Elizabeth M. Harbison - Loaves of Fun: A History of Bread with Activities and Recipes from Around the World

Loaves of Fun

A HISTORY OF BREAD WITH ACTIVITIES AND RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Elizabeth M. Harbison
Illustrated by John Harbison

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Harbison, Elizabeth M.

Loaves of fun: a history of bread with activities and recipes from around the world/ Elizabeth M. Harbison; illustrated by John Harbison.-lst ed.

p. cm.

Summary: a collection of recipes for various kinds of breads arranged in a timeline format that charts the history of this staple food from the earliest civilization to the present day. Includes instructions for related activities.

ISBN-13:978-1-55652-311-3

ISBN-10:1-55652-311-4

1. Bread-History-Juvenile literature. 2. Cookery-(Bread)-Juvenile literature. 3. Cookery, International-Juvenile literature. [1. Bread. 2. Baking.] 1. Harbison, John, 1950- ill.

II. Title.

TX769.H294 1997

641.815-dc21

96-47311

CIP

AC

The author and the publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of the information contained in this book.

1997 by Elizabeth M. Harbison

Illustrations 1997 by John Harbison

All rights reserved

First edition

Published by Chicago Review Press

814 N. Franklin Street

Chicago, Illinois 60610

ISBN-13:978-1-55652-311-3

ISBN-10:1-55652-311-4

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The Family Channel Seal of Quality and The Family Channel Seal of Quality logo design are trademarks of International Family Entertainment, Inc.

Thanks to Tom and Mary McMakin and the whole Great Harvest Bakery family. Your breads are an inspiration to me and, fortunately, to Amy Teschner, who thought of this book and saw it through its beginning stages.

Thanks to Olivia Nuccio, who modeled for everything from kneading hands to the eating mummy.

This book is lovingly dedicated to my own little tester and helper, Mary Paige Harbison.

This book is about the history of bread. But what you might not know is that the history of bread is also the history of civilization.

Reading this book will be like taking a trip through history and throughout the world. Youll learn how important bread has been in the making and breaking of civilizations, both ancient and modern.

Virtually every culture in history has had its own approach to eating, from the Chinese way of eating with chopsticks and the Moroccan way of eating with the left hand, to the European invention of utensils: knives, forks, and spoons.

The favorite foods of different cultures also vary greatly: in Greece, squid is popular; in India, beef is forbidden; in France, frogs legs and snails are considered delicious; and in Italy, pasta is served nearly every night.

The one thing thats common to virtually every culture in every period of history is that all of them have or have had some kind of bread with nearly every meal. But the kinds of bread vary as greatly as the cultures themselves. You can see evidence of this in the French baguette, the Jewish challah, the Indian chapati, and the Middle Eastern pita, to name just a few.

If theres anything the recipes in this book teach you, I hope its that you can experiment freely in the kitchen and try different ingredients. Thats how the Romansand the civilizations that followedwent from having plain wheat bread to having many of the same fruit and nut breads you find in the bakery and grocery store today. Sometimes you might end up with something that doesnt taste very good, but Ill bet that more often than not youll love your own bread creations and your family and friends will, too.

Enjoy!

1. The kitchen is a pretty safe place, but its not a place to play. There are certain things you must be very careful of: all utensils, especially knives; electrical appliances and outlets, including mixers and toasters (never, ever put anything metal in a toaster!); cleaning solutions, which are often stored under the kitchen sink; and anything else that looks like it might fall on you, cut you, or shock you.

2. Never use the oven or stove without a grown-ups permission and help. Fires can start before you know it, and its important to have someone with you who can handle an emergency. Youll need an adult for all the recipes and activities in this book.

3. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher and/or a big, open box of baking soda handy in case there is a fire (baking soda will put the fire out if you pour it on).

1. The best way to mix bread dough is with your hands. Not only is this the safest way, but its also the most fun. Use a large bowl. Throw all the ingredients in according to the directions and mix them up with your hands (make sure you wash them first!).

2. Measuring ingredients is also really easy. All you need is a measuring cup and a measuring spoon (or a collection of measuring spoons of different sizes). Before long, you may be able to measure ingredients just by pouring them into your palm or into a cup. You can practice this by measuring an ingredient with a measuring spoon or cup first, then pouring it into your hand (if its a small amount of dry ingredient, like salt or yeast) or into a coffee cup or glass. Soon youll learn what a tablespoon of sugar looks like in your hand and you wont have to get out the measuring spoons at all!

3. Never use ingredients that smell or look different than you know they should. Flour can grow rancid and turn brown, milk can curdle, eggs can rot, and weevils (tiny bugs) can burrow into flour and sugar if theyre not stored properly.

4. Its a good idea to proof your yeast before you use it, just to make sure its alive and active so you dont end up with a big hard pancake instead of a loaf of bread.

To proof yeast, simply stir some sugar into a cup of very warm but not hot water (you should be able to put a finger in it comfortably) and sprinkle a little yeast on top. It doesnt matter how much yeast you use; a pinch will do. Within five minutes, the yeast should start to bubble or foam. If it doesnt, its not fresh enough to use.

All of the recipes in this book call for butter, but you can use margarine if you prefer.

Six slices of bread equals up to one-third of the vitamins and minerals you need in a whole day!

When all the ingredients for bread dough are mixed, youre ready to knead. Kneading is easy, and everyone has their own way of doing it. You cant go wrong. All you have to do is pull the dough apart and then squish it back together again, over and over. Some people like to do this by making the dough into a flat circle and folding it over like a pillowcase again and again. Others prefer to pull it like taffy, stretching it out and then mushing it into a ball before stretching it out again. The idea of kneading is to stretch the protein in the dough. You should knead for at least ten minutes, but dont worry: you cant do too much. Whatever is the most fun is the right way to do it.