DIPLOMAT
A diplomat is a small Parisian breakfast bread (actually a pastry). Flaky croissant pastry surrounds creamy custard dotted with raisins. Like a chocolate croissant or a Danish, they are considered bread (viennoiserie) rather than a pastry. As with the financier pastry, Parisian bakers named some of their work after important people. Compare that to the American shoo-fly pie and brown Betty!
 

DOUGH
Dough, the base for most bread, is made by grinding a grain or legume into flour and mixing it with enough water or other liquid to form a paste. Leavening may or may not be added to cause the dough to rise; salt and other seasonings may be added, as well as inclusions—herbs, fruits, and nuts, for example.

DOSA
There are five different types of dosas, from thick to paper dosa (shown in the photo), the thinnest, a Southern Indian flatbread, similar to a crêpe, made with a variety of fillings. Typically, it is dipped in sambar, a spiced lentil dipping sauce, and one or more chutneys. The classic masala dosa is filled with spiced potatoes, onions, and cashews.

 

DUTCH CRUNCH BREAD

Dutch Crunch bread is a San Francisco Bay Area incarnation of Dutch tijgerbrood, tiger bread. The top crust of a white bread bloomer loaf is brushed with a paste made of rice flour, sugar, oil, water, and yeast. When heat is applied (i.e., during baking), these ingredients create a much crunchier crust and form the pattern as well. Here’s more about Dutch Crunch bread.

 

EASTER BREAD

Bread is a metaphor for the resurrection of Christ, and several cultures have a celebratory Easter bread—often a rich, sweet yeast style baked with eggs, fruits, and nuts. Examples include English hot cross buns, Italian Colomba di Pasqua baked in the shape of a dove, Greek tsoureki, plaited with nestled red Easter eggs (symbolic of the blood of Jesus), and Russian kulich, a cake-like yeast loaf filled with candied fruit and often iced.
 

EMPANADA
Bread (pastry dough) stuffed with a filling, then fried or baked. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Spanish empanadas are usually pie-shaped, made with a broad variety of fillings (including pork, sausage, cod, and sardines), and served in wedges; Latin American empanadas are typically made in individual, half-moon-shaped portions and filled with minced, seasoned meat. Some Mexican restaurants serve dessert empanadas as well, and “gourmet” empanadas are interpreted by fine chefs.

 

ENGLISH MUFFIN
A fork-split yeast roll related to the crumpet, popular as a breakfast bread and as the base for dishes such as Eggs Benedict. English muffins were originally made by cooking dough in a circular form on a griddle. Read the history of the English muffin and a review of our favorite English muffins, Wolferman’s, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week (photo at right).

 

ÉPI
A French wheat bread shaped to resemble a sheaf of wheat. To those who don’t know what wheat looks like, it may look like a tree.

 

EZEKIEL 4:9 BREAD
Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is a trademarked name for a healthy bread made from a combination of barley, beans, lentils, millet, spelt, and wheat. The recipe comes from Ezekiel 4:9 in the Old Testament, specifically: “Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it....” Rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and natural fiber with no added fat, it is very flavorful and enjoyed by people who pursue a healthy diet. Ezekiel bread is exceptionally nutritious: When the six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, a complete protein is created that closely parallels the high-quality protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest-recognized source of protein. See also Genesis 1:29 bread. And read our review of Food For Life’s Ezekiel bread, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

FLATKAKA
This Icelandic flatbread (the word means flat cake) is soft and thin like a tortilla but is made from dark rye flour and/or whole wheat flour. Here’s a recipe from The House By The Sea. It is fried in a cast iron pan; then eaten with the country’s staples, pickled herring, and smoked salmon. Butter and fold it with sliced cucumbers, salt, pepper, and fresh dill.

FAIRY BREAD
An Australian specialty for children’s birthday parties, sliced white bread is spread with butter and covered with sprinkles.

 

FICELLE
A long, slender French loaf, thinner than a baguette (one to two inches wide). The word is French for “string.”

FLATBREAD
Flatbreads are the simplest breads, requiring no leavening, although some are leavened (made with a chemical agent that adds gas to the dough to produce a lighter, airier, more easily chewed bread). They can be extremely thin, like a tortilla, one millimeter or so in thickness, to a few centimeters thick, like focaccia. Examples include the arepa (South America), chapati (India), injera (Ethiopia), jonnycake (U.S.), lavash (Persia), matzoh (Israel), naan (India), oatcake (Scotland), pita (Middle East), pizza (Italy), roti (India), tortilla (Mexico) and sangak (Persia). Some other breads called flatbreads are not completely flat but use yeast and are partially risen, such as focaccia (Italy).

FOCACCIA
A rich, thick Italian snack bread. Olive oil is brushed over the dough prior to baking, to retain moisture. While it uses yeast to rise, it is not kneaded and is a relatively flat bread, often an inch or so in height. Focaccia is served with meals and used as a base for pizza and as sandwich bread. A basic focaccia is simple, sprinkled with salt; it can be topped with fresh herbs and ingredients as elaborate as any pizza, including sauteed onions and mushrooms, diced tomatoes, prosciutto, cheese, or anything that appeals to the maker. The word is derived from the Latin focus, fireplace.

 

FRENCH TOAST
Slices of bread are dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs and milk, and pan-fried in butter. It is a popular main dish at breakfast, garnished with confectioner’s sugar, syrup, jam, and/or fresh fruit. Sweeter, light breads, such as brioche, challah, and white bread make the best French toast.



 

FRUIT BREAD
Fruit bread is a cake-like quick bread (a non-rising bread typically made in a loaf pan) that contains bits of dried fruit (such as cranberry bread or raisin bread) or else blends the fruit into the dough (as with banana bread and pumpkin bread). Read our review of fruit breads from the St. Lucia Bread Company.

FRUIT BREAD

The Navajo created frybread in 1864, but the recipe has spread far beyond. Frybread is made from regular white flour mixed with water, baking powder, or yeast plus salt. It is then deep-fried in oil or lard. It can be eaten alone or with powdered sugar, honey, or other toppings, sweet and savory. Frybread is also used in Indian-style tacos with beef, cheese, lettuce, and beans on top of the flat, fried bread. November 17th is National Homemade Bread Day,

 

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