I Don’t Have Time To Bake My Own Bread!
There is nothing like the scent of freshly baked bread to greet you first thing in the morning . Baking your own bread in your own bread maker provides just that sensation.
Bakers traditionally produced their produce in the early hours so that their loaves were fresh, warm and mouth-watering tasty for hungry customers wanting a slice of bread to go with a slap-up breakfast.
Bread historically dates back to Neolithic or even prehistoric times in its earliest incarnation.
Prime ingredients include flour and water, used to form the dough. Numerous additions can be added to the dough in order to give a assorted consistency, flavours and healthy preferences. Additives may include yeast, fat, salt, baking soda, fruits, spices, eggs, milk, sugar or vegetables. You could even add seeds to the bread, oils and/or nuts. In fact bread is quite a versatile product and can be eaten on its own or as an accompaniment to a main dish. The dough is traditionally baked but modern alternatives could include steaming.
The outer part of the bread, commonly known as the crust, can be baked into a hard or soft version. The inner part of the bread is actually known as the ‘crumb’, strangely not the small bits that cover your lap .
The best time to eat bread is soon after it has left the oven. At this appetizing time, the bread is warm, aromatic and fresh. Leaving the bread for any length of time will cause the bread to become stale .
A quirk dating back to the 13th century was the Baker’s Dozen.
A Baker’s Dozen, ironic as it was from the 13th century, relates to 13 items making a dozen as opposed to the usual 12. As history would have us believe, a Baker’s dozen suggested that punishment was administered to bakers who short-changed their customers. One way to ensure that a customer received a full quota was to provide more than what was actually paid for. Also , if one loaf was damaged, burnt of was of unsuitable quality, there were still 12 loaves available for the customer.
A second explanation of the Baker’s Dozen , which is a little more believable , is that when round loaves were placed on a standard baking tray, the configuration was 3+2+3+2+3 which gave a greater density on the tray and allowed easier stacking .
Over the years , traditions of bread making have altered to reflect the changing needs of society.
Whereas bread was the preserve of the local baker, modern supermarkets now contain their own ‘in-house’ ovens and bread is baked to suit customer demand.
Many supermarkets do bend the rules by only ‘finishing off’ the bread in their ovens as the initial product is still supplied part-complete by the baker.
To cater for the 21st century family, particularly families short on time or no easy access to a supermarket, many home bread making products have been released onto the market .
They have the benefit of allowing bread to be baked at home so that it is fresh, tasty and most of all, fills the room with that incredible sense of smell .
Brands of home bread makers include Cusinart, Kenwood and Zojirushi to name but a few with the Cusinart CBK200 being bread maker of choice for the discerning family.
With the increase in food prices and the rise in the price of bread over recent times , baking your own loaf to suit your own taste has become a viable alternative and what better way to wake up each day than to the aroma of a fresh, crusty slice waiting for you.