History

• Practically prehistoric, bread holds the distinction as one of the oldest foods known to man. In the Stone Age, early bakers made cakes from stone-crushed barley and wheat, and archeologists have discovered evidence of wheat and grinding stones near human settlements as far back as 8,000 years ago. Later on, bread was a popular food for the Egyptians, and ancient loaves from their bakers still exist. By the time of the Romans, bread of various kinds existed, including oyster bread, oven bread and tin bread. When a Baker's Guild formed in Rome about 168 B.C., baking moved from a commonplace activity to its own profession. Throughout the centuries, the ruling classes have taken pains to control the price of bread, making it accessible to even the poorest people.
  
  

Types

• Americans are most familiar with the standard white and wheat bread, but the same ingredients are used to produce countless variations. In Scotland, for example, people consume "Plain Bread," which are tall, thin loaves with burned crusts on the top and bottom, and much firmer than traditional loaves. In Mexico, tortillas are preferred, and in the Middle East, people consume pitas, which are round, flat wheat breads that typically have pockets. In Italy, pane casareccio, also known as "country bread," is popular--it's a large heavy loaf that only has three ingredients: water, flour, and yeast. And in Denmark, residents prefer rugbrød, unleavened, dark rye bread which is topped with anything from pickled herrings to cheese.
  
  

The Baking Process

• Gather your ingredients: one package of yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 5 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 cups of warm water. Pour the warm water into a bowl and add the sugar and yeast, stirring until mixed, then let the bowl sit for a few minutes. Stir in the flour and salt until you've formed a ball of dough. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead the dough with your hands and fists for about five minutes. Take a greased bowl and place the ball of dough inside, cover it with a towel, and let it sit for an hour or two to rise. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and punch it a few times to remove any air bubbles. Form it into a loaf and place it on a cookie sheet to rise for another 45 minutes. After it's risen for the last time, place the loaf in the oven at 450 degrees F and let it bake for 20 minutes or so. Take out the loaf, slice and enjoy.
  
  

Considerations

• When adding water to the dough, remember that some flours require more water than others, so feel free to add more as needed to form a ball. As the bread rises, it should be covered and left in a warm, non-drafty room so that the yeast will properly interact with the dough. To give your bread a crustier texture, you can sprinkle some cornmeal on the sheet before placing the dough onto it. To tell if the bread is done baking, look for a golden crustiness on top of the loaf, or tap the bottom of the loaf upon removing it from the oven. If it sounds hollow, it's done.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Because bread is so ancient, naturally superstitions have existed over the years about the food. Some people believed that bread baked on a Good Friday morning and saved for a year would help to cure stomach disorders--the afflicted individual would grate some of the very stale loaf into water, then drink the water as a prescriptive cure. Although based less on superstition, myths about bread still exist. Many people believe that plain white bread has no nutritional value. In fact, enriching the flour adds B vitamins and nutrients such as folic acid. And as the Atkin's Diet craze attested, the belief that bread is fattening continues to reign. But since most of bread's calories are from carbohydrates, they are easier for the body to burn in exercise than fat.