Breads of the world
Challah
Challah is an attractive bread, shaped through the art of braiding. It is not a challenge to make, as long as you use the right kind of flour, made from the right kind of wheat. Fortunately, the Canadian Prairies grow plenty of high protein wheat that makes this flavourful bread such a visual pleasure. High protein wheat is preferred by challah experts because this high-rising loaf needs protein to rise and retain its shape. Low-protein wheat simply won't do! Challah has eggs incorporated into the mixture, giving it a yellow colour and adding to its rich flavour.
Roti
Roti is a flatbread found throughout all regions in India and throughout many Southeast Asian countries. It is made with high-extraction flour, which means that more of the bran and endosperm from the wheat seed is retained in the milled flour, adding lots of healthy nutrients. Roti is baked and then can be mixed together with a fragrant assortment of vegetables, spices and meat for a hearty meal. Western Canadian red spring wheat and other western Canadian wheats are very well suited for this delicious bread.
Pita
Pita bread, a round leavened Middle Eastern flatbread, is a typical product to see on the table in Saudi Arabia. This "pocket" bread has been adopted in many countries, including North America. Pita bread is actually one circular disc of dough baked at very high temperatures, causing the moisture in the tiny dough piece to turn to steam. It is the generated steam that forces the expansion and the resulting "pocket" in this unique bread. The bread cools and flattens, and the pocket is left in the middle, which we enjoy filling up with an assortment of meats and vegetables. Historically, this bread was always (and is still) used as a utensil for eating other foods. Many medium-protein wheats grown in Western Canada can be used to make pita bread.
Steamed Bread
Found principally in Asia, this bread is steamed rather than baked, giving it a bright white colour and a dense, moist texture. Although it is made in huge quantities in mechanized facilities in Asia, steamed bread is also still produced in small bakeries using traditional bamboo steamers to create this soft looking bun. Steamed bread can be made with all types of wheat grown in Western Canada, although Canada Western Red Winter wheat is the "experts'" wheat of choice.
Tennis rolls
Tennis rolls are a staple of households in Guyana in South America. Tennis rolls look something like a batch of butter-pan buns, only bigger in size and not quite stuck together - much like half of a tennis ball! They are typically white or whole wheat - and fibre in whole-wheat baked products is good! In Guyana, the formula is rich (lots of fat and sugar). Canadian Western Red Spring wheat is favoured in this market for its high protein content and strong fermentation tolerance.
Naan
Naan is growing in popularity in North America, but its origins are in the Middle Eastern countries. Naan is made with a very simple formula of flour, water, salt and yeast. At times, baking powder can be used as the leavening ingredient as well. The flour usually has a high extraction rate, meaning that more of the bran and endosperm of the wheat seed is retained in the flour, giving it tiny flecks of colour and adding to the bread's flavour and goodness. In India, high-extraction flour is called "atta" flour. Many wheat classes grown in Western Canada lend themselves well to naan bread.
Flour tortillas
Ole! Tortillas can be made with all classes of wheat grown in Western Canada and are best made with medium- to high-protein wheat flour. This gives the dough the "roll ability" and longer shelf-life that is required by tortilla manufacturers the world over. Low-protein flour does not have the strength or elasticity to handle the extensive rolling and flattening that goes into the preparation of tortilla dough. A griddle or specialized mechanical rollers in large bakeries create the "toasting spots" favoured on tortillas.
Panettone
Imagine serving this beautiful and high rising loaf at your next family gathering! Panettone is a bread traditionally served at Christmas in Italy and many South American countries, particularly Peru and Brazil. It usually contains candied fruits, raisins or chocolate. The height of the loaf is very important, and that is why high-protein Canada Western Red Spring wheat is so perfectly suited to its production. High protein wheat gives the flour the strength and extensibility that it needs to rise and hold its shape. Around Christmas time, Peru will bake around 3 million loaves of this delicious bread...mmmgood!
Barbari
Barbari bread is a flatbread found principally in Iran. Its shape makes is unique - it looks like a snowshoe! This bread can be made using many different types of wheat grown in Western Canada, favouring wheat with medium to higher protein to give the dough extensibility.