The smallest common denominators of all recipes are grain (flour or wholemeal) and liquid (mostly water or milk). Wheat and rye have proven to be the least complicated grains. From these simple ingredients and perhaps a bit of salt strong hands form a dough that must then be subjected to heat for a certain amount of time. For 6,000 years, ever since humans have been growing cereal grains, nothing about this has changed.

If the bread – or its little brother, the bread roll – is to become light and fluffy, the dough will require a leavening agent such as yeast. The microorganisms living in it produce carbon dioxide, which in turn aerates the dough and causes it to rise. This fact was first discovered by the Egyptians approximately 2,000 years ago. They were also the earliest bakers of sourdough bread.

Only in the 12^th and 13^th centuries did bread replace porridge as the staple food in Central Europe. Since that time more than 300 different types of bread have been created in Germany, mostly by the addition of specific ingredients. Each simple basic recipe, e.g. for farmhouse bread, can be varied. With finely chopped nuts, oilseeds (sunflower seeds, sesame and linseed among others), olives, dried tomatoes, dried fruit or spices (e.g. thyme, rosemary) you can transform any bread into your own individual favourite type. Enjoy experimenting!

The following recipes for bread can be found in our database: