Bread-making products and processes

Bread, wheat and the baker: it's a story almost as old as the hills. In the beginning, there was the need to live and survive by feeding ourselves. This need gave rise to food production. It's a simple story, because what could be easier than making bread, all you need is grain and water? Today, these raw materials are available almost everywhere in the world. The addition of salt and fermentation methods depend on taste and know-how.

Nearly 5,000 BC, the Sumerians and Egyptians made several types of bread. The Greeks fermented the dough by adding soda or grape juice. Like today's bakers, they diversified their production to offer breads with a variety of aromas: honey bread, aniseed bread... At the start of the second millennium, the first texts regulating the profession appeared. In 1217, bakers were required to obtain royal authorization to practice. A few years later, another decree determined the number of years required for apprenticeship. Under Louis XIV, bread became longer and whiter. It was not until the 20th century that the mechanization of the trade and new manufacturing techniques became widespread.

Bread is no longer the staple it once was. Bread-making techniques have greatly evolved, in line with knowledge and consumer habits.

Nevertheless, it still occupies a special place, especially in France, where almost four million tonnes of bread are produced every year. Today, a baker kneads an average of fifty quintals of flour a month. And every year, ten billion baguettes are sold in France. Bread is part of French culture.

What could be easier than mixing a few basic ingredients? But mastering the product and the manufacturing process is a job, and one that's far more complex than it might first appear.

The different types of bread, the associated regulations, the vocabulary specific to the trade, bread-making techniques and technology - these are the topics we'd like to explore together in this article.