Learn About Bread
Facts About BreadBreads are made using a variety of ingredients and it really depends upon the
baker’s likes and dislikes. Fruits and vegetables are even used in some
recipes, but the most common ingredients include water, sugar, flour, yeast,
salt, eggs, nuts, spices and milk. After all ingredients needed are added then
the dough is placed into a baking pan and baked at the allotted temperature for
the specific recipe being used. Within an hour or so out comes delicious,
mouth watering bread to enjoy with a cup of tea and an afternoon chat.
Of all the foods which have been around throughout history, bread is close to being about the oldest
one. The first ingredients were used during the Neolithic ages when bread is said to have been made
from grains of ground cereal and water. The johnnycake, pita, tortilla and oatcakes from Scotland are
ancestors of these early recipes.
Did you know that more than 59 pounds of bread and bread products are consumed by Americans.
And, almost every household has at least two types of bread within them?
Bread is a wonderful source for iron, vitamins, calcium and protein as well as fiber in the whole wheat
varieties which aids in the digestion process. Most white breads are not that high in calories, they
usually range about 75 calories per slice or a little above; whole wheat on the other hand, is lower in
calories at only 60 per slice.
Keeping bread inside of a bread box will make your bread last longer at room temperature than keeping
it out on the counter. You can also wrap a freshly baked loaf of bread with wax paper and keep it in the
refrigerator; this keeps it from getting mold on it and helps it stay fresh longer as well.
The best breads are the enriched versions of sour dough, Italian and French.
Bread and Your Health (Benefits of Wheat Bread)
There are many health benefits of eating whole wheat bread, not just the high content of fiber.
Whole wheat bread is also loaded with vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and niacin’s that are
very important to your health and weight maintenance as well. Studies have shown that women who eat
whole wheat instead of white breads weigh much less and are better able to maintain their healthier
weights.
Inflammation is lessened by people who eat healthy wheat breads on a regular basis and the risk of
type 2 diabetes and heart diseases are lowered too.
Wheat bread keeps your digestive system on track and decreases problems of the gastrointestinal
tracts. The fiber content within wheat breads has been shown to protect women of pre-menopausal age
against cancer within the breasts. The women in these studies ate at least 30 grams per day.
These breads will be of great benefit to your heart in several ways. Cholesterol can be lowered; blood
pressure and glucose levels can be regulated also.
The bread which is the healthiest for you can be found by checking the back label to see which
ingredients are included in them. For the best health benefits from bread, either stone ground or whole
grains should be the first on the ingredient label, not enriched. The bread should not contain high
fructose corn syrup but be sweetened by the use of honey or a molasses instead, as these are healthy
natural types of sweeteners. The salt and these sweeteners should be towards the bottom of the
ingredient label for the healthiest benefits. Look for breads which don’t include preservatives or types of
additives in them as these are not very healthy. These breads can be kept just as fresh without these
additional chemicals by just closing properly and refrigerating the loaf.
Most Popular Breads
With so many delicious and tasty bread recipes out today, do you know what the most popular breads
are? Now you can, here we have listed the favorites for you and a little about each one.
Banana-nut bread is a favorite due to its moist rich nutty flavor, which seems to just melt within your
mouth. Ingredients in this delicious recipe include flour, ripened bananas, sugar, walnuts, eggs and
baking soda.
Pumpkin bread is another favorite especially in the fall/winter months. It is moist and definitely a tasty
treat right from the oven. Ingredients are allspice, ground, sugar, eggs, pureed pumpkin, oil, nutmeg,
cinnamon, self-rising flour and either walnuts or pecans, chopped for even more enhanced flavors.
Apple spice bread is a tasty way to use up all those apples that are in season right now. This bread
contains ripe apples of your choice but golden delicious; granny smiths and Fuji are the best within
taste to add to this recipe. Other ingredients include sugar, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda,
pecans, and cloves-ground, salt, nutmeg and raisins.
Whole wheat bread is a great source of fiber and other vital nutrients for good health. It is made by using
whole wheat flour along with baking powder, milk, reduced fat and baking soda. For even more added
flavor you can toss in some dried cranberries, currants or raisins.
Another tantalizing treat is carrot bread, very delicious and it will be the hit of any get-together you go to or
host. Ingredients in this delectable bread are cinnamon, baking powder, salt, eggs, carrots-shredded,
pecans-chopped, milk, baking soda, whole wheat flour and oil.
Other most popular breads are cranberry-orange, chocolate, blueberry, corn, bishop’s, spoon,
strawberry, date, fig nut, zucchini, raisin and sweet potato styles. Ther are many variations of these
recipes and they can always be changed by you to include something that is your favorite.
Bread for People with Allergies (Gluten Free)
People with gluten allergies think that there enjoyment of favorite foods is over with, this is not true.
There are assortments of recipes out on the internet today which show you how to enjoy and make your
own favorites without the gluten, such as breads and other sweet treats as well.
If you are a sweets lover then this recipe for Banana Nut Bread (gluten free) is a great one to learn. All
you need is 2 C. rice flour, 3 ripe bananas, 1 tsp. vanilla (gluten free), 2 eggs, 1 stick of softened butter, 1
C. sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder (gluten free) and 1C. chopped finely pecans. Then the instructions are
just as simple: Place sugar and butter into a large mixing bowl and beat in the vanilla and eggs, then
the bananas. In a second bowl mix the baking powder and rice flour together, and then place with the
banana mixture. Mix and stir in all ingredients until moistened, then add in the chopped pecans and stir
again. Put the batter into a loaf pan about 5x9 or so and bake for approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes,
keep a check on it the last 10 minutes of cooking though as oven times vary at 325 degrees. Then let
cool for about 15-20 minutes and enjoy a delicious gluten free bread treat.
Other bread recipes online which are gluten free include corn bread, gingerbread, walnut orange bread,
sourdough buckwheat bread, rye bread, sesame bread, cheese bread, cinnamon bread, almond bread
and lemon poppy seed bread along with variations of many other delicacies for your likes.
Even though you have gluten allergies your life and enjoyment of foods doesn’t have to come to a halt,
there are fine bakeries all over that bake these gluten free products just for people like you to eat and will
even deliver them to your home if needed. Supermarkets have also become savvier and started carrying
an allotment of gluten free products as well.
