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BreadBread is a staple food which is prepared by baking, steaming, or frying dough. Bread consists minimally of flour and water; salt is present in most cases; and usually a leavening agent such as yeast is used. Breads may also contain spices (such as caraway seed) and grains (sesame, poppy seeds) which are often used for decorative purposes. There are a wide variety of breads and preferred varieties often vary from region to region. Breads may be eaten plain or topped with butter, peanut butter, or other nut butter; preserves or sweet spreads such as jam, jelly, marmalade, or honey; or savory spreads such as Marmite or Vegemite. It is also used as an enclosure for sandwiches. Once baked, bread may subsequently be toasted. Bread can be served ranging anywhere from room temperature to hot. Unwrapped bread can be stored in a breadbox to keep it fresh longer. It actually becomes stale more quickly in the low temperature of a refrigerator, although by keeping it cool mold is less likely to grow. The word itself, Old English bread, is common in various forms to many Germanic languages; such as German Brot, Dutch brood, Swedish bröd, and Norwegian brød; it has been derived from the root of brew, but more probably is connected with the root of break, for its early uses are confined to broken pieces, or bits of bread, the Latin frustum, and it was not until the 12th century that it took the place—as the generic name for bread—of hlaf (modern English loaf), which appears to be the oldest Teutonic name; Old High German hleib and modern German Laib, or Finnish leipä, Estonian leib, and Russian khleb are similar (all are derived from Old Germanic). Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first breads produced were probably cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water, and may have been developed by accidental cooking or deliberate experimentation with water and grain flour. Descendants of these early breads are still commonly made from various grains worldwide, with the Mexican tortilla, Indian chapati, Chinese poa ping, Scots oatcake, North American johnnycake, and Ethiopian injera all being examples. The basic flat breads of this type also formed a staple in the diet of many early civilizations with the Sumerians eating a type of barley flat cake, and the 12th century BC Egyptians being able to purchase a flat bread called ta from stalls in the village streets. The development of leavened bread is probably also a prehistoric development. Yeast spores occur everywhere, including the surface of cereal grains, so any dough left to rest will become naturally leavened. Although leavening is likely of prehistoric origin, the earliest archaeological evidence is from ancient Egypt. Scanning electron microscopy has detected yeast cells in some ancient Egyptian loaves. However, ancient Egyptian bread was made from emmer wheat and has a dense crumb. In cases where yeast cells are not visible, it is difficult to determine whether the bread was leavened by visual examination. As a result, the extent to which bread was leavened in ancient Egypt remains uncertain. Check out the following recipes that are tagged "Bread":
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