30 Types Of Bread, Explained

According to King Arthur Baking Company, a culture of bacteria is critical to forming sourdough bread. The bacteria, which are found naturally in the flour and on almost all kitchen surfaces, feed on a mixture of flour and water — this mixture is referred to as a sourdough starter. Once the yeast settles and starts to eat the starches in the starter, it produces carbon dioxide bubbles (the distinctive flavor of sourdough bread). The exact flavor of the sourdough is dependent on the types of wild yeast present and the type of flour used in the starter. 

Making your own sourdough starter at home is easy. To start, mix 1 cup of flour with ½ cup of warm water in a glass. Cover with a light cloth. King Arthur Baking Company recommends using whole wheat flour, like pumpernickel or whole wheat, because it is more likely to house a rich collection of wild yeasts. The mixture needs to remain in a warm environment to stimulate growth. After 24 hours, discard ½ of the mix, add 1 cup of all-purpose flour, and pour in ½ cup of lukewarm water. Stir, cover, and repeat for the next two-to-three days. By the fifth day, you should be able to change the mixture every 12 hours. 

The sourdough is "ripe" when it doubles in size every six-to-eight hours and appears bubbly. Use the discarded sourdough for bread recipes, bagels, or pancakes. 

Potato bread was initially a food born out of scarcity and substitutions. IFoodTV credits Frenchman Antonie-Augustin Parmentier for creating the first potato bread recipe and promoting the tuber as the "poor man's vegetable." Its American roots date back to the mid-18th century when early Revolutionaries added potatoes (either as potato flour or mashed potatoes) into bread to limit the use of expensive wheat in the household. According to Revolutionary Pie, in New England, potato rolls were called "featherbeds" for their light, airy qualities. 

Potato bread has many of the same ingredients as other breads like flour, yeast, oil, and water — just with the addition of mashed potatoes. Different cultures around the world add varying ratios of potatoes to wheat flour, notes iFoodTV. For example, Kartoffelbrot, German potato bread, contains rye flour, potatoes, and spelt. Pratie Oaten, from Ireland, is a traditional Irish bread made from potatoes and oatmeal.

Bread is an integral part of French culture. Busby's Bakery notes that between 60% and 80% of the average French person's diet in the 1700s was comprised of wheat products. During the French Revolution, the quality and price of bread were markers for mounting social inequity. Lawmakers soon passed the "bread of equality" legislation to regulate wheat prices and expand access to wheat across France. This expansion, coupled with legislation that limited the working hours of French bakers, meant that bakers were searching for bread that was thin enough for a relatively quick bake but also crisp enough that it would sell quickly. Thus, the baguette was born!

Unlike other types of bread, quick bread does not contain yeast. Quick bread surged in popularity in the 19th century due to the advent of baking soda and baking powder. These leavening agents could replace not only the flavor of yeast, but also the time it took to rest, proof, and bake yeasted bread. According to Baking Kneads, synthetic leavening agents also produced more reliable results than yeasted breads. Popular quick breads include banana bread and English crumpets. 

Working with quick breads can be slightly more precarious than with yeasted breads. The leavening agents produce carbon dioxide rather quickly, so the baker needs to move the bread into the oven without beating out too much of the rising power. Quick breads also have a comparatively lower gluten structure, so the dough cannot hold onto the carbon dioxide as easily as it can with a yeasted dough. 

One of the most recommended methods for working with quick bread is to separate the dry and wet ingredients until the bread is about to go in the oven. This tip, along with avoiding over-mixing, will result in a fluffier quick bread. 

Fry bread was an indigenous American bread born out of forced dislocation and systemic injustice. In an article by Smithsonian Magazine, Navajo families recount the "Long Walk," a movement of their people from their land in Arizona to New Mexico. The new land was not able to sustain endemic crops like beans, so the United States government supplied them with white flour, cane sugar, and lard. These ingredients were fried to produce a funnel-cake consistency filled with air bubbles and grease. 

The Oklahoma Historical Society notes that fry bread varies in toppings and accompaniments. It can be topped with sweets, pumpkin, or chocolate.

The commercialization of fry bread has not come without controversy. Although some indigenous entrepreneurs sell fry bread mixes as a way of economic opportunity, many non-indigenous folks sell fry bread, which was once a symbol of stolen land, dislocation, and dominion, as a way to profit from the indigenous culture without being a member of it themselves. If you are looking to try fry bread for yourself, prioritize purchasing it from an indigenous-owned vendor.

Flatbread's name is a clear clue to its qualities. This unleavened bread class, which includes naan, tortillas, pita, and roti, was geographically linked to the Fertile Crescent (which is now the modern-day Middle East) according to the Journal of Ethnic Foods. Cultures endemic to this region used flatbreads as a means of sustenance for several reasons. The first is that their ingredients could include cereals, legumes, and pseudo-cereals besides wheat; this meant the recipe was adaptable to whatever ingredients were present. Flatbreads also do not require an oven to be baked — meaning that they could be cooked using sand or hot rocks while the nomadic people were moving from place to place. The thickness of the bread, which can range from a few millimeters to a few centimeters, was also stackable in bags so it could easily be moved between locations.

Cultures have adapted flatbread to local ingredients and cuisines. Indian roti, as noted by The Food Charlatan, is an unleavened bread that is often buttered with ghee and served with curry.

According to food historian Gil Marks, monkey bread was popularized in Southern California during the 1940s. The yeasted, soft bread was originally savory in nature and accompanied by jam or preserves. The bread is easily pulled apart without the use of a knife because it is assembled by dipping pieces of dough into butter and fitting them into a baking pan with one another. In the 1970s, the bread became sweeter with the use of dipping sugar. Monkey bread also goes by other names: Hungarian coffee cake or golden dumpling cake. 

Although its name suggests that this bread has something to do with primates, it is actually more so the likeness between the baked bread and a barrel of monkeys. Other food historians believe the bread's name stems from the combination of 1940s Southern slang for snack food ("monkey food") and jumble bread (piecemeal bread made in a pan). 

According to the History Channel, sliced bread was commercially produced in 1928 in Missouri and popularized by Wonder shortly afterward. Significant advances in food science have improved the shelf-life of sliced bread, as well as its efficiency on the line. American consumers can purchase a variety of sliced bread, including white, wheat, and thick-sliced Texas toast. 

Sliced bread thickness varies based on region, according to Gold Medal Bakery. In the United States, the average sliced bread loaf is between 20-to-24 slices and less than ½ inch thick. In contrast, the Japanese sliced bread loaf is four-to-10 slices. These slices are used mostly for toast rather than sandwiches so they are significantly larger than the American version. Additionally, Japanese sliced bread typically only comes in one variety, white.

According to an article published by The Breakfast Shoppe, French toast was first created by the Romans in the fifth century. The dish, called pan dulcis, was bread soaked in milk and eggs and promptly fried in butter or oil. The Medieval societies soaked their bread in egg and milk to both extend the use of stale bread and to provide more fat and protein. The namesake, "French toast," was coined by Joseph French in 1724 because he had forgotten to add the apostrophe. 

French toast can be made using almost any type of bread including brioche, sandwich bread, or panettone. It can also be made as a casserole by placing the soaked bread in the fridge overnight and baking in the morning. 

Besides baking loaves of brown bread, New England colonists also experimented with preservation techniques to extend the life of their food supply. Canning maintains the moisture and seals bacteria out of the food product. According to Today, B&M foods began manufacturing canned brown bread in 1928 along with its array of canned carrots, beans, and vegetables. Sales of canned bread increased significantly during World War II when food supplies were limited. 

According to those who have tasted canned bread, its texture is similar to zucchini bread — just without the zucchini. Along with canned beans, canned bread can be eaten with a slab of butter or cream cheese for breakfast. 

In conventional baking, gluten provides the structure for a properly risen loaf. But what happens when gluten isn't present? 

Like gluten-based bread, gluten-free bread uses yeast to develop carbon dioxide. According to the King Arthur Baking Company, gluten-free bread holds carbon dioxide via xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is a stabilizer in baking that makes gluten-free dough stretch and hold the carbon dioxide bubbles that give bread its rise. The Loopy Whisk notes gluten-free bread often contains hardy, gluten-free flours including brown rice flour and buckwheat flour. Many gluten-free bread recipes also contain eggs or dairy products for moisture and psyllium husk and potato starch for structure. 

According to the Daily Gazette, bread pudding dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries when bakers made the pudding as a way to utilize bread scraps. By the 13th century, bread pudding was also known as "poor man's pudding" because it was commonly eaten amongst the lower classes in European society. 

Bread pudding is a simple way to use old slices of sandwich bread. Small cubes of bread are combined in a baking dish with milk, eggs, vanilla, and spices and baked until crisp. Some bread pudding recipes also utilize high-proof liquor, such as scotch or brandy, to add a boozy twist on a comfort classic. Bread pudding can be topped with ice cream or fresh fruit. 

According to Just a Pinch, the English muffin is not a muffin at all — it's a relative of the English crumpet. English muffins, unlike crumpets, are sliced horizontally to avoid damaging the inside of the muffin.  The English muffin was designed and popularized by Samuel Bath Thomas, the same inventor behind the Thomas Baking Company. The company's secrets to their English muffins' nooks and crannies are so closely guarded, The New York Times reports, that only seven people within the company know the exact recipe. 

Like the crumpet, the English muffin is made by pouring batter into rings on a griddle and cooking them. The top of the batter puffs up and creates trademark bubbles on the exterior of the English muffin. English muffins are usually topped with butter, jam, or breakfast sandwich ingredients like sausage, bacon, eggs, or cheese. 

The New York Times reports that Japanese milk bread is made using tangzhong — a warm flour paste that gives the bread its springy texture and tiny air bubbles. The tangzhong has a 1-to-5 ratio of flour to water which gives it the ability to absorb more liquid and maintain a moist texture during the baking process. The addition of milk, fresh cream, and occasionally mascarpone cheese, results in a smooth bread texture. In Japanese, the bread is known as shokupan. Shokupan can come in one of two shapes: yama (a mountainous top with a round base) or kaku (flat with squared corners). 

There are several potential origin stores for shokupan, The New York Times notes. The first is that the Portuguese brought bread to Japan when they arrived in the country in 1543. Part of this thought is based on etymology; "pan" in Portuguese means bread. Milk bread was popularized with the arrival of the British in the 19th century. During World War II, many Japanese people began consuming bread (including milk bread) as a staple food when rice was rationed and bread ingredients became comparatively cheaper. 

Milk bread can be eaten as a fruit sandwich or for Shibuya honey toast: a popular dessert in Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan that features a milk bread base and towering layers of honey, fruit, and toppings. When deep fried, the milk bread maintains its soft, pillowy texture — making it a great fit for french toast or a powdery confection. 

Crumpets are British griddle cakes made from yeast, sugar, flour, and baking soda. After the batter is mixed, it is poured onto a disc-shaped mold on a griddle and cooked until airy and puffy. Early crumpets were made from buckwheat flour and cooked on hot stones until the disc molds were created in the Victorian era. 

Crumpets are eaten worldwide, including in former British colonies in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Melted butter is an integral part of the crumpet experience along with jam and a warm cup of tea. For a savory twist, crumpets can also be served open-faced with fresh tomatoes, cheese, eggs, or breakfast meat.