Food History: A Modern Bread-Making Love Affair

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My love language begins in the kitchen. It starts by measuring yeast and warm water, honey and brown sugar. Or with cracking eggs and sifting flour. Baking, is my labour of love. This week in food history, I dive into the world of baked goods and how it brings us together as a community.

There’s a science to pastry-making, a perfect balance of measurements and art. A gram too much of baking soda can be the difference between an “okay” piece of cake and the best you’ve ever had. But when did this science first develop?

According to archeological evidence, Egyptians were the first to break down the science of bread-making. Loaves of fossilized bread have been found in tombs; food left for the souls to bring into the afterlife. We know that Egyptians mastered yeast around 2,600 BC from the remnants of beer and nectar left soaking in barrels.

The history of baking continues its journey in ancient Rome, where we find watermills as a new technology to aid in the production of staple foods like bread. Ancient Rome relied on a fermented leavening agent, what we would now consider sourdough starter, rather than yeast like the Egyptians. Bread ovens and terracotta pots were found preserved in the ashes of Pompeii still contain evidence of the fermented dough.

France, another revolutionary force in the world of baking, played with laminating their dough with fat. Thin layers of dough and butter created early forms of what we now know as croissants and puff pastries. France is the home of whipped cream and sweetened almond pastes used to sweeten these flaky confections.

Baking evolved quickly after its early inventors outlined the basics of baking ratios. Now, modern bakers and pastry chefs create magical illusions, building massive confections to look like everyday objects. Baking masters will use tactics of ancient Egypt and Rome to make a lemon dessert shaped like a lemon—the old working hand-in-hand with the new and modernized.

Now, I use the same technology and ratios to fill my home with the smell of freshly baked sourdough and sweet, jam-filled pastries. I share the science from many centuries ago in my modern kitchen. And with that, I leave you with my favourite dinner roll recipe.

Garlic and herd dinner rolls

Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp flour

  • 1 tbsp dry active yeast

  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp warm water

  • 1/2 cup + 5 tbsp milk

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 1 tbsp salted butter, room temperature

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • Herbs of choice, dried or fresh

Directions

  • Combine the yeast and water in a small bowl. Let the yeast bloom while working on the next step. Tip: If the yeast does not create a foamy texture in 10 minutes, your yeast may be out of date. This might be okay for some recipes, but it won’t keep accurate to the fluffy nature of these dinner rolls.

  • In a small pot, combine 5 tbsp of milk, 2 tbsp of flour and 2 tbsp of water and cook on low heat while stirring to create a water roux. Remove from heat when the mixture has thickened.

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the flour and milk, the sugar, the water roux and the yeast mixture. When the ingredients are well combined, add one egg.

  • Begin kneading for three minutes. Add the butter and continue kneading for a total of 10 minutes.

  • Form into nine balls and place into a lined baking sheet. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, ideally humid area for 45 minutes before baking at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

  • Once done baking, brush with a mixture of melted salted butter, herbs of your choice, and garlic.

Image COURTESY of cuisinart

Image courtesy of world history encyclopedia

Image courtesy of Bruno albouze

Image courtesy of vikalinka

Dalainey Gervais is a writer and artist from Toronto, ON. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Linguistics program and a student of Algonquin College’s Professional Writing program. Currently working in the non-profit sphere, she hopes to develop a career in environmental policy writing. In her free time, Dal enjoys writing, baking, and watching the latest crime documentary on Netflix.