness to keep the food appetizing. Bread that has dried or stiffened past its ideal state is known to be stale. Recent bread is usually wrapped in plastic or paper film. It may also be stored in a container like a breadbox to keep it from drying. Bread kept in moist and warm environments is prone to mold growth. Bread that is kept at low temperatures like being placed inside a refrigerator can grow molds slower compared to bread kept at room temperature. This will turn stale immediately because of retrogradation.

The crumb is described by culinary experts and bakers as the soft inside part of the bread. This should not be mistaken with small pieces of bread that usually fall off called crumbs. The outside hard part of the bread is known as the crust.

Serving Bread

Bread can be served regardless of temperature. As soon as it is baked, it can eventually be toasted. Bread is usually eaten using your hands or a knife and fork. It can be eaten independently or together with other food and sauces like gravy, olive oil and sardines. It is also best served as a sandwich with cheese, vegetables or meat contained in between.

About the Crust

The crust of the bread is created from exposed dough during the cooking procedure. It is browned and hardened from caramelization of the proteins and sugars using the intense heat at the surface of the bread. The nature of the bread crust is several, based on the kind of bread and the manner of baking. Commercial bread is baked using jets the steam towards the bread directly to make a nice crust. Some bread crusts are unpalatable, especially among children. Crusts always have a various color compared to the rest of the bread.

Make your own delicious loaves of bread in your favorite varieties and flavors with the Breadman Bread Machine!