Breads around the world
Around the world different communities have developed their own unique bread baking traditions. Bread has formed a staple part of the human diet since the earliest times when prehistoric man ground up seeds into a paste to make simple unleavened bread. Bread varieties have evolved over the centuries and bread often plays a symbolic part within traditional meals, festivals and religious ceremonies.
If you are interested in baking breads, read on for our guide to breads from around the world which includes links to our popular recipes.
Baking Breads – click here to view our complete selection of bread recipes
Naan bread – a leavened thick flat bread, made with white flour and yoghurt; it is a typical bread of Northern India and Afghanistan. Traditionally it is cooked in a tandoor (clay oven). Modern recipes sometimes don’t include yeast, but baking powder or self raising flour instead. Normally naan is served hot, brushed with butter or ghee. Naan might be eaten with a filling inside, or used to scoop up other foods. When making naan bread you can experiment by adding crushed garlic, sesame seeds or chopped up coriander into the flour
Baguette – due to their origins in France, are also known as a French stick. This long, thin shaped bread has a crusty exterior crust and light dough with a distinctive open texture. It is produced using Strong White flour. Baguettes have a short shelf life and stale quickly so are best eaten on the day they have been baked.
Focaccia – a rustic soft Italian bread, made from white flour; often flavoured with herbs such as fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley and olive oil and sea salt. Other variations might also include garlic, olives and sun dried tomatoes. Focaccia is baked in a rectangular roasting tin. The day after baking, focaccia can be cut into thick slices and grilled to make bruschetta.
Ciabbatta – a roughly shaped, white floury crust bread from Northern
Italy, around Lake Como. It is popular for its moist open texture
and flavour of fruity olive oil. It is quite tricky to make at home
and needs plenty of time and a lively soft dough, to give the large air bubbles needed
for its characteristic texture and appearance. The ‘biga’, an
Italian aged-dough starter adds extra flavour.
Cholla– a traditional braided Jewish bread, created using Strong White Flour. Cholla is traditionally eaten on the Sabbath and during festivals. This bread is a creamy coloured crumb with a fine texture and is enriched with butter and eggs.
Pitta bread –Round or oval, these are flat breads with a pocket. They are easily split and can be filled with falafel and salad, or cheese, or cut into wedges and used to scoop up dips and accompany mezze dishes.
Brioche – an enriched French bread, which has a rich, tender crumb due to its high butter and egg content. The brioche’s flaky golden crust is a result of applying an egg wash after it has been proved.
Panettone - a speciality of Milan, Italy, where bakers compete to make the tallest, lightest, butter-rich loaf. Sliced like a cake, panettone makes an excellent breakfast treat at Christmas with a pot of special coffee, or as an alternative to Christmas cake; leftovers make the best-ever bread and butter pudding.
Blini - light, crumbly pancakes are Russian in origin and are usually made with buckwheat flour which has a rather bitter tang. Marriage’s Light Brown flour gives them a milder, nuttier flavour that is complemented by the traditional toppings – silky soured cream and cured or smoked fish: smoked salmon or trout. Pickled and marinated herring with its sweet/sour/salty taste is excellent. Blinis are simple to cook and can easily be made in advance then reheated when needed; they can be served already topped to go with drinks or as a first course, with the toppings in separate dishes to allow guests to ‘build their own’.
Chapatti – an unleavened thin flatbread from the Indian sub continent. Chapatis are generally made with soft, lower protein flour.
Parathas – from the Indian sub continent; a variation of chapattis.
Sourdough – a distinctive sour flavoured bread produced from a fermented batter style dough starter. Part of the sourdough starter is mixed with the other ingredients. The remainder of the starter is retained and fed with more water and flour so it can be used again in future.
Bagel – a yeasted bread, shaped into a ring, traditionally by hand. The bagel is placed into boiling hot water before it is baked. Bagels have a browned exterior and a chewy, doughy inside.
