BAGUETTE
A baguette is a long, thin French bread. It has a crispy outside and soft, chewy inside. It is mainly made from flour, water, yeast and salt.To make a baguette, the ingredients are mixed into dough. The dough is left to rise so the yeast creates air bubbles. It is then shaped into a long, thin loaf, allowed to rise again, cut on top, and baked at a high temperature. Steam during baking helps create the crispy crust.A baguette is best eaten fresh. You can simply eat it with butter, make sandwiches, or turn it into garlic bread. It is also good with soup, cheese, eggs, kaya, or jam. You can slice and toast it to make bruschetta or appetisers.If the baguette becomes hard or stale, don't throw it away. You can use it to make French toast, breadcrumbs, croutons, or bread pudding.
SOURDOUGH
A sourdough is a type of bread made using a natural mixture of flour and water called a sourdough starter instead of regular commercial yeast. The starter contains natural yeast and bacteria, which make the bread rise and give it its slightly tangy or sour taste.To make sourdough, you first mix flour and water with the starter. The dough is left to ferment for several hours. During this time, the natural yeast produces gas, which makes the dough rise, while the bacteria produce acids that give sourdough its distinctive flavour. The dough is then shaped, allowed to rise again, and baked at a high temperature.Sourdough usually has a crispy crust and chewy, soft inside, often with many irregular holes. It can be eaten with butter, eggs, cheese, jam or kaya, or used for sandwiches. It is also excellent for toast and garlic bread.Sourdough is particularly good with savoury foods because its slightly sour flavour adds more character than ordinary white bread.
CROISSANT
A croissant is a French pastry that is light, flaky, buttery and shaped like a crescent. It is made from flour, water or milk, yeast, salt, sugar and plenty of butter.To make a croissant, the dough is mixed and allowed to rise. Butter is then placed inside the dough, and the dough is repeatedly rolled and folded. This creates many thin layers of dough and butter. When baked, the water in the butter turns into steam and separates the layers, creating the flaky texture.A croissant is usually eaten for breakfast or as a snack. You can eat it plain with butter, jam or honey, or fill it with chocolate, cheese, ham, eggs or chicken.
RYE BREAD
A rye bread is bread made partly or mainly from rye flour, which comes from the rye grain. It is usually darker, denser and heavier than ordinary white bread, with a slightly earthy, nutty and sometimes sour taste.To make rye bread, rye flour is mixed with water, salt and usually yeast or a sourdough starter. The dough is allowed to rise, shaped into a loaf and then baked. Rye flour contains less gluten than wheat flour, so rye bread usually does not rise as much and has a denser texture.Rye bread is especially good with cheese, butter, eggs, smoked salmon, tuna, chicken or cold meats. It is also commonly used for sandwiches, particularly with strong or savoury fillings.
