The Pleasure of Whole-Grain Breads [antikvár]

The Seed As Perfect FoodWhen I started baking bread, I never imagined becoming so fascinated with the world of grains. I first used the grains that nourished me since childhood the familiar wheat, rice, and cornthen turned to eating and baking with other forms of these familiar grains, which quickly became favorites. Friends served homey breads I was quick to adopt into my repertoire: Scandinavian rye from Minnesota, white corn bread from South Carolina, thick johnnycake pancakes from Rhode Island, sourdough bread from well-used Alaskan starter, soda bread from Ireland, tandoor-baked naan from India, and delectable sopaipillas from Mexico. From there it was only a short step to using less common grains such as blue corn, quinoa, amaranth, kamut, spelt, and tefF.The word cereal refers to all food-grain-bearing grass. It is derived from the summer celebration of Cerealia, in honor of Ceres, Roman goddess of the crops and Great Mother of the Harvest. The word ceres was often used by the early Romans to mean a loaf of baked bread. Over the centuries, cereal has endured as the common word for grains in the Gramineae family, which includes wheat, barley, rye, rice, millet, buckwheat, and corn. Delicious flours are also made from edible tubers (potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, cassava), nuts and pods (chestnuts, acorns, carob, almonds, mesquite), legumes (peas, lentils, soybeans, chickpeas,lima beans, fava beans), and rice. Some of these flours are familiar, while others, though unfamiliar, are an integral part of cuisines of other cultures. Many of these old-fashioned flours are experiencing a renaissance in breads made for gluten-free diets.Bread baking has been described as an art form because it is a process that combines all of the senses with the goal of producing food for physical nourishment. It is no wonder that the rise of grain agriculture parallels the development of civilization. The great cultures of antiquity grew up around areas where cereal grains were grown, referred to as hearths of domestication, giving rise to many scholarly debates of when and why humans turned from being hunters and gatherers to settled agriculturalists. All the practical implications aside, there can be no generalizations on the complex factors that brought about the domestication of grain crops. Speaking simply, however, life as we know it would certainly be impossible without cereal grains.Many years ago I was advised by my physician that instead of eating wheat products on a daily basis, I should alternate wheat with other grains every other day to prevent a grain allergy. At the time, the concept seemed novel; I was familiar only with corn tortillas and Jewish rye bread as alternatives. As 1 discovered, embarking on any dietary change takes some planning and personal discipline. But with an increased serious interest in nutrition, more individuals are taking charge of contributing to their own good health. Grains now found in greater variety at most supermarkets, not only natural-food stores, are part of a sound nutritional plan.When you use whole-grain flours rather than refined flours, you take advantage of all parts of the grain: the fiber-rich bran, the vitamin-rich germ, and the protein-rich starch. Each grain is a tiny dry fruit that contains a single seed capable of reproducing itself. An inedible, hard outer shell called the hull protects the seed and must be removed to make the seed available for cooking or grinding. The seed is surrounded by a layer of starchy carbohydrates designed to feed a developing embryo. The embryo, or germ.9