INTERNATIONAL

BREADS
SOHAM SEN
A.BREADS FROM ITALY
1. GRISSINI-These are Italian bread sticks. Long, thin and crunchy, they
are made from a dough containing oil and sometimes egg or malt. They were
first made in turin and are either eaten as appetizers or served with soup or
pasta dishes.
2. FOCCACIA-This is an Italian olive oil flat bread, of very ancient origin.
It is a hearth bread, traditionally flung into the oven just after the fire has
been raked out, when the temp is still too high to bake a larger loaf without
burning the crust. It may be eaten as a snack or with cheese. It is usually
baked but often fried. There are many regional variations-with onions,
mozzarella, etc.
3. PANETTONE-A large, round Italian bread which is a speciality of Milan
but is made anywhere between Venice and Milan. It is made from a raised
dough enriched with egg yolks and contains raisins and candied orange and
lemon peel. The dough is traditionally kneaded three times a day for several
days to give the characteristic light texture; then it is placed in a cool oven to
rise and cooked in a cylindrical mould.
4. CIABATTA-It is an Italian white bread made with wheat flour and yeast.
The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish. Its name is the Italian
word for “slipper”. It has a crisp crust; a somewhat soft, porous texture, and
is light to touch. It is seasoned with salt, olive oil and marjoram.

B.BREADS FROM FRANCE

1. KUGELHOPF-It is a yeast bread from Alsace, containing raisins or
currants and cooked in a special high, crown-like mould. It is derived from
the german word “kugel” which means a ball. It is best enjoyed when it
becomes slightly stale. It contains egg and is baked at 200 deg C. when it is
being baked cold, it is sprinkled with icing sugar.
2. PRETZEL-A crisp bread from Alsace, traditionally served with beer. It is
usually shaped like a loose knot and is made of dough poached in boiling
water, sprinkled with coarse salt and cumin seeds and hardened in the oven.
Originally, pretzel wasn’t the crisp biscuit known today, but a chewy
product. They are basically aperitif.
3. BIREWECK-An Alsatian bread; also known as pain de fruits. It is made
from leavened dough flavoured with kirsch and mixed with fresh, dried and
crystallized fruits. Usually shaped into small balls, it can be made in one
large piece and sold in slices.it is baked at 160 deg C for about 1 hr and 45
mins.
4. BRIOCHE-A soft bread made from a yeast dough enriched with butter
and eggs. The dough is a mixture of flour, yeast, moisture, sugar, egg and
butter. The substitution of baker”s yeast for brewer”s yeast make it lighter.
The dough can be moulded in various ways. It is a served as a dessert or
with tea, but it also has many culinary uses. It is baked at 200 deg C for 30
mins. They are usually in the shape of a ring. The various variations include
fruit brioche, brioche mousseline , etc.

C.BREAD FROM GERMANY

1. KASTENBROT-They are made from sour dough. They are baked very
slowly for 20 hours in an enclosed tin, hence the name kastenbrot (box
bread), in a special steam oven, which produces the characteristic dark and
chewy texture.
2.STOLLEN-It is a very soft bread made from a yeast dough enriched with
butter and eggs. It is very similar to brioche and made with dried fruits; this
is a german speciality bread traditionally eaten during Christmas. There are
many variations, the best known being that from Dresden. Some of these
breads may have a filling of marzipan. It is baked at 180 deg C for 50 mins.
3. ZWIEBACK-It is a slice of bread made from a special kind of dough
made of flour, water, salt, fat, yeast, sugar and then re-baked in the oven. It
is first baked in a mould, then sliced. The stale slices are re-baked in the
oven, giving them a golden clour. They have a crumbly texture with very
small hole.
4. PUMPERNICKEL BREAD-It is a very heavy, slightly sweet rye bread
traditionally made with coarsely ground rye. It is baked for a long period
which gives its characteristic dark colour. It is made with sour dough; the
acid preserves the bread structure by counteracting the highly active rye
amylase. Traditonal pumpernickel contains no colouring agent, instead
relying on the maillard reaction to produce its characteristics deep brown
colour, sweet dark chocolate coffee flavour and earthy aroma. It is baked for
16-24 hours at a low temp of 120 deg C.

D.BREADS FROM POLAND

1. PASKA-It is an easter bread in Poland. It is made with butter, eggs and
sugar. An egg and water mixture is used as a glaze. The inside of paska can
be a swirl of yellow and white that is said to represent the risen Christ in
Christian faith, while the white represents the holy spirit. It is eaten with
“hrudka” or also called syrek, a bland sugar custard very similar to cheese.
2. VANOICA.

E.BREAD FROM SWITZERLAND

1. KAISER ROLLS/ONION ROLLS-It is a leavened Swiss bread enriched
with butter and egg. These have a filling inside.the dough is made of flour,
dry yeast, water, sugar, salt, dry milk, butter and egg. The filling consists of
melted butter,chopped onion, grated parmesan cheese, poppy seeds, garlic
salt and paprika. It is baked at 180 deg C for about 40 mins. The Kaiser
rolls has 5 sections like a star, the points of which are flipped over to the
centre and pressed down with the thumb.
2. PANE TICINESE-It is a white bread traditionally made in Ticino. It is
distinguishable by its shape-it is composed of several small rolls or loaves
made to be broken off by hand-and by the addition of oil to the dough,
which makes the dough particularly soft. It is made of water, white flour,
yeast, salt, salt and oil. After being kneaded, the dough is divided into round
pieces of about 2 kgs, which are left to rise for a few mins before being re-
kneaded, flattened and formed into small individual loaves; these are shaped
by hand into an oval shape of about 10 cm in length and attached to the other
loaves to form a complete loaf. After being brushed with egg, the loaves are
allowed to rise until the volume has doubled; then baked for 25 mins at 190
deg C.
3. ZOPF-It is made from white flour, milk, egg, butter and yeast. The dough
is brushed with egg yolk before baking, lending it its characteristic golden
crust. It is baked in the form of a plait and traditionally eaten on Sunday
mornings.
4. BASLER BROT-It is a bread traditionally made in Basel-Stadt. It is
distinguished from other swiss breads by a very soft, porous dough and a
mealy, crunchy crust. It is produced from Hebel-the mother dough. The
Hebel is mixed with plain flour, salt, yeast, and water to produce a dough
with a very high water content , making the dough very soft. After a light
kneading, the dough is formed into rough pieces, which are weighed and laid
on flour-dusted wooden boards for 30 mins. They are then rolled lightly into
an oval shape, which allows for the dough”s large pores to form and then
baked at 330 deg C for 30 mins.

F. BREAD FROM MIDDLE-EAST

1. CHALLAH-Jewish loaf, pronounced as “hallah”. It is made from white
bread dough enriched with eggs, and sometimes flavoured with saffron. The
loaf is plaited, glazed with egg, then sprinkled with poppy or sesame seeds.
It is served on Sabbath and for festivals.
2. MATZO-A jewish unleavened bread which resembles a very thin, large,
dry biscuit. The biscuits are crushed to make matzo meal, used in jewish
cooking as a thickening, to make dumplings and as an ingredient in
puddings.
3. LAVASH-An Armenian bread; a soft, thin, flattened bread on which
toasted sesame seeds and poppy seeds are sprinkled just before baking.
Traditionally, the dough is rolled out flat and slapped against the hot walls of
a tandoor. While flexible when fresh; it dries out quickly and becomes brittle
and hard. It is made with flour, water and salt. The thickness of the bread
varies and depends on how it is rolled out.
4. BAGEL-A small Jewish “roll-with-a-hole” was invented by a jewish
baker in Vienna in 1683. The dough include both yeast and egg. The dough
is left to rise, then shaped into overlapping rings. Traditionally, these are
poached briefly in boiling, salted water until they rise to the surface, giving
them a characteristically close texture and firm, moist crust which is slightly
chewy. They are then glazed with egg before baking until golden.