Though different types of bread require different ingredients and ratios, flour or meal and water are
always the main ingredients. With over 20 types of bread on our list, from flatbread to cornbread, let's take a look at bread from
places all around the world. For those with a gluten intolerance, injera is a great option because, traditionally,
it uses teff flour. The spongy flatbread is multipurpose, used as a utensil, a plate, and a nutritious
accompaniment to your food. Paired with doro wat, injera is the national dish of Ethiopia. Though the ingredients
for a baguette are simple, what truly makes a baguette special are the hands that prepare
it and the time it takes. Once the dough is rolled and scored with a sharp blade or knife, it's baked. The important part of a baguette is the crunchy exterior,
but fluffy interior. Though pan Cubano shares many
similarities to French bread or Italian bread, a key difference, and what makes pan Cubano
pan Cubano, is lard. Lard gives pan Cubano its smoothness, taking the Cubano sandwich
to the next level. Each region of Georgia has
different shapes of khachapuri and uses different types of cheese. The one featured here is
called adjaruli khachapuri. It's a boat-shaped bread
with melted cheese, traditionally feta, in the center, and topped with a raw egg. Widely popular in many
Middle Eastern countries, lavash is a thin flatbread baked in a clay oven, or tonir. In 2014, it was added to the UNESCO list of
Intangible Cultural Heritage as an expression of Armenian culture. Cream-cheese-filled garlic bread is a popular street food in South Korea. Soft buns are cut open and
filled with cream cheese, then dipped into a melted
butter-garlic mixture that includes basil,
parsley, and Parmesan cheese. There are many popular
bagel origin stories. However, according to
Maria Balinska, author of "The Bagel: The Surprising
History of a Modest Bread," bagels were brought to Poland from Germany and were originally called obwarzanek. They were popularized by
Queen Jadwiga of Poland and later brought to
countries like the US, where they were praised
as one of the best ways to enjoy breakfast. Simit has many similarities to a bagel. However, instead of being boiled in water, simit is dipped in sweetened water and coated in sesame
seeds before it's baked. The result is an encrusted
circular bread snack, quintessential of Turkish
culture and cuisine. Not to be confused with English muffins, crumpets are softer, closer to the texture of a
pancake rather than bread. This is because the flour-to-liquid ratio is skewed more towards liquid,
creating a looser batter. Once placed on a griddle, the batter forms a smooth, crunchy bottom and a spongy top. Perfect for butter. Pandebono is Colombian cheese bread. Because it's made with tapioca
or yucca flour and cornmeal, it's gluten-free. Mixed with milk, queso fresco, and eggs, pandebono can be ball- or doughnut-shaped, and it's best served warm. Pão de queijo is delicious cheese bread that will melt in your mouth. Ingredients include
tapioca flour, milk, eggs, and queijo de Minas, sometimes substituted
with Parmesan cheese. The Brazilian snack is soft and airy, so you're likely to
have more than just one. Parotta is layered flatbread
made from maida flour, which is similar to cake flour in the US. One of the most popular types
of parotta in South India is coin parotta. The dough is stretched
out as thin as possible to create multiple layers, gathered together, and then fried. Essential ingredients
in soda bread are flour, buttermilk, baking soda
and powder, and salt. Recent twists add sugar and raisins. The dense bread was actually first created by Native Americans and
later adopted by the Irish in a time of serious financial hardship throughout the country. Soda bread went on to become
a culinary staple in Ireland. Though the recipe for challah is simple, it's the braiding techniques that truly separate it
from other types of bread. Challah is important in Jewish traditions. It's typically eaten
on Shabbat, or Sabbath, Judaism's day of rest, and other ceremonial
occasions and Jewish holidays, excluding Passover. Conchas are one of the most popular traditional sweet breads
in Mexican cuisine. The surface of conchas
resembles a seashell, making it not only easy to recognize, but extremely popular in
the age of social media. Kare pan, or curry bread,
is deep-fried dough filled with Japanese curry. The dough does include yeast, so it's meant to rise before deep-frying. Kare pan normally incorporates
curried ground beef and onions in the middle. It's the perfect comfort food. Naan is delicious, from
the texture to the flavors. A key ingredient to the
unique texture is yogurt. Naan is made in a clay
oven called a tandoor. The dough adheres to the sides, where it's cooked rapidly
at high temperatures. Tiger bread gets its name from
its resemblance to a tiger. After the dough is made, a rice flour mixture is used to coat the topping of the bread
before it goes into the oven. The reason rice flour is used for the top is because it does not contain gluten. So instead of expanding with
the bread, it'll crack apart, creating the unique design
the bread is known for. Proja is cornbread. The dense, cake-like bread is very popular in the Balkan region and shares many similarities
with American cornbread, popular in Native American
and African American homes. Proja can be garnished
or filled with feta, goat, or cottage cheese. Standing at a whopping two
or sometimes three feet, sangak is a mild sourdough flatbread made with sesame seeds. This national bread got its name from the stones and pebbles
the bread is baked on. Those stones also give
it its unique shape. Limpa, a Swedish word meaning loaf, has slightly changed with each generation. A popular recipe for Swedish limpa bread incorporates fennel or anise seeds, a sweetener, and orange zest. However, a traditional
recipe uses brewer's wort. Croissants may be considered French, but they're actually an
adaptation of Austria's kipferl. The first verified evidence
of a croissant in France was at the shop of a
Viennese baker, August Zang. He brought kipferl to France and made it with flakier dough. People began referring
to them as croissants because of their crescent shape. And French bakers went on to imitate and popularize the bread pastry. Malawach is a traditional flatbread with flaky layers on the inside popular in Yemeni Jewish cuisine. It can be served with
many different toppings and can be eaten throughout the day, though, traditionally,
it's served for breakfast, topped with chopped
hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes and a spicy condiment called zhug. Focaccia has to be one of the
most beloved breads in Italy. The flatbread's key ingredients are flour, water, yeast, and olive oil. It's enjoyed any time of the day as a savory or sweet snack. The taste and thickness of
focaccia varies throughout Italy. Most people add butter to their bread after it's done baking, but butter flap incorporates the butter before the bread goes into the oven. Each layer gets a spread
of softened butter. Melted butter is also brushed on top, giving the bread a
delicious buttery taste. Coco bread, similar to butter flap, is buttery but also sweet. Coco bread incorporates coconut milk, giving it its own unique flavor. The folded shape, soft texture,
and a hint of sweetness is perfect by itself or with beef patties. Bao requires steam instead
of heat from an oven. The soft bun comes in many
variations and shapes, usually stuffed with meat or vegetables. Lotus leaf buns or bao buns
are a twist on traditional bao, which resembles a large dumpling. Korovai is a bread deeply
rooted in tradition and holds great symbolic significance in Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Polish, and Romanian cultures. It's often served at weddings
to bless the future union. The higher it rises and the
more decorations it has, the better the marriage. Sourdough bread is the
oldest form of risen bread, dating back to ancient Egypt. It became popular in San Francisco during the California gold rush. So miners would carry
starters around with them so they could make bread
wherever they were. Starter is actually what gives
sourdough its unique flavor. The older your starter, the more tangy your bread will taste. Bread has been around for centuries and will continue to
threaten no-carb diets. But when you enjoy freshly sliced bread, you're also enjoying centuries
of traditions and cultures.
