Five types of Russian bread.
Since ancient times, bread has been considered a decoration of the Russian table and was the basis of the diet of our ancestors. The daily food of the ordinary person was black, rye bread. Noble people could eat white and wheat. White bread was considered royal, festive, and in simple families it was baked mainly for weddings, Easter, Trinity, Christmastide and other holidays. Some types of bread – for example, loaf – were considered ritual. As well as some types of baked goods – for example, pancakes, symbolizing the sun.
Despite its apparent simplicity, preparing dough and bread has always required and still requires a certain skill. Even now, eminent culinary masters consider the ability to bake good bread to be a measure of professionalism. In Rus’, there were many different recipes for this product – they could differ in different regions or depend on the reason for preparation.
Kalach
This name denoted all round bread in the shape of a castle with a bow. It was popular among many Slavic peoples. The hole in the center often served for convenient storage – a week’s supply of rolls could be strung on a rope and stored hanging, tearing off as needed. It is believed that this is one of the oldest types of bread; mentions of it have been preserved since the 13th century.
Over time, kalach began to be baked from white varieties of wheat flour and referred to as the “sieve” type. The so-called “sieve” breads appeared in the 18th century. They were baked from flour sifted through a sieve, which made it more fluffy and porous.
Kalach could be baked on a hearth – that is, at the bottom of the oven, without any form or stand (nowadays baking sheets or special stones are used for this). This is what my great-grandmother did, for example. The result was a dense and crispy bottom crust. It is believed that hearth bread is healthier than regular bread.
Loaf
Surely you have seen this product at public events, when high-ranking guests are greeted with “bread and salt”. It can also be found at traditional weddings – since ancient times it has personified fertility, wealth and prosperity, so it was certainly baked to welcome a new family. It is to weddings that he owes his appearance.
The word “loaf” was used by the Eastern and Southern Slavs to call ritual wedding bread. It was distributed in the territory of modern Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, eastern Poland, and Bulgaria. The name is probably related to the word “cow” – this animal symbolized the bride, as the bull symbolized the groom.
The Slavic loaf was prepared with cow’s milk, chicken eggs and butter. It was baked large and round, decorated with figures of flowers, animals, and various ornaments (made from dough). Such bread had to be broken and divided among all participants in the holiday, so that everyone would have good luck.
Borodinsky
There were a lot of types of black bread in Rus’ – almost every locality had its own recipe. Borodino bread is still baked today in many bakeries, slightly adapting the recipe to modern times (for example, now there is no pure rye bread, only rye-wheat bread, because this way the product turns out more fluffy and attractive). This type of bread is known even abroad as traditional Russian black bread.
The uniqueness of the recipe is that barley malt and spices are added to the dough, among which cumin and coriander are obligatory. Sometimes coriander is used to decorate the top of the bun. Thanks to this composition, Borodino bread has a characteristic aroma, taste and color. The starter for it is traditionally prepared from leftover dough from previous baking.
The bread got its name from the place of its invention. There is a legend (though not supported by documents) that such bread was first baked by the nuns of the Spaso-Borodinsky Convent, founded on the site of the Battle of Borodino, in the 19th century. It was prepared to commemorate those killed in this famous battle, and the grains of coriander and cumin symbolized buckshot.
The modern recipe for Borodino bread was developed in 1933 by the Moscow Bakery Trust. Similar black bread with spices has been baked on our land since ancient times, although it did not have such a name.
Krasnoselsky
Previously, this was the name of one of the varieties of black bread baked in monasteries. It was distinguished by the characteristic color of the crust, which became reddish during baking.
However, over time, either the recipe changed, or the name was transferred to another bread. In the 19th century, a recipe was published for Krasnoselsky bread made from wheat flour, cooked on a long dough with the addition of sugar or molasses. The breads were oblong in shape, sometimes with cuts in the top crust. This type of bread can be considered the ancestor of the Moscow loaf.
After the Great Patriotic War, in 1949, an accurate, according to GOST, recipe for Krasnoselsky loaves appeared. Before this, the word “Krasnoselsky” referred to different types of white bread and loaves with cuts, prepared with the addition of sugar.
Boyarsky
This type of black rye bread, even judging by the name, was not simple. It was expensive, which is why it received the nickname “boyar”. Ordinary people ordered it for the holidays. Like the loaf, it was served at the wedding table and on major occasions.
Boyar bread included specially ground rye flour, butter, spices, and berries. All this made it expensive and tasty. This variety of components also had a ritual nature, symbolizing completeness and well-being.
In modern recipes, the name “Boyarsky” is “rye-wheat bread prepared on the basis of rye sourdough with malted rye grain.” Raisins, coriander, cranberries, cherries and other berries and spices are also often added to it.
A little truth about yeast-free bread
A truly yeast-free product can be called a flour product made from unleavened dough (the kind that is used for dumplings, dumplings and chebureki). That is, it is a flat thin flatbread, for example, Armenian lavash, which contains only flour, water and salt.
But in stores and bakeries, “yeast-free” bread is sold in the form of familiar loaves of different sizes. In fact, the yeast is there, otherwise the bread would not rise. Only this is wild yeast, and not pressed or dry – conditionally yeast-free bread is prepared with sourdough or dough. Sometimes it is called “craft”, which is fairer. In fact, all the above types of bread are yeast-free, as they are traditionally prepared using the sponge method. Pressed yeast appeared in the second half of the 19th century, dry instant yeast – in the 20th century.
This is probably the right product for those who are afraid of compressed yeast. But if you are afraid of yeast as such, then all that remains is pita bread and flat tortilla-type flatbreads.
“Buckwheat porridge is our mother, and rye bread is our dear father.” Bread contains many useful substances that the body needs (vitamins B, A, K and E, sodium, chlorine, zinc, selenium, copper, cobalt, magnesium, silicon, potassium, manganese, iodine), a large amount of protein. It is generally accepted that black bread contains more nutrients. But, on the contrary, there is less protein in it and it is absorbed a little worse. If you have stomach problems, it is usually recommended to switch to white types of bread (rye bread is usually more sour and coarse).
A complete refusal of bread can lead to depression, short temper, fatigue and health problems. However, it is not recommended to abuse it (like any food) in order to avoid gaining excess weight.
Tags: food, bread
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