Market Explorers: Bread

Bread-

at a glance

World Record!

The longest sandwich in the world was 735 metres long.

That’s the same as seven football pitches!

Food family: Most breads contain flour made from cereal grains.

Eatwell Guide goup: Starchy carbohydrates.

Main nutrient: Wholegrain bread provides carbohydrates for energy and fibre for digestion.

Origin: People in the Fertile Crescent (part of the Middle East) were making bread from wild grains at least 14,500 years ago. The very earliest breads would have been flatbreads, a bit like a pita or a roti.

Season: Bakers are busy making bread all year long.

Storage: Usually wrapped up and stored at room temperature in a bread bin or cupboard. Can be frozen.

TOP FACT!

The first toaster was invented in Scotland in 1893 although it only toasted one side of bread at a time.

Raising agent (such as yeast or baking powder), optional

The soft bit of bread is called the crumb (not to be confused with crumbs!)

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Salt

Air pockets

Liquid (such as water or milk)

Flour (such as wheat, corn or rye)

Crust

VARIETIES If you mix flour with a liquid, turn it into a dough or batter, and cook it, then you have made ‘bread’.

Look out for Karaway Bakery’s sweet poppy seed brioche at Borough Market.

The poppy seeds taste like chocolate!

As this definition isn’t very specific, a lot things fall under the category of ‘bread’. Pancakes, croissants and scones are all technically breads for example.

Breads can be sweet (like chocolate babkas or jam doughnuts), savoury (like tomato foccacias or cheese sticks) or just plain. There are white breads, brown breads, seeded breads, wholegrain breads... the options are endless!

Some recipes have been handed down for generations but new inventions are being created all the time.

Not all breads are the same quality. In the 1960s, scientists found ways of making bread very quickly and cheaply. Most British bread is now made in factories using this method, but not the bread sold at Borough Market! Bread made quickly with lots of ingredients added to it is often harder to digest, has less flavour and is less good for you so we like to make it the old fashioned way.

Leavened breads

have a raising agent in them. This means that they include an ingredient that will help them to rise. Examples include yeast (a natural living organism), a ‘starter’ (a fermented dough full of natural bacteria) baking powder or baking soda.

These create bubbles in the dough that help it grow bigger as it cooks.

French baguettes, English muffins, Polish bagels, and Italian ciabatta are all leavened breads.

UNLeavened breads

have no raising agent in them.

This makes them flat.

Examples include Mexican tortillas, Ethiopian injera bread, Turkish yufkas and Indian chapatis.

Bubbles are formed from raising agents

Did you know?

The word ‘companion’ comes from the Latin words for ‘with’ and ‘bread’ so basically means someone you share your bread with!

PRODUCING History

Wheat was one of the first crops ever to be farmed (rather than gathered from the wild). Farming completely changed the way that people lived so it was a big moment in history.

The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all ate a lot of bread. When the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun died, he was buried with baskets full of bread so he wouldn’t be hungry in the afterlife.

Did you know?

Flour is often described ‘strong’ or ‘soft’. Strong fl is high in gluten which give a tougher texture and he it hold its shape when cook This is perfect for bread Soft flour is low in gluten gives a lighter texture wh is better for cakes.

In medieval London, bakers had to follow very strict rules about the size and quality of a loaf. If a baker broke the rules, they could be dragged along the city’s dirtiest streets with a loaf of bread tied around their neck.

where is it PRODUCED today?

Most countries make and consume bread. Some will be everyday breads and some will be breads brought out for special occasions, such as hot cross buns.

Say hello to the traders when you visit the Market!

At Borough Market you can watch the bakers at work at Bread Ahead Bakery. Make sure you have a taste of their delicious bread pudding too!

You can also pick loaves up from Karaway Bakery, Artisan Foods and Olivier’s Bakery.

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The flour that goes into making bread can be made from different types of crop. Here we will be looking at the most common one: wheat.

From this... ...to this

Wheat is harvested from the fields in early autumn so that farmers can collect the grain, which is found in the head.

The dough is then shaped and cooked.

If it sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom, it is ready!

Yeasted doughs have to be kneaded and left to rest so they can grow. This is called proving.

How is it

MADE?

Flour is mixed with other ingredients such as water and yeast to produce a batter or dough.

The grain has 3 parts: Bran Endosperm Germ The grain is cleaned then milled. This means it is ground between two stones or steel wheels to separate the different parts of the grain and turn it into a powder, called flour.

Wholegrain flour is made from the entire grain, so contains all the fibre, vitamins and nutrients. White flour is made from the endosperm only.

COOKING & EATING!

In the UK we throw away 24 million slices of bread every day. What a waste! Here are some ways you can make the most of your bread.

NUTRITION Wholegrain wheat bread provides B vitamins which help fight off infections and keep your brain healthy.

It also contains essential minerals which help build strong bones.

Sometimes wheat flour is mixed with other grains like rye, oats or barley which changes the flavour and can provide other nutrients.

PREP Good quality bread stored in the right conditions should go hard (stale) when it is getting old, rather than mouldy.

To perk up slightly stale bread, sprinkle it with water and heat it in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

mAKE IT

Show + share We’d love to see all your experiments with bread so don’t forget to take some pictures to share!

Tag #marketexplorers and tell us why you love bread.

Simple flatbread with 3 ingredients.

From Indian naan bread to Middle Eastern pita bread, most countries have their own version of a flatbread.

1. In a bowl, mix 200g self-raising flour with ½ tsp baking powder and 200g plain yoghurt until smooth.

2. Divide the mixture into 4 balls. Cover them with a cloth and leave for 20 minutes.

3. Roll your dough balls out into flat circles and fry them in a hot, dry pan for 2 minutes on each side.

4. Tear them up and dip them in hummus, use them as a wrap or top them like a pizza.

COOK IT

French toast.

Bread also works well in sweet dishes.

1. In a bowl, whisk together 50ml whole milk, 1 egg and a pinch of cinnamon.

2. Heat a frying pan with a little butter and 1 tbsp oil.

Decorate with fruit like sliced s. banana or berrie

SAVE IT

3. Take two slices of bread and give them a good dunk in the eggy mixture.

Ask an adult to help you carefully place them in the hot frying pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden, then flip them over and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Put them on a plate and drizzle over a little honey.

Flavoured breadcrumbs.

‘Pangrattato’ as the Italians like to call it, is a great way of using up bread that’s past its best.

1. Place some small pieces of stale bread on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 120°C until completely dry (around 20 minutes).

2. Leave the bread to cool then put it in a bag. Using a rolling pin on top of the bag, crush the bread until it becomes breadcrumbs.

3. Mix with salt, a little olive oil and your choice of chilli flakes, lemon zest, garlic and dried herbs or a mixture of all of them!

Sprinkle on top of cauliflower cheese , fish pie, pasta, soups and salads

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© Borough Market 2020

This unit is part of Borough Market’s Market Explorers series, helping primary school children discover more about the produce sold in the Market. Each booklet looks at a specific ingredient from field to fork, and has been devised in collaboration with children’s cooking authors and TV consultants Sally Brown and Kate Morris – the duo behind CBeebies ‘i can cook’ and ‘My World Kitchen’.