Breads

It would be fascinating to have a collage of all the breads in the world, in all their varieties, shapes, colours, flavours and textures. I love the interplay of science, flour, our hands and our eyes in creating a fundamental staple for food cultures the world over. The sheer simplicity of ingredients draws me in.

My mum would tell me about the boys along the roadside in Afghanistan and Iran, with long breads slung over their arms, and I have such vivid memories of making coconut rotis in Sri Lanka. I also loved visiting the bakery next door, watching the bakers mix a giant master dough for the kade paan, or shop bread. There were about six men, mixing the bread on one long bench. They’d place the flour around the whole table and make a giant well, then fill about 12 buckets of water with yeast and sugar, and have a quick nap or chat while the yeast activated. One man poured the frothy, yeasty water into the well, and the others would gently mix the flour in. Sometimes, they let me join in: my job was to run around the table and block off any leaks in the flour wall. I’d be covered in flour and dog tired, but so, so happy.