Flour, Breads & Batters

In almost every culture, flour and yeast are full of symbolism. Not for nothing is bread extolled as the staff of life. No part of the repertoire of cooking is as infused with history as the harvesting of grain, the milling of flour, the fermentation of dough and the raising of bread.

Flour may be made from finely ground dried grains, from other seeds, or occasionally from roots or tubers. Wheat flour is by far the most common, while there are strong regional preferences for such flours as rye and buckwheat. This chapter looks at the great variety of breads, some raised with yeast, others with baking powder or soda, some with no leavening at all. Then the multitude of dishes which depend on flour or bread is explored, for example fried breads and fritters, bread puddings, pancakes and waffles, crêpes, batter puddings and bread stuffings.