Round, oval, square, or long, with a soft or crispy crust - there can scarcely
be another type of food in the world that is so varied and yet so simple.
Although each country has its traditional favourites, tastes in bread are
becoming increasingly internationalised.

In the past, bread played a much larger role in our diet than it does today.
It was often eaten as the only meal of the day and in the poorer countries of
the world this is sometimes still the case. Apart from the urban trades of the bakery and the mill that emerged from the guilds of the Middle Ages, bread
baking in rural areas was a domestic affair. However, over the course of the
20th century changing demands in labour, efficiency, durability and price
meant that bread came to be industrially mass-produced. Advances in the
modern food industry meant that the original, natural foodstuff became an
almost entirely artificial one.

Once you know the basic rules of bread baking anyone can do it. The
important thing is to follow these basic rules as closely as possible. Bread
baking is a chemical process based on natural phenomina. It requires a
delicate balance of factors that can easily be disrupted.

Bread varieties

Basic breads

They are some of the easiest breads to make; perfect for serving toasted with lashings of butter or for use in sandwiches. The range of bread includes wholemeal, Granary and rye breads, and those flavoured and enriched with milk, buttermilk, eggs, potato
or rice. Recipe

Wheat breads and mixed-grain wheat breads

Whether in bread, rolls, or fine cakes, wheat flour is the ideal ingredient for endless variations of baked products. Wheat has excellent baking qualities and simple yet delicious breads can be made very easily with a little help from yeast, salt and water. As an essential accompaniment to hot dishes or eaten with a wide range of spreads and fillings, wheat bread has earned itself a permanent place in the kitchens of the world.

Speciality grains

Loaves can be produced with a variety of textures and flavours. Gluten is an essential part of the structure of bread, to ensure an open, light crumb and texture. Most grains other than wheat have a little or no gluten, so millet, buckwheat, barley and rye is blended with wheat flours to provide rich, nutty flavoured loaves. Recipe

Flatbreads and pizzas


Flatbreads are fun to bake and make delicious meal accompaniments. Naan, often flavoured with coriander or black onion seeds, is typical of Indian flatbread, whilst Lavash, Pitta and Pide are traditional Middle Eastern specialities. Italy is famous for Focaccia, pizzas and Calzone, while the French version of pizza is the Pissaladière. Recipe

Sourdoughs and starter dough breads

Breads made with starters acquire their wonderful textures and flavours from the multiple ferments and starter doughs. Recipe
Using sourdoughs and starters: For bread to rise, some sort of raising agent must be used. In most cases, this will be yeast, or perhaps bicarbonate of soda, but it is also possible to initiate the fermentation process naturally by the action of wild yeasts, present in the air, on a medium such as flour or potatoes. When this is done, the mixture that results is called a starter. There are two basic starters: a natural leaven and a yeasted starter. The former uses only airborne yeast spores, which create a lactic fermentation, as when milk turns sour. A yeasted starter includes a small amount of baker’s yeast to kick-start the fermentation and develop a desired strain of yeast. Sourdoughs are made using starters which develop over several days to produce a distinctive tanginess or “soured” flavour. Depending on how starters are made, how long they are left to ferment and how they are used, different flavours as well as textures can be achieved. Many of the continental bread owe their flavours and textures to starters, which also influence their keeping qualities.

Savoury breads

Adding flavourings to a basic dough provides many new ideas. Herbs, such as rosemary, dill and sage, along with garlic and onion will fill the kitchen with delicious scents. Cottage cheese and feta give loaves a subtle flavour, while Gorgonzola, Parmesan and mascarpone are combined with chives to give a rich loaf with wonderful aroma. Sausages, smoked venison, salami and pancetta are just a few of the meats you can add to savoury breads. Recipe

Vegetable breads

The subtle orange hue from pumpkin or carrot, the orangey-red crumb from tomatoes and the amazing colour of spinach or beetroot bread are only part of the story. Vegetables - grated, puréed, mashed or chopped - can be incorporated into bread doughs to provide wonderfully flavoured and coloured loaves. Almost any vegetable can be used, often in conjunction with spices, as in carrot and fennel bread, or fresh herbs, as in fresh tomato and basil loaf. Recipe

Rolls, buns and pastries

These hand-shaped delights include French ham and cheese croissants, Swedish saffron plaits and fruit-filled Danish pastries, Chelsea buns, Yorkshire teacakes and pikelets are British classics, while Parker House rolls and doughnuts are traditional American offerings. Savoury rolls using mixed grains and onions, herb and ricotta-flavoured knots or cashew and olive scrolls are just a few of the characterful small breads to enjoy. Recipe

Sweet breads and yeast cakes

Fresh fruit-flavoured loaves and rich yeast cakes filled with nuts, dried fruits or chocolate are all part of this diverse range of breads.

Teabreads and cakes

Traditional teabreads and cakes using baking powder rather than yeast as a raising agent, giving them a light texture and a good flavour. Classic cakes are Madeira cake, marble cake and gingerbread.

The ingredients

The right ingredients are essential. Ordinary flour types are widely available in supermarkets - look at the packet for information about baking quality. If you have particular requirements regarding the origin of the flour and how it is processed, you should try shopping in health food stores or organic supermarkets, which are becoming increasingly common. The really keen bread baker can buy unmilled grain direct from the farmer and grind it at home.

Depending on the recipe, you can choose between yeast, sourdough, or a fermenting preparation. Fresh yeast can be substituted with dried yeast and natural sourdough powder can even be used instead of homemade sourdough. Other raising agents include soda ash (baking powder, baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda), potassium carbonate, or a leavening agent such as lactic acid, citric acid or acetic acid.

Kitchen equipment

As far as equipment is concerned, the average kitchen should contain everything you require. You will need a mixing bowl, a smooth work surface, possibly a blender, and a baking tray, if you don’t have a loaf pan. Food processors and bread makers are highly practical and are very popular with amateurs and bread baking enthusiasts alike.

Making the dough

All the ingredients required for the recipe should be weighed out ready beforehand and should be at room temperature before you start to make the dough. Next, you need plenty of time and leisure, as well as strong hands to knead the dough until you achieve the perfect texture. The ingredients should be kneaded for up to 10 minutes to form an elastic dough that should then be left to prove for around an hour in a warm place at an even temperature. The next step is a second kneading session to remove the air from the dough. The dough is then shaped and left to stand again on the baking tray.

Baking

Baking bread in a conventional gas or electric oven is fairly straightforward. The oven should always be pre-heated to the required temperature before the dough is baked. The important thing is to create a damp heat. To achieve this, a dish of hot water should be put at the bottom of the oven. Aternatively, you can add steam to the process by sprinkling water over the rear third of the bottom of the oven towards the end of the baking time. A humid atmosphere in the oven makes the outer layer of the dough (the crust) more elastic and aids rising, so that the inside of the bread (the crumb) is light and soft. Of course, the best method of all is to use a wood-fired oven, as the aroma from the wood gives the bread a wonderful and unmistakable flavour.

Recipes

Plain white bread

800 g wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 l water at room temperature
1/4 l milk at room temperature
14 g dried yeast
100 g soft butter
Butter to grease the baking pan

Method

•   Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the salt and make a well in the center. Mix the     water and milk together and use to dissolve the yeast. Then pour into the well.
•   Add the knobs of butter. Roughly stir all the ingredients (ideally with a fork). Next
    knead the mixture by hand for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and
    workable.
•   Cover dough and put to prove in a warm place at a constant temperture for about 1
    hour, until the dough has doubled in size.
•   On a lightly floured work surface knead the dough again. Grease a large loaf pan.
    Put the dough in the pan and leave it to prove for another 45-60 minutes, until it fills
    the pan. While the dough proves, pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. Then put the dough in     its pan in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Tip: If the loaf is removed from the pan and baked without it for the last 10 minutes the bread will have a wonderfully crispy crust.

Basic pumpkin seed loaf

300 g wheat flour
150 g rye flour
300 ml water at room temperature
90 g sourdough
10 g dried yeast
2 tbs salt
100 g good mixture of seeds, including pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, oats and linseeds
70 g pumpkin seeds for the crust
Flour for the work surface and
kneading
Oil to grease the baking tray

Method

•   Put the seed mix into a bowl and cover with lukewarm water. Leave to
    soak for at least 30 minutes.
•   Sieve the flour on to the work surface. Make a well in the center and add
    the water, sourdough, yeast, salt and seed mixture and use fingers to
    combine the ingredients.
•   Knead the mixture thoroughly for around 5 or 6 minutes. Use a dough
    scraper or spatula to keep scraping the sticky dough together again on the
    work suface.
•   Now add a little flour and form dough into a round - using the balls of the
    thumbs. Knead dough for a few strokes and gradually shape it. Leave to
    stand for 10 minutes.
•   Briefly knead the dough again. Then form it into a long or round loaf shape
    and brush the surface with water.
•   Scatter the pumpkin seeds over the work surface and roll the loaf in the
    seeds. Next place on a greased baking tray and leave to prove in a warm
    place at a constant temperature for around 25 - 30 minutes.
•   While the dough is proving, pre-heat the oven to 220ºC. Don’t forget to put
    a dish of hot water in the bottom of the oven. Once the oven has heated up to
    the correct temperature, put the bread in and bake it for 50 - 55 minutes.

Focaccia with olives and rosemary

7 g dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
150 ml water at room temperature
3 tbs fresh rosemary
350 g wheat flour
1 tsp salt
80 ml olive oil
3 tbs cold pressed olive oil
15 black olives
2 tbs coarse ground sea salt
Olive oil to grease the baking tray
Flour for the work surface and baking tray

Method

•   Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in the lukewarm water. Finely chop 2 tbs
    of rosemary leaves. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a
    well in the center. Add the salt, the dissolved yeast, the chopped rosemary
    and the olive oil and knead everything into a firm, workable dough for
    about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and leave the dough to
    stand in a warm place at a constant temperature for about 2 hours.
•   Place the dough on the lightly floured work suface and knead again. Next
    roll it out to form a flat rectangle 20 x 30 cm. The dough should be slightly
    thicker at the edges than in the middle.
•   Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. Grease and lightly flour the baking tray and lay
    the bread on it. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, press dents into the
    dough at regular intervals. Brush the surface of the dough liberally with
    the cold pressed olive oil. Push an olive into each of the dents and
    sprinkle the dough with the coarse ground sea salt and the rest of the
    rosemary. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 - 25 minutes until
    golden brown. Serve while still warm.

Basic rye loaf

600 g rye flour
200 g water at room temperature
150 g sourdough
21 g dried yeast
7 g salt

Method

•   Sieve flour on to the work surface. Make a well in the center and add
    water, sourdough, yeast and salt. Use fingers to mix the ingredients.
•   Knead the mixture thoroughly for around 5 or 6 minutes. During kneading
    keep scraping the sticky dough together on the work surface, using a
    dough scraper or spatula.
•   Now add a little flour to the sticky dough and work it into a round shape by
    pressing with the balls of the thumbs, until you have formed a roundish loaf.
•   Leave the dough to prove for about half an hour in a covered bowl at a
    constant room temperature (24 - 27ºC).
•   Remove dough from bowl and quickly shape it into a round ball on the
    work surface, patting it down to flatten slightly. A walnut-sized piece can
    now be removed and kept in a screw-top jar in the refrigerator. Thin it with
    a little water to start the sourdough for the next batch.
•   Form a loaf and put it into a loaf pan. Now the dough should prove, ie be
    left to stand for another 20 - 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to
    220ºC. A container of hot water in the oven ensures a humid atmosphere.
•   Put the bread in its pan into the oven and bake for around 30 minutes.

Tip: Dissolve some cornstarch in water and brush it over the bread while it is still hot - it will give the crust a beautiful glaze.

Corn bread with peppers

150 g cornflour 125 g wheat flour 14 g baking powder 2 tbs sugar 3 egg yolks 200 ml milk at room temperature 2 tbs full-fat unflavoured yogurt 60 ml olive oil 2 tsp marjoram, chopped 1 tsp oregano, chopped 2 scallions, finely chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped 1/2 medium-sized red bell pepper, cubed 1/2 medium-sized green bell pepper, cubed 100 g pre-cooked tinned corn Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Butter to grease the baking pan

Method

•   Place flour, baking powder, sugar, egg, milk, yogurt, oil and herbs into a
    large mixing bowl and knead into a smooth dough. Add onion, chilli,
    pepper and corn and stir into the mixture. Season to taste with salt and
    freshly ground pepper (add pepper with caution - don’t forget the chilli).
•   Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a round baking pan and carefully put the
    dough into the pan. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until top surface
    begins to brown. Remove bread from oven. Leave in pan to stand for
    approximately 30 minutes. Then turn out on to a board and allow to cool.

Fresh tomato and basil loaf

15 ml extra virgin olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 500 g unbleached white bread flour 2.5 ml freshly ground black pepper 7.5 ml salt 10 ml granulated sugar 5 ml easy-blend dried yeast 15 ml chopped fresh basil

For glaze:
1 egg yolk
15 ml water

Method

•   Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small frying pan or saucepan. Add the chopped onion     and fry over a moderate heat for 3 - 4 minutes, until the onion is light golden in colour.
•   Add the plum tomatoes and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Drain
    through a sieve placed over a measuring jug or bowl, pressing the mixture gently with     the back of a spoon to extract the juices.
•   Set the tomato and onion mixture aside. Make the cooking juices up to 280 ml with
    water. Set aside. When the liquid is cold, pour it into the mixing bowl.
•   Sprinkle over the flour, ensuring that it covers the tomato and onion liquid. Add
    the ground black pepper, then place the salt and sugar in separate corners of the
    mixing bowl.
•   Make a small indent in the center of the flour (but not down as far as the liquid) and add     the yeast.
•   Knead to a smooth dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knock it
    back gently.
•   Knead in the reserved tomato and onion mixture and the chopped fresh basil. You may     need to add a little extra flour if the dough becomes too moist when you have
    incorporated the vegetable mixture.
•   Flatten the dough and shape it into a 2.5 cm thick rectangle. Fold the sides to the
    middle and press down the edge to seal. Make a hollow along the center and fold in
    half again. Gently roll it into a loaf about 40 cm long.
•   Shape into an “S” shape and place in a prepared tin. Cover with oiled clear film and
    leave in a warm place to rise for 30 - 45 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to
    200ºC.
•   Make the glaze by mixing the egg yolk and water together. Remove the clear film and
    brush the glaze over the bread. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-45 minutes or until     golden brown.

Basic breakfast rolls

300 g wheat flour
7 g dried yeast
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
200 ml water at room temperature
35 g vegetable margarine at room temperature
Baking parchment to line the baking tray

Method

•   Sieve around a third of the flour on to the working surface and make a well in the
    center. Next add the water, yeast, sugar and salt and use fingers to combine
    ingredients.
•   Cover the well with the remaining flour and leave the mixture to stand for around 5
    minutes.
•   Knead the mixture thoroughly for 5 or 6 minutes, until you have a smooth, elastic ball     of dough.
•   Make the ball of dough intoa long shape. Cover with a dishtowel and leave to stand     for 10 minutes.
•   Next use a spatula or dough scraper to divide the dough into 10 pieces of equal
    size. The pieces of dough can then be formed into round or oblong rolls.
•   For round rolls, shape dough into balls and lightly pat flat. Place on the baking tray,
    cover and leave to stand in a warm place at a constant temperature for 25 minutes.
•   For oblong rolls, shape the dough accordingly and leave to prove for 10 minutes.
    Next use a sharp knife to cut a slit the length of each roll and place on the baking tray,     slit side downwards. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place at a constant
    temperature for another 15 minutes. Next turn the rolls slit side up again.
•   While the dough is proving, pre-heat the oven to 220ºC. Put the rolls on a baking tray,     place in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown.