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Why Bread?

Have you ever wondered why bread exists? As with many other things, bread exists for several reasons.

• Breads have history.
• Breads are part of culture.
• Breads have a function.

The history and culture of bread are not within the scope of this class, but there are many books that cover them.

The Function of Bread

Understanding the main point of my intended book requires understanding the function of bread. I am going to present some of my ideas here so that the proper background is set.

Bread In Multiple Dimensions

Bread can be seen from multiple points of view. They provide a way to analyze bread to understand its many different aspects. Some of these may only be important in some circumstances but not others.

I am applying these categories to the finished bread. There are other distinctions that make sense to consider in the process and formulation of the bread as well.

Sweet Versus Savory

Some breads are sweet (sweet dough used for cinnamon rolls, to pick a favorite example). Other breads are savory (herb breads or focaccia). Many breads are neither.

This is important when you consider the application for your bread. A savory bread might not make good peanut butter and jam sandwiches. A sweet bread might not make good ham sandwiches. Sometimes you want the bread to have a distinctive taste, and sometimes you want the focus to be the taste of what is on the bread.

Lean Versus Rich

You can make bread with the four basic ingredients.

1. Flour
2. Water
3. Yeast
4. Salt

With no added fats or oils, you a get a lean dough. It can taste good fresh, but it can go stale quickly.

Some source of fat (milk, butter, or oil of some kind), makes for a richer, more pliable dough.

Where you want bread to keep longer, it makes sense to add some oil, almost as a preservative.

Size: Small Versus Large

Size has a key relationship to function for bread. What do you use bread for?

• Are you using bread for sandwiches (where you want slices)?
• Are you using bread for buns (where you want smaller pieces you cut in half)?
• Are you using bread as an accompanyment to dinners (where you want rolls)?

Depending on the intended function you might want bread of a particular size.

• Loaves
• Buns
• Rolls
• Bread sticks

Shape

You can regard shape in many ways, partly as a question about whether a shape is intended to be functional or decorative (or both).

Functional Shapes

Function is partly determined by size, so some of that has already been described. There are still some useful distinctions to be drawn though.

• Does the shape of the loaf need to regular (for making uniform slices)?
• Does the shape need to be round (for making soup or salad bowls)?
• Does the shape need to be easily torn (for a dinner party)?

We often make bread in a conventional way, because that’s what the recipe says, or that’s what tradition says. There is nothing wrong with that.

However, if we make the shape a conscious choice, we open the door of endless possibilities.

Decorative Shapes

I won’t say much about decorative shapes, because these are for special purposes, but there are two that I have made that I like.

• Bread bunnies (I saw a YouTube video about a Great Harvest demo of making bread bunies)
• Growly bears (I learned this from a cookbook where they had a recipe from the Growly Bear Bakery & Bed near Mount Rainier in Washington)

The bread bunnies are cute, and I like to make them as a chocolate bread.

The growly bears are also cute, and I make them as a sweet dough.

Yeasted Versus Quick

A few words about quick breads. In this class we will have an opportunity to make some muffins. Muffins are the quick bread equivalent of rolls. Usually they are sweet, but they don’t have to be. They are another flexible baked good.

Instead of being leavened with yeast, quick breads use chemical leavening agents (usually baking powder or baking soda, depending on the recipe).

They are mixed, and then rise while they are in the oven, making for a very quick process, hence their name. There is no kneading or proofing step. Usually, you want them to be tender, so you want to avoid overmixing.