Give us this day our daily bread
By Laurence Civil
The line from the Lord’s Prayer confirms the global need for freshly baked bread daily and assesses how it has become a part of our dining ritual. Although in Asia bread is commonly replaced with rice in the local diet, the term to “to break bread” means to sit down at the table and share an intimate meal with family or friends.
Bread was first baked in ancient Egypt where grain was crushed or sometimes chewed, in creating a flat-bread with several varieties becoming available. Greece and later Rome followed suit from where it spread across the Western world with different countries each adding their own variety.
It is made by baking dough of flour and water in an oven and can be leavened or unleavened. When it is leavened, yeast is most commonly used although salt, fat or baking powder can be alternatives.
The ratio of water to flour will affect the texture and crumb as well as the inner soft part of the bread. Taking the amount of flour to be 100%, common North American table bread uses approximately 50% water, resulting in fine-textured, light bread. Most artisan bread formulas contain anywhere from 60% to 75% water. In yeast breads, the higher water percentages result in more CO2 bubbles and a coarser bread crumb. Half a kilo of flour will yield a standard loaf of bread or two French loaves.
When hot freshly baked bread comes out of the oven it needs to be allowed to cool prior to wrapping. Some bakeries in Thailand plastic wrap it as soon as it comes out the oven in the mis-belief that it is protecting the bread while in reality it makes the bread sweat and go soggy. When collecting bread from the bakers, it should be wrapped in paper with a thin wax coating on the inside, similar to that used in wrapping cheese.
Different cultures appreciate dissimilar styles of bread; Europeans favour the coarse flour, whole meal bread while Asians in general opt for a softer bread, for instance, sweet potato bread is Korea’s best seller.
The Asian climate with heat and humidity makes it difficult to store bread, especially during the very hot and the rainy seasons. The ideal place is somewhere cool and dark such as a bread bin in the larder. If you buy a loaf bread and know that you would not be eating it all on the day of purchase, cut it in half and store in the freezer to reheat in a conventional oven at 200°C for 10 minutes. It would not be as good as the first half of the bread baked freshly on the day of purchase but it does avoid wasting half a loaf of bread.
Here is a selection of freshly baked breads available to buy retail in Bangkok.
Lenôtre
Lenôtre Langsuan
61Natural Ville Executive Service, Langsuan Rd.,Lumpini,
Tel: 0-2250-7050-1
Lenôtre Siam Paragon
G. Floor Siam Paragon Shopping Center, Rama 1 Rd.,
Tel: 0-2129-4365
Lenôtre Thonglor
522/3 Thonglor 16 Sukhumvit
Tel: 0-2382-0063-5 Fax: 0-2382-0067
Lenôtre Sofitel Silom
188 Ground floor Sofitel Silom, Silom Road,
Tel. 0-2238-1991
The company was founded by Master Baker Gaston Lenôtre and his wife Collette when they opened their first stores in 1957 in Paris at 44 rue d’Auteuil with a passion to bake good real bread. Today the brand is owned by the Accor group with 52 luxury gastronomy outlets in 13 different countries around the globe, four of which are in Bangkok.
Olive Bread
Made with black olives from Spain and natural yeast, it is a soft flat bread, very fruity that is the perfect companion with fresh salads or grilled vegetables. The texture is similar to a savoury fruit cake, not to be cut but rather better torn with the hands. Before serving the unbaked bread, warm in a conventional oven at 200°C for 10 minutes to maximize the taste and smell. An ideal lunch time Mediterranean style bread to go with pasta or to be eaten on its own.
French Baguette
French bread is at its best when it comes out of the oven. Lenotre have a range of unbaked breads that can be stored in the freezer until required. Pre heat your oven (traditional bread does not work in a microwave and there is too much humidity) to 200°C, place the unbaked bread on a baking tray and cook for 10 mins. Take the bread out of the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 mins. When the bread is torn by the hands there is a generous crumb shower and that wonderful baked yeast smell.
The Oriental Shops
The Oriental Shop at Isetan - Ground Floor
Central World Plaza, 4 Rajdamri Road,
Tel: 0-2255 9813 / 0-2255 9809
Open 10am – 9pm
The Oriental Shop at Central Chidlom - Ground Floor
1207 Ploenchit Road, Bangkok 10330
Tel: 0-2252 6863
Open: 10am-9:30pm
The Oriental Shop (5thFloor) at Emporium
662 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok 10110
Tel: 0-2664 8147-8
Open: 10:30am-10pm
The Oriental Shop at Siam Paragon - Ground Floor
Siam Paragon Shopping Center, Rama 1 Road,
Tel: 0-2610-9845-6
Open: 10am-10pm
The four locations of The Oriental Shop in Bangkok offers freshly baked breads, gourmet sandwiches, cookies, biscuits and chocolates, charcuterie items plus specially imported vintage wines.
Dark Bavarian
Made from a mix of Canadian and Rex-Bavarian flour using fresh yeast, a dense bread that requires slow gradual chewing. Eaten on its own, the taste is a little dry and the taste of caraway seeds was noticeable. A good bread to enjoy with homemade vegetable soup as it has the body to absorb the broth.
Muesli Bread
Made from a mix of Canadian and multi malt mix flours using fresh yeast with chopped walnuts is the firm crust and significant pieces of apricot plus raisins makes up the firm body. Preferably it should be eaten with unsalted butter; it has a medium flavour as well as a taste that lingers in the mouth.
Pistachio and Raisin Bread
Made from a mix of Canadian flour and whole wheat flour and dry yeast, a tasty whole wheat bread while whole pistachio and raisins integrated into the body. A medium bodied bread that can be eaten as it is or with a little unsalted butter. It is not a bread to be eaten with other ingredients as it has its own significant taste elements.
Walnut Bread
Made with a mix of Canadian and whole wheat flour plus dry yeast, it has a semi hard crust as well as a rich whole meal texture. Tasted alone it is a little dry, better with a little unsalted butter. The walnut flavour is more complimentary rather than significantly dominant. It would be a nice companion for light to medium cheese particularly a goat’s or a garlic cream cheese.
The Peninsula Boutique & Café @ Siam Paragon
Siam Paragon Shopping Centre,
991 Rama 1 Road
Tel: 0-2610-9888
Open: 11am-10pm
This selection of Mediterranean breads from Jester’s is available at the Boutique & Café, provided that they are ordered 24 hours in advance.
Lavash
A crisp bread from Turkey of Armenian origin made from flour, water and salt that is also known as Armenian cracker bread. It is the most wide-spread type of bread in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. Jester’s produces three varieties; rosemary, black and white poppy seeds and paprika. This is very fresh and crunchy, ideal to eat with a meal.
Walnut Roll
The semi firm crust has raised points similar to a pinecone.
Inside we discovered a thick crumb, a dense texture and nutty flavour that is best suited with unsalted butter.
Focaccia
Flat oven-baked Italian bread usually topped with onions, herbs or other pizza related food items. The word is derived from the Latin focus meaning “centre” and also “fireplace” - the fireplace being in the centre of the house - and this is a bread baked in the hearth. A delicious bread enjoyed on it’s own or dipped in a little olive oil.
Olive Roll
The semi soft thin crust encases a thick slightly chewy crumb that has a generous spread of finely chopped black olives spread throughout the body of the bread. With a balanced taste, this is a bread that is best enjoyed on its own.
Deli @ The Conrad Bangkok
The Conrad Hotel,
2nd Fl. All Seasons Place, 87 Wireless Rd,
Tel: 0-2690-9403
Opens Mon-Fri 7am, Sat-Sun 8am, Closes daily 8pm
Located on the second floor of All Seasons shopping complex Deli by Conrad serves finest coffee with a variety of homemade sandwiches, bread, pastries, pralines and cakes, with an assortment of freshly baked breads to take away.
Kraftcorn
Made with sunflower seeds, linseeds and sweet grain using a higher percentage of rye flour so that it is crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside. Malt has been added to give the bread a darker colour. Executive Pastry Chef Slowomir Golaszewski uses a premix base for this bread as he does with most of his breads for quality and consistency; few are made from basics here in Bangkok.
Onion Bread
Made using a sour dough starter imported from Europe and the other flours added to the mix locally. The bread is very moist and elastic, if compressed in the palm of the hand it springs back to shape instantly. The small bubbles in the body of the bread indicate it is a sour dough, the air bubbles are larger when yeast was used to make the rise. Due to the onion flavouring the bread is best eaten on its own.
French Village
An artisanal French bread with more body and substance than a baguette, the hearty qualities that you would expect to see in a rural farming community rather than a town. Made with more wheat than rye, it is a whole crusty bread to be enjoyed with food especially home made soups.
Bangkok Baking Company
JW Marriott Bangkok, 4 Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 2
Tel: 0-2656-7700
Open: 6am-10.30pm
The hotel’s coffee house and bakery that has direct access from Sukhumvit Road. It’s open from breakfast through until dinner serving fresh pastries, sandwiches and coffee with fresh breads available for retail sales.
BBCO Sour Dough Bread
Slightly hard on the outside you soft and chewy on the inside, it needs a traditional serrated bread knife to slice it. It’s made from a combination of Bread flour and rye flour type 1150 that gives the bread has a dark whole meal colour. The baker uses their own in house sour dough starter to make this bread. Taking his advice we made some rich homemade pumpkin soup to enjoy with the thick rich texture of the bread, the combination work well.
Salami & Garlic Bread
A Germanic /Eastern European style of bread with a thick dense texture. With garlic and salami mixed in with the dough its bread best eaten on its own as it has sufficient flavours. The Salami adds a saltiness to the taste and best eaten with a refreshing cold beer or a glass of Riesling or an Australian Chardonnay/ Semillon to cleanse the mouth. Due to the intensity of the flavour the bread it can only be eaten in moderate sized portions.
La Boulange
La Boulange
2-2/1 Convent Road
Silom, Bangrak
Tel: 0-2631-0354
Their breads are also available at all branches of Villa Supermarket in Bangkok & Pattaya.
Created in 1998, La Boulange offers French style everyday breads that are baked fresh daily. On request they can produce specialty breads and the “apfelstrudel” of the Black Forest.
Baguette
Made from 100% wheat flour and natural yeast, it has a semi soft crust and is slightly chewy, the standard bread item on the table in every French restaurant. It is one of the most susceptible to the heat and humidity that is why in Vietnam and Laos it is baked twice a day – for breakfast and dinner. They do have different sizes to avoid waste as this bread lasts no longer than the day it is baked.
Herbal
Made from 100% wheat flour and natural yeast, it has sage and thyme added to the dough to give the flavour. The crust is slightly crisper and the body feels flexible in the hand.
Compagne
Made with a combination of wheat and rye flour that is noticeable both in the hand and the mouth, this bread has a thicker texture than most of their other breads. It has a crisp textured crust.
Batard
The English translation of the word is bastard or hybrid, essentially this is exactly the same bread as the baguette just baked in a different shape; this being shorter and wider than the original.
|
