What is wrong with bread?

**BlackRegent** · 17-10-2008, 10:16 AM

I remember the days when you could get a good thick slice of white bread the same consistency as a tablet eraser.

Now its all about sticking a few spoons of sawdust in and calling it 'wholesome' or, worse still, 'best of both'. Worst of neither more like!

And whatever happened to the bread wars? A bus fare to the supermarket used to cost more than a half hundredweight of savers thick white sliced.

And bring back the tags I used to put on my brake cable!

**eric-adams** · 17-10-2008, 10:21 AM

i didnt like the Dad, his Hair was to wild, he used to scare me!

**alanmck** · 17-10-2008, 10:24 AM

saccharine pop of the worst kind.

and

**ginghamkitchen** · 17-10-2008, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by eric-adams

i didnt like the Dad, his Hair was to wild, he used to scare me!

This book scares me - 'Bread: The Scripts' - I can't believe that anyone bothered to write them down, let alone print the shit.

**BlackRegent** · 17-10-2008, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by ginghamkitchen

I can't believe that anyone bothered to write them down

I'm assuming Carla did, at some point. That nobody shot her whilst she was doing it is the real mystery

**Brass Monkey** · 17-10-2008, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by eric-adams

i didnt like the Dad, his Hair was to wild, he used to scare me!

Freddy Fucking Boswell

**Brass Monkey** · 17-10-2008, 10:57 AM

jesus christ, what's happening here this morning. I am not ashamed to say that I used to enjoy watching bread, and indeed the pantheon of Carla's other work. It's populist television. at the time I must only have been 14 or 15 so my critiques weren't as finely honed as they are now, but on reflection it was good sunday night television.

Let's spread some love people, that's what the world needs now. and money.

**alanmck** · 17-10-2008, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by Brass Monkey

Let's spread some love people, that's what the world needs now. and money.

ah, now there was a band...

**Moogaloo** · 17-10-2008, 11:12 AM

A couple of things

1st - I think the 2nd world war happened and everyone had their stanard loafs. Since then we have been addicted to fluffy tasteless white cac.

2nd - We discovered and isolated the yeast used to make bread rise, refined it and inso doing this we made bread making quicker and easy, but got rid of an essential ingrediant called lactobali. This is what gives good natural yeasted bread it's depth of flavour.

Personally it's a rustic chewy sourdough for me all the way. No need to add seeds or nuts, just a good flour blend, salt water and time.

**john stapleton** · 17-10-2008, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by Kinky Chris

Personally it's a rustic chewy sourdough for me all the way. No need to add seeds or nuts, just a good flour blend, salt water and time.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=22iu_TQ6Vo0

**jam** · 17-10-2008, 12:05 PM

I know there are some Greggs fans here, but it's 'bakers' like this that are killing good bread. You can't get a decent crusty, tasty loaf these days. I get french sticks from M&S I'm ashamed to say. It's my only option other than supermarket plop or the afore-mentioned grease merchants.
RIP bread.

**wickerman** · 17-10-2008, 12:12 PM

we have a good variety of bread in Sweden.

Mmm, there is a killer sourdough/walnut/dried fruit bread I would buy more if it was less expensive.

**Old School Tramp** · 17-10-2008, 12:30 PM

I would say this thread is pretty offensive to the gluten intolerant!

**Moogaloo** · 17-10-2008, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Old School Tramp

I would say this thread is pretty offensive to the gluten intolerant!

There are some very good quality 100% rye breads out there. So there you intolerant gluton intolerant!

**mendoza** · 17-10-2008, 02:48 PM

We've got a new bakery in BS5 and it's called 'Breadolution'

It's bread lives up to it's name

**JamesF** · 17-10-2008, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by mendoza

We've got a new bakery in BS5 and it's called 'Breadolution'

It's bread lives up to it's name

BEHOLD THE MIGHTY PAIN RUSTIQUE

**ginghamkitchen** · 17-10-2008, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by JamesF

BEHOLD THE MIGHTY PAIN RUSTIQUE

That's fine, but I do love the modern world where ordinary, decent, every day things that we took for granted 20 years ago are now sold back to us at a vastly inflated cost because things are shit now.

Farmer's Market? I remember those when Farmer's used to go to them.

**john stapleton** · 17-10-2008, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by JamesF

BEHOLD THE MIGHTY PAIN RUSTIQUE

Breadstore's pretty good - we're a bit spoilt in North Bristol, I think, with the Breadstore and Herbert's as well - and of course the Olive Shop on Gloucester Road does excellent bread as well

Jane bakes all ours, so I rarely get a chance to try them, of course...

**BlackRegent** · 17-10-2008, 03:26 PM

Who would have thought this was to turn into an earnest debate about the state of bread in the modern age. Not me!

**Striker** · 17-10-2008, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by Brass Monkey

Freddy Fucking Boswell

Chris Fucking McBride

**babycart** · 17-10-2008, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by BlackRegent

Who would have thought this was to turn into an earnest debate about the state of bread in the modern age. Not me!

Me. Anything beginning with B gets the board jumping.
Bread, Beatles, Badgers, Bees, Beards, Bee Beards, Banned members and Bexpedits,

**piglit'n'rolf** · 19-10-2008, 07:55 AM

Interesting point that what was once considered standard is now given a premium tag. "Tesco Finest"? Wind the clock back not so very long and that would have been just regular.

The state of the nations bread is appalling. Generated from slurry most of it. The thing that gets me is the brown stuff that suggests that it is a healthy option when it is only white with colouring in. Why? Why take out the natural colour only to replace it with artificial. OK, I realise that is a gross oversimplification of the industrial dynamic and the nature of market forces, but even so...

Our answer has been to buy a breadmaker. Cost £75 in the Debenhams sale just before last xmas and the beast has hardly had time to cool down since. Makes absolutely wonderful and perfect bread everytime. Even the white is scrumptious. One of the best investments we ever made.

**ROCKPROF** · 19-10-2008, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by piglit'n'rolf

The state of the nations bread is appalling. Generated from slurry most of it. The thing that gets me is the brown stuff that suggests that it is a healthy option when it is only white with colouring in. Why? Why take out the natural colour only to replace it with artificial. OK, I realise that is a gross oversimplification of the industrial dynamic and the nature of market forces, but even so...

Hasnt mass produced bread become so processed that its actually more difficult for the body to digest these days..

The Italian shop at the top of Gloucester Road does amazing olive bread.

**rainbowffolly** · 19-10-2008, 05:43 PM

The Italian shop at the King's Cross end of Caledonian Road in London sell a fantastic ciabatta - about 2 foot long and best bought on the day it was baked. They're so good, I've often eaten half of one on its own, with just a glass of milk to wash it down with.

**Sam** · 20-10-2008, 02:33 PM

I always preferred the Telly Savalas cover of "If"...

**Kaituna95** · 21-10-2008, 12:16 PM

The missus own's a deli and as such we read quite a few foodie books.
Felicity Lawrence's book - Not On The Label - claims thats it's all a result of the Chorleywood Bread Process.

It ends up making all bread tast like Tesco Value!

**BestDressedChicken** · 21-10-2008, 08:16 PM

You are totally right about the Chorleywood process. Explains a lot! That Felcity Lawrence book is great.

I train in Borough Market once or twice a week, so am normally there to catch Flour Power who do an awesome wholemeal loaf - £2.50 but it's worth it - or I nip into Neal's Yard Dairy, 'cos all their artisan breads are often half price at the end of the day. Damn scrummy they are.

**Lady J** · 21-10-2008, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by ginghamkitchen

I do love the modern world where ordinary, decent, every day things that we took for granted 20 years ago are now sold back to us at a vastly inflated cost because things are shit now.

This is it, isn't it? I'm really fed up with it.

I grew up with a small bakers two minutes walk away, bread was mindblowingly delicious and 36p for a loaf, didn't think anything of it until I moved away from Norwich to London and realised supermarket bread was absolutely rancid and that London bakeries had already started becoming 'upmarket' and flogging an inferior loaf to my beloved Norwich one for three times the price. Now all those little bakeries have gone and the choice is daylight robbery, horrid chewy nastiness or (my preferred option too) a breadmaker.

The other thing with shop-bought bread these days is it goes off ridiculously quickly. It's stale by the following day. It's just clinically engineered to get consumers to chuck it away.

**ginghamkitchen** · 21-10-2008, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Lady J

This is it, isn't it? I'm really fed up with it.

I grew up with a small bakers two minutes walk away, bread was mindblowingly delicious and 36p for a loaf, didn't think anything of it until I moved away from Norwich to London and realised supermarket bread was absolutely rancid and that London bakeries had already started becoming 'upmarket' and flogging an inferior loaf to my beloved Norwich one for three times the price. Now all those little bakeries have gone and the choice is daylight robbery, horrid chewy nastiness or (my preferred option too) a breadmaker.

The other thing with shop-bought bread these days is it goes off ridiculously quickly. It's stale by the following day. It's just clinically engineered to get consumers to chuck it away.

Are you talking about 'The Crusty Corner'? God, I miss that place, but it was still there last time I visited.