Introduction to Yeast Breads - Breads and Bread Pastries

A couple of months ago I wrote a book on breads, and the reader may ask why I would want to continue the topic, about this most integral part of our life, bread, basic bread. Well, everybody knows that throughout the dawn of man’s existence, as well as throughout history, bread has been the symbol of an old-time kitchen and hearth which has formed the warm and be the center of a human home.

Ancient tomb carvings depict planting, harvesting the grain, grinding, mixing of the bread and baking it. This head of wheat was considered to be so sacred that it was a decoration on the weapons and shields of great warriors and kings.

Even Gods and goddesses, especially the Greek goddess Demeter whose Egyptian equivalent was the goddess Isis was the goddess of harvesting with wheat as her symbol.

According to the Arabs, wheat and other grains like corn, rye, barley, oats, millet and maize came down from heaven in 7 handkerchiefs and it has always to be respected since Allah himself took so much care to keep these precious cereals, clean and pure, while handing them to man. That is why they call bread, God’s special gift.

So it was only when human beings found out that wheat was one of the grasses which could be kept for a long time without spoiling in dry conditions, they started harvesting, storing and grinding it so that finely bread could be made from it.