Bread, for most people, it is one of the most popular breakfast items. In simple words, bread is a staple food item which is prepared using the flour dough and water. The common process of preparing the bread is by baking it. There are many bread varieties that can be prepared by baking the different ingredients together.
Bread is one of the oldest food items that have a great significance since the agriculture dawn. It is served during different meal timings in the entire day in the different flavours. Generally, it is used as a snack item along with being used as a preparatory element of different recipes. Not only this, but bread also offers some great nutritional values, in terms of:
- Energy
- Protein
- Fat
- Vitamin B
- Carbohydrate
- Calcium
- Iron
Bread in itself is a flavour to enjoy!
What are the Types of Bread:
There are many types of bread, some of the most common ones short listed:
- White bread: a soft and fluffy bread made from refined wheat flour
- Whole wheat bread: made from whole wheat flour and has a denser texture and nuttier flavor
- Rye bread: a dense and flavorful bread made from rye flour
- Sourdough bread: a tangy and chewy bread made from a fermented mixture of flour and water
- French bread: a long and crusty bread with a soft interior, typically served with savory dishes
- Ciabatta: an Italian bread that is oval in shape and has a crisp crust and a light and airy interior
- Baguette: a thin and long French bread with a crisp crust and a soft interior
- Pumpernickel bread: a dark and dense bread made from coarsely ground rye flour
- Focaccia: an Italian bread that is similar to a thick and soft pizza crust and often topped with olive oil and salt
- Naan: a soft and fluffy bread from India, traditionally baked in a tandoor oven and served with curries.
These are just a few of the many types of bread that exist in the world. The type of bread you choose will depend on your personal taste and the dish you want to serve it with.
Briefly Explained the Types of Bread and Their Health Benefits:
The various bread pictures must have already given you an idea of the different list of bread. You can use a different kind of bread and mix them or with other ingredients for making a whole new recipe. Thus, to try various experiments with the different bread types, move ahead of just knowing what is bread and play with your imaginations.
To help you with this, here are some of the different types of bread that you can try:
1. Whole Wheat Bread:
To begin with, the whole wheat bread is one of the most common types of bread that we all use daily. Within no time, this bread has gained immense popularity amongst the users because of the various health benefits that it delivers.
This wheat bread is made up of 100% pure extraction of grain, which is the whole wheat flour. The pure extraction process ensures that the entire positive and the necessary ingredients are preserved during the formation of this bread. The high percentage of nutrition, fibre, protein, and Vitamins available in this bread delivers the needed benefits to the person’s body.
The health benefits of this bread are as follow:
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- High nutritional value.
- Reduces the risk of heart diseases.
- Reduces the chances of obesity.
- Ensures healthy digestion.
- Fight against type 2 diabetes.
The Possible Side Effects:
- It can be addictive.
- It is rich in gluten.
- Spikes the blood sugar rapidly.
This bread became popular in the food circle in the 19th century and reached the grocery of the American market in the 20th century. The whole wheat bread can be complemented with several ingredients to make some delicious and tempting snacks. Also, as it is made with the grain extraction, it acts as a complete meal and thus does not cause starving.
2. Ciabatta Bread:
There is no limit to the variety of bread which you can find and the ciabatta bread is a clear example of this. It is Italian bread which is made using ingredients like wheat flour, salt, water, and yeast. You can find many different varieties and flavours of this bread which depends on the ingredients used but the main ingredients always remain the same.
As the bread is baked using all the healthy ingredients, this bread can be considered quite efficient for several health benefits. However, as compared to the other types of bread, ciabatta offers some limited amount of nutritional value.
The Health Benefits of This Bread are as Follow:
- Delivers a high amount of carbohydrates.
- Can be a good option to be taken as a meal.
- Soft inside.
- Easily chewable.
- The crispy and thin crust.
The Side Effects of This Bread:
- Contains fat.
- Wheat flour contains gluten.
- High on calories.
Ciabatta bread is one of the popular items on the menus of most of the modern restaurants with many different varieties. However, most of the dishes made using the ciabatta bread are made using olive oil which not only enhances the taste but also enhances the nutritional value of the bread.
This bread was invented in the early days of the 1980s. Although the bread was quite popular in Italy, it gained its popularity in Europe in the 1990s. The popularity of this bread is now not only limited to these places but it is accepted worldwide in many countries. Ciabatta bread is one popular choice for making sandwiches and Paninis.
3. Brown Bread:
Brown bread is another popular type of bread that can be found in various houses. This bread is formed using the whole grain flour and is considered to be extremely healthy for consumption. With several health benefits that this bread contains, this bread has gained immense popularity within no time. This bread can also be called whole grain bread.
Earlier the bread was not considered good for the eating purposes and therefore it was considered as an item for the poor. It was later, with the discovered benefits of bran, the bread became an essential part of the food habits of many people across the world.
The Health Benefits of This Bread are as Follow:
- It contains a good amount of fibres.
- It helps in digestion.
- It helps in reducing the cholesterol level.
- It controls the blood pressure level.
- Consumption of brown bread is also beneficial for controlling fat.
- As it is also known as whole grain bread, it keeps you full for a longer time.
- It also controls the blood sugar level.
The Possible Side Effects of Brown Bread are as Follow:
- It can be addictive.
- Contains gluten.
- Can increase the LDL cholesterol.
Brown bread came into existence in the 18th century. Although the bread didn’t gain instant popularity, later it was accepted hand to hand by the people. This bread gained popularity in the New England areas in the beginning and later throughout the world. It is believed that brown bread is seasonal and is prepared in the season of fall and winter. As one of the popular use of this brown bread, it is very popular for making sandwiches.
4. Sourdough Bread:
Would you believe that you can create some tasty and delicious flavours of bread using the sourdough? Yes, it is possible and sourdough bread is an example of the same. With a dense texture, this bread has a slightly sour flavour because of the use of sourdough in its making. Before making the bread, the process of fermentation is done for water and flour. Lastly, some baking soda or yeast is added as the final step for making this bread.
The fermented mixture of water and flour helps in forming many batches of the bread. The biggest advantage of this bread is that it can be kept and used for a very long time. The substantial crust of this bread is well-accompanied with a soft and chewy center.
The Health Benefits of This Bread are as Follow:
- Contains high nutritional value.
- The high amount of minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, etc.
- Easy to digest.
- Can be stored for a very long time.
- Does not contain a high amount of gluten.
- Improves the metabolism of the person.
- Prevents the gain in weight.
The Possible Side Effects of Sourdough Bread:
- It takes quite a long time to prepare this bread.
The sourdough bread is considered as the healthiest of bread out of all the available bread types. As this bread contains all the positive benefits and no negative impact on the health, the bread is quite popular amongst the people.
It is believed that the sourdough bread is one of the oldest bread which is used in its original form. This bread came into the knowledge of mankind in the 15th century and is being used since then. The ancestors used this bread for preparing many different types of meals and as an addition to those meals, this bread is now also used for making sandwiches.
5. Rye Bread:
This bread is known to be originated in Europe and is prepared using only the rye flour or a mixture of rye flour and wheat flour. All the flavours of the bread are strong enough and the bread is dark in colour. Rye bread is very popular in countries like Russia, Finland, Germany, etc. Most of the people refer to this bread as the German bread.
This bread has a tight crumb and assertive flavours of rye. To enhance the flavours of this bread, dill seeds are often added in it during its preparation phase. Rye bread is one of the popular ingredients that is used for giving corned beef sandwiches and pastrami their essential tastes and flavours.
The Health Benefits of This Bread:
- It fights against the symptoms of cancer.
- It is also beneficial for consumption for the asthma patients.
- It helps in lowering the blood pressure.
- It boosts the metabolism.
- It helps in weight reduction.
- It prevents the formation of gallstones.
- It improves the digestive system.
- It helps in controlling diabetes.
The Side Effects of Rye Bread:
- It contains gluten
It is expected that rye bread was introduced in Roman times and it is being used since then. Rye bread is quite a popular staple food item in most of the countries and thus is consumed in large amount throughout the world. The consumption of rye bread has further enhanced after the people have become more aware of the various health benefits that it offers.
6. Pita Bread:
Unfortunately, most of the people are still not aware of a bread type called pita bread. Very few people are aware of this type of bread and indeed this type of bread is not even popular in most of the bakeries.
Pita bread can also be termed as flatbread and it is round or oval in shape. Pita bread is best accompanied with various types of sauces like hummus, falafel, etc. One of the characteristics of this bread is that it does not get enlarged or expanded when baked. Thus, it maintains its shape during its formation.
These bread are generally dry as they are prepared at a high temperature and thus it drains the entire water quotient inside the bread. The evaporation of the water content from the bread causes a large air bubble in its center.
The Health Benefits of This Bread:
- It contains fewer calories.
- It contains a high amount of proteins and carbohydrate value.
- High on nutritional value.
- It contains a good amount of fibers.
- It is also a rich source of Vitamins.
- It also contains minerals like iron, magnesium, etc.
- The consumption of this bread is also beneficial for the bones strength.
The Possible Side Effects of This Bread:
- The dishes made using pita such as pita chips contain a high amount of carbohydrates.
- They also contain a high amount of sodium.
- It takes a longer time for digestion.
Pita bread were first originated in the Middle East. Some of the people say that this bread was originated in the 13th century, though no one is absolutely sure about the exact time of the introduction of the bread.
Besides being used with different kind of sauces, the pita breads are also considered perfect for dipping. Pita bread are cut into wedges or toasted and then used perfectly for dipping.
7. Focaccia Bread:
Unlike most of the common types of bread, focaccia bread is not that popular in household purposes. Though the bread is quite popular in many of the restaurants and eatable places. Focaccia bread has very rich flavors and thus delivers very tempted taste to the people.
This bread is quite a popular name in Italy and it is baked using a baking pan or baking sheet. The dough of the bread is accompanied with fresh herbs or with garlic for enhancing its flavours to million times. It can be used for making some amazing garlic bread as well. The bread is also coated with some olive oil before it is baked to make its crust soft yet crunchy.
The Health Benefits of This Bread:
- It can be used as a snack.
- Can be easily digested.
- It is healthier than many other junk foods like a hamburger.
- It can keep you full for a longer time.
The Side Effects of This Bread:
- It contains a high amount of salt.
- It is also high in its calories count.
Focaccia bread was originated in Italy and is quite popular in many regions of Italy. It can be called as flatbread or can also be called as yeast bread because of the ingredients used for preparing this bread. Most of the people confuse the focaccia bread with pizza but the two are different than one another. The confusion is generally because of the fact that both pizza and focaccia bread are made using the same dough.
The focaccia bread can be consumed on its own and can be enjoyed for its rich flavours. However, this bread can also be eaten with cheese or meat along with being a tasty dipping in all varieties of soups.
Additional Tips:
Baking the different types of bread can be extremely simple if you know the proper tips about the same. If you have ever baked bread at home, you would be aware of the fact that the entire process of bread baking requires hard work. To get that perfectly baked bread, initially, you may have to try your hands with some experiments. Remember the trial and error method?
If you are baking the bread for the first time, you must keep some simple instructions or tips in mind. These tips will help you in easing the entire process and will also bring the best of flavours in your baked bread. Here are the additional tips:
- Always read through the complete procedure of baking the bread thoroughly.
- Make use of fresh and organic room temperature ingredients.
- Don’t expect to get the perfect bread in the first attempt. Start with a forgiving bread.
- Make use of scale for using just the exact amount of ingredients.
- Maintain the right temperature of the oven for getting the perfect baked bread.
- Follow the same steps in the preparatory guidelines to get the same results.
- Timely check your bread when you are baking different bread varieties.
- Don’t cut the freshly baked bread as it may tear its crust.
- Use wet hands to knead the bread dough.
- Always butter the baking dish for easily taking out the bread.
Bread also is known as the staff of life, is not just limited to knowing what bread is. By being the basic supportive food of life, bread is much more than just being a snack. The different bread ideas, along with the variety of recipes, can bring in different flavours together.
Comment below your favourite types of bread and its recipe. Also, feel free to get in touch with us regarding any doubt with the baking process for different items from the list of bread.