Bread in American cuisine are a range of leavened and flatbreads made with various techniques that have been a staple of American cuisine since at least the time of the Thirteen Colonies.
Bread in American cuisine are a range of leavened and flatbreads made with various techniques that have been a staple of American cuisine since at least the time of the Thirteen Colonies.
Even before the American Revolution, cast iron ovens allowed women to bake their breads at home, instead of having loaves baked at communal ovens or bakeries. Baking bread remained a primarily domestic activity through the Antebellum era, changing only after the Civil War. As women's role in society was no longer exclusively domestic, concerns mounted that mass-produced breads would be inferior in flavor and quality, domestic manuals proliferated imploring women to maintain their roles in the household. Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe used the language of scripture to ask women readers to "stand in the way, ask for the old paths, and return to the good yeast-bread of their sainted grandmothers". [2]
By the 1920s the manufacture of white bread was automated and pre-sliced loaves became available for the first time, possibly originating from Chillicothe, Missouri. After this, some historical heritage wheat varieties like the Marquis wheat stopped being produced. [3] White bread came to symbolize the forces of modernity and industrialization, but was also at the center of a controversy. Wheat breads were seen to be healthier and moral choice by some; Bernarr Macfadden held the view that white bread threatened the health and superiority of the "white race". [4]
Yeast was often used when making bread and could be sweet or sour, but bread could also be made without yeast with just a batter of water and flour in a tin pail set in warm water, about the consistency of a pan cake batter (organic flour and non-chlorinated water in this era allowed development of wild yeast). Once the batter had risen more flour would be added until reaching the consistency of a bread dough, then shaped into loaves and set aside in a bread basket. When the dough had dried out enough that it began to crack, it was ready to bake. Another no-yeast bread could be made with a combination of cream of tartar (acid) and sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda could also be used to "sweeten" sour milk for baking soft sour milk bread. [5]
Yeast could be made by boiling flour with sugar and salt. This "yeast water" solution could be bottled and used when baker's yeast wasn't available. [6]
Anadama bread, a yeast bread made with cornmeal and molasses, originates from the North Shore area of Boston; several towns claim credit for the bread's creation. [7]
Bagels become a common street food in New York City's Lower East Side neighborhood in the early 20th century with the arrival of eastern European Jewish immigrants. the International Beigel Bakers' Union is formed in 1907, consisting of 300 bagel bakers. Handmade in small cellar bakeries, the secret of bagels was closely guarded, known only to the sons of union members; no one else was allowed to apprentice or be taught the bagel recipes. [7]
Bialys are associated with Jewish American cuisine. Like the related bagel, they enter American cuisine in the early 20th century with the arrival of eastern European Jewish immigrants. [7]
Brown bread was made with scalded "Indian meal" (corn meal) and rye, to which molasses could be added.
Historically, potato bread was made with boiled mashed potatoes and allowed to ferment. Esther Allen Howland recommended water over milk because breads made with milk spoiled faster. According to Howland "The greater the proportion of potatoes, the lighter the bread will be; but if the proportion is very large, the bread will be so light as to dry up, if kept several days".
Louisa May Alcott has been noted for employing bread as a symbol of hearth and home, the sphere of domesticity, and Christian charity, themes connected with womanhood in Alcott's work. In her novels Little Women and Eight Cousins the kitchen is a feminist space; Alcott saw baking bread and other traditionally feminine skills as fulfilling and enriching in a cosmopolitan era. By using the example of baking bread, and showing the character's difficulty accomplishing it, Alcott makes the point that domestic skills in cooking are as worthy as those pursuits generally ascribed to men. In Eight Cousins she writes: "It was some time before the perfect loaf appeared, for breadmaking is an art not easily learned...so Rose studied yeast first, and through various stages of cake and biscuit came at last to the crowning glory of the 'handsome, wholesome loaf." [2]
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture.
Knödel or Klöße are boiled dumplings commonly found in Central European and East European cuisine. Countries in which their variant of Knödel is popular include Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. They are also found in Scandinavian, Romanian, northeastern Italian cuisine, Jewish, Ukrainian and Belarusian cuisines. Usually made from flour, bread or potatoes, they are often served as a side dish, but can also be a dessert such as plum dumplings, or even meat balls in soup. Many varieties and variations exist.
Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping-qualities.
Soda bread is a variety of quick bread made in many cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of yeast. The basic ingredients of soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added, such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts. Quick breads can be prepared quickly and reliably, without requiring the time and labor needed for kneaded yeast breads.
Rugbrød is a very common form of rye bread from Denmark. Rugbrød usually resembles a long brown extruded rectangle, no more than 12 cm (4.7 in) high, and 30 to 35 cm long, depending on the bread pan in which it is baked. The basic ingredient is rye flour which will produce a plain or "old-fashioned" bread of uniform, somewhat heavy structure, but the most popular versions today contain whole grains and often other seeds such as sunflower seeds, linseeds or pumpkin seeds. Most Danes eat rugbrød every day.
Ukrainian cuisine is the collection of the various cooking traditions of the people of Ukraine, one of the largest and most populous European countries. It is heavily influenced by the rich dark soil from which its ingredients come, and often involves many components. Traditional Ukrainian dishes often experience a complex heating process – "at first they are fried or boiled, and then stewed or baked. This is the most distinctive feature of Ukrainian cuisine".
A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread.
Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat flour. Compared to white bread, it is higher in fiber, darker in color, and stronger in flavor. The world's largest exporter of rye bread is Poland.
Indian breads are a wide variety of flatbreads and crêpes which are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Their variation reflects the diversity of Indian culture and food habits.
Tatar cuisine is primarily the cuisine of the Volga Tatars, who live in Tatarstan, Russia, and surrounding areas.
Vienna bread is a type of bread that is produced from a process developed in Vienna, Austria, in the 19th century. The Vienna process used high milling of Hungarian grain, and cereal press-yeast for leavening.
Hard dough bread, also called hardo bread, is a Caribbean cuisine bread similar to the Pullman loaf or pain de mie, although hard dough bread tends to be sweeter. The dough consists of flour, water, yeast, salt and sugar. Additional ingredients such as treacle, molasses, and vegetable shortening can be used. It typically has a dense consistency and is typically brushed with sugared water before baking. It is a staple food in Jamaican households.
Bread is a staple food of Finland. It is served with almost every meal and many different types are produced domestically.
Nordic bread culture has existed in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden from prehistoric times through to the present. It is often characterized by the usage of rye flour, barley flour, a mixture of nuts, seeds, and herbs, and varying densities depending on the region. Often, bread is served as an accompaniment to various recipes and meals. Nordic breads are often seasoned with an assortment of different spices and additives, such as caraway seeds, orange zest, anise, and honey.
Bread is a staple food throughout Europe. Throughout the 20th century, there was a huge increase in global production, mainly due to a rise in available, developed land throughout Europe, North America and Africa.
Limpa is a sweet Scandinavian rye bread, associated with Swedish cuisine. The bread is known in Swedish as vörtbröd/vörtlimpa. It is a yeast-leavened spice loaf, sweetened with brown sugar and molasses which comes in a large variety in regard to whether or not butter-enriched, and which spices are being used. Traditional bread spices are anise, caraway, fennel seeds, and bitter orange.