August 2008
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A Guide To The Many Types Of Bread
Page 2: Glossary Of Bread Types ~ A & B
This is page 2 of a 9-page glossary of the many different types of bread. Click on the links below to visit other pages. You can also return to the overview and the history of bread or select from more than fifty food glossaries.
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of the glossary:
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AREPA
 A South American bread that is a thicker version of a tortilla, more of a flat meal made of maize flour, split in half and filled with cheese, deli meats and a variety of fillings. An arepa may be eaten closed like a sandwich or dressed with toppings and eaten open-faced. Although similar to a sandwich in its presentation, it can also be eaten as a side dish, in lieu of bread. See flatbread.
It’s easy to make arepas with the Oster Arepamaker.
BAGEL
A bagel is a round circle of yeast dough the size of a large roll, which is first boiled and  then baked. It originated among the Jewish population of Central Europe. A traditional bagel is dense and chewy, although versions have evolved that are not much more than bread in a circle. The original bagels were made of wheat flour; early versions were plain or topped with poppy seeds. Today, dozens of varieties can be found, including pumpernickel, seven-grain and whole-wheat, and regular wheat bagels are made in dozens of flavors, from blueberry to spinach. Bagels have evolved from a breakfast bread to serve as a sandwich bread as well.
Read our review of Bake 'mmm Bagels, the best frozen bagels we’ve come across. They’re organic and kosher, too. Shown above, Bake ‘mmm’s whole wheat bagels.
BAGUETTE
A long, narrow loaf with a very crusty, amber-colored outside and a delicate, tender inside. In France and elsewhere, it is used as a multipurpose bread, including for sandwiches; slices are used as the base for canapés. The name means “a small rod” in French. The baguette is three or four inches in diameter and can be up to a yard long, although it is most likely about two feet in length. It is not the most slender of the French loaves; see ficelle. Sandwich-sized baguettes are called demi-baguettes. While it is closely identified with France, the prototype was developed in Vienna in the mid-19th century, when the first steam ovens made possible the crisp crust and the porous (with holes) white crumb. See a comparison photo of baguettes, bâtards, ficelles and bâtons.
Photo courtesy of StockXchng.
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Baguettes. Photo by Aniko Gaspar | SXC. |
BÁNH MÌ
Bánh mì is a Vietnamese baguette made with wheat and rice flour; the term also refers to a sandwich traditionally made with the baguette. Bánh mì can be vegetable sandwiches—pickled carrots, daikon, onions, e.g.—or include tofu or meat.
Bread made with Guinness beer.
This
bread was made from a mix—BYOB.
Read our review. Photo by Claire Freierman
| THE NIBBLE.
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BÂTARD
A long, wide, crusty French loaf—similar in crust and crumb, but wider than a baguette—that can be sliced for sandwiches. It can be made with wheat, rye or other grains. See a photo.
BÂTON
A bâton is similar to a baguette in crust and crumb, but shorter and narrower.
BATTER BREAD
A batter bread is one that requires no kneading. An example is yeast bread: After the batter is mixed, it is allowed to rise, and then is baked.
BEER BREAD
A bread with beer in the batter. There are many recipes for beer-batter breads; different types of beer can be used to provide lighter or heartier flavors. See photo at left. |
BIALY
The bialy was developed in Bialystok, Poland; the name is short for bialystoker kuchen (Bialystok cake). It is a large, flat, chewy yeast roll, up to six inches in diameter. Although it is likened to a bagel, they are distant cousins. A bagel is boiled before baking; a bialy is just baked. A bagel has a hole in the middle; a bialy has a depression that is typically filled with chopped onions and poppy seeds prior to baking. A bagel is generally sliced and spread and can be made into a sandwich; a bialy, which is flat, is most often eaten as is or spread with butter. Bagels have evolved into dozens of flavors; the bialy is still the bialy. |
A bialy from Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen in Portland, Oregon. |
BISCUIT
In the U.S., a biscuit is
a small, individually-portioned bread made with baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast. There are numerous varieties: Beaten biscuits, buttermilk biscuits and cheese biscuits are popular recipes. Biscuits are very soft and without a traditional crust; in this way they are similar to scones, which are generally harder and drier. There are savory and sweet biscuits; sweet biscuits can be served with butter and jam; or split and served with berries and whipped cream as a shortcake. In the U.S., “tea biscuits” are cookies; in the U.K., biscuit is the term for cookie.
BLACK BREAD
See pumpernickel.
BOULE
A round, crusty French loaf, similar to a peasant bread (photo at right). Boule is the French word for ball or round. In the U.K., this shape is known as a cob.
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A boule. |
BREAD
A staple food in many of the world’s cultures, bread is made from flour or meal mixed with other dry ingredients and a liquid, usually water (but beer and other liquids are used in specialty recipes). There is usually a leavening agent to make the bread rise. A typical bread is kneaded, shaped into loaves and baked. The word bread, which comes to us from Old English, is related to the term in other Germanic languages, including brood (Dutch), Brot (German), bröd (Swedish) and brød (Danish and Norwegian). The Latin term is crustum. See also loaf.
Use a bread bowl for soup, stew, chili, or to serve dips with crudités, crackers or...slices of bread! Photo by K.S. Chin | CSP.
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BREAD BOWL
A festive method of serving individual portions of food that also pair well with the bread (chili, stew) or starters such as dips and spreads, in a scooped-out round loaf of bread. Bread bowls can be made from any type of bread, although rye, sourdough and wheat are common; rolls including ciabatta rolls are used for individual portions.
BREAD FLOUR
Enriched white flour with a higher gluten content. All-purpose flour has a medium amount of gluten that is suitable for most purposes but not for bread machines.
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BREAD KNIFE
A knife with a serrated edge, which easily cuts through both the hard crust and the soft crumb, without condensing it.
BREADCRUMBS or BREAD CRUMBS
Also known as breading, these small pieces of dry bread are used for breading, poultry stuffing, topping casseroles, ingredients (e.g. meat loaf, stuffed fish), etc. Bread crumbs can be purchased commercially, plain or seasoned; or can be homemade from bread that is several days old (or has been dried in the oven). Italian-style breadcrumbs are generally larger. Panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs, are made from bread without crusts, and are crisper, lighter and more elegant in texture.
BREADING
A dry coating, often seasoned flour, in which foods are dredged prior to frying. They may first be dipped in a beaten egg mixture to enable the breading to adhere.
BREADSTICK or BREAD STICK
The bread stick originated in Italy. Bread strips were baked so they became very dry and crisp and could be stored for longer periods. Though it may have originated as a digestif or a snack, today it is often served as part of an antipasto. The archetypical bread sticks, grissini, are plain, slender and long, although there are numerous other shapes, lengths and flavors of bread sticks to be found, including thick, knobby bread sticks the length of bakers’ arms (think of a French ficelle, but a dry bread stick, not a soft bread).
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Photo by Michael Steele | THE NIBBLE. |
BRIOCHE
A light, slightly sweet loaf or roll made with eggs, yeast and butter, and glazed with an egg wash. Richer than a standard loaf, brioche is used as a breakfast bread, for French toast and in combination with luxury ingredients such as foie gras and smoked salmon. The rolls baked in fluted tins with a small ball of dough crowning the top are called brioche à tête (see photo at left). A standard brioche loaf is called brioche Nanterre. The word comes from Old French, broyer, to knead. The expression, “If they have no bread, let them eat cake,” commonly misattributed to Queen Marie-Antoinette,* is a translation of the phrase, “S’ils n’ont plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” The quotation was attributed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau to “a great princess,” possibly Maria Theresa of Spain.
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BUN
A small bun with a variety of meanings, from a sweet roll to a pastry (hot cross bun, raisin bun) to a specialty bread for hamburgers and hot dogs.
Continue To Page 3: Terms Beginning With C
Go To The Glossary Index Above
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