Bread

Bread at a bakery

Different types of bread

Bread is a type of baked food. It is mainly made from flour and water (to make dough). Usually, salt and yeast are added. Bread is often baked in an oven.

Bread is also used in sandwiches as the outside, as the base of a pizza or put into a toaster to make toast. There are many different kinds of bread. These can be divided into two types:

1. Unleavened flatbread is baked from a dough of water and bread, with no yeast. It is prepared as roundish flat pieces like tortilla or chapati. This type cannot be made thick as it would be too heavy to digest. Unleavened bread is eaten throughout the Middle East. It is typical for Africa, parts of Asia and as the South American tortilla. Baking can be done in a pot, on a hot iron or even a hot stone.
2. Leavened bread which comes from adding yeast or other fermentation to the dough so that it gives a fluffy body that is good to chew. This can be baked as larger loaves and has to be done in an oven. This is the main type in Europe, America and many parts of Asia.

The color and taste of the bread depend on the kind of flour used and the style of baking. Flour made from the whole grain gives darker bread. Flour made just from the polished wheat grain gives a very white bread. Rye and barley flour give darker types of bread. The type of flour also changes how long the bread can be kept before going bad. Some strains of wheat are resistant to fungus, but may not produce a bread as tasty as a weaker strain.

Religious breads

Christianity and Judaism have rules about the use of bread in their religions. Unleavened bread is eaten by Jews during the Passover, and Catholic celebration of the Eucharist uses unleavened wafers.

Orthodox churches forbid the use of unleavened bread for the Eucharist (Old Testament) and permit leavened bread only as a symbol of the New. This was one of the three points of contention that brought about the schism between Eastern and Western churches in 1054.

Types of bread

• North American biscuits
• Scones
• Baguettes
• Bagels
• Croissants
• Tortillas
• Pitas
• Naan bread
• Lavash
• Markouk in Lebanon and the Levant
• Matzo in all Jewish communities
• Pretzels
• Pizza dough

Bread is an important part of life in many countries, because so many people eat it. In many cultures, bread is so important that it is part of their religious rituals.

Cake is made in a similar way to bread but sugar, fat and milk are added to the dough and often more ingredients.