Bread is something we cannot go without, and there are countless reasons for this. For starters, it goes with everything from butter to Nutella, it is the supporting pillar of a sandwich, and it can be dipped into soups and stews. The list can easily continue, and this article will cover more truths as well as dispel some myths about bread that have been passed down over the years.
We’ll start with some facts:
More than 200 types of bread are made in the UK alone
Yes, you read that number right. This covers traditional British bread recipes such as crumpets, and hot-cross buns, in addition to exotic recipes that originate from abroad such as Focaccia from Italy, and Brioche from France. Both of these delicious foreign items - luckily for us - have found their way into our British bakeries.
Bread provides over 10% of the average grown-up’s intake of iron, zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins.
As you can see from the list above, bread packs a lot of essential goodness as well as flavour. B vitamins make bread a good source of metabolism, the iron content in bread helps with immune system function, zinc in bread helps with hormone regulation and acts as an antioxidant. There are plenty of other benefits to eating bread but we’ve got more facts to cover so we’ll leave the rest up for you to research.
Sliced bread was introduced to Britain in 1930
We’ve all heard the phrase “the best thing since sliced bread”, well how many of us actually know when sliced bread was made?
Sliced bread was officially introduced to Britain in 1930, but it was actually invented in the USA by Otto Frederick Rohwedder who had created a special machine for slicing bread loaves in 1928. It was the ultimate luxury for people who wanted to enjoy a portion of delicious bread without having to put in the manual labor of cutting it themselves.
The word ‘companion’ comes from the Latin word ‘Com’, which means “with” and ‘Panis’, which means “bread”. So the word companion can be translated to “the one you share bread with”.
Is there any more proof needed that bread equates to wholesomeness? From conversations over breakfast with a slice of toast and tea to sharing slices of pitta with friends gathered around a bowl of hummus, an undisputed fact is that there are endless opportunities to combine bread with good times.
Around 12 billion sandwiches are eaten in the UK every year.
This isn’t so much a bread fact, but more of a fact to do with one of the most common uses of bread. Yes, sandwiches. We as a country cannot get enough of them, as proven by the figure of 12 billion! There is
essentially an infinite combination of ingredients that you can place in between two slices of bread; you can go complex with Prosciutto, mozzarella, and pesto or stay basic with ham and cheese. There is a sandwich out there for everyone and with over 200 breads available in the UK alone, the possibilities are endless!
Now onto some myths that deserve to be eliminated:
Bread is fattening
There are plenty of dietitian experts out there who might suggest cutting down or leaving bread out of your diet altogether. This advice stems from the misconception that bread is fattening. A slice of wholemeal bread on average contains 76 calories and 0.9g of fat. It is what you spread on the bread or put in between two slices when making a sandwich that has more of an impact on your calorie intake.
Gluten-free bread is healthier
Contrary to popular belief, gluten-free bread could pose more health risks than benefits, such as nutritional deficiencies, and constipation, and can have a negative effect on the rate of metabolism. Gluten is responsible for giving bread its spongy texture, so when it is taken out, bread manufacturers compensate for it by using additives such as xanthan gum or cornstarch, both of which are ingredients that are over-processed and more harmful than gluten. If you are looking for gluten-free alternatives, your best option is bread made from wholefood alternatives such as buckwheat, quinoa or rice flour.
Wholemeal bread is better than white bread
There is no disputing the fact that wholemeal bread is good for you, but that doesn’t equate to white bread being bad. White bread provides up to one tenth of an adult’s dietary fibre intake, and contributes up to 10% or more of an adult’s average calcium, iron, manganese, and thiamine intake. In addition to this, wholemeal bread also contains higher amounts of sugar compared to white bread.
Most wheat used to bake bread in Britain comes from outside the UK
There is no mileage involved when it comes to baking British bread because nearly all the flour used is milled in the UK itself. Most of our loaves are made entirely from British wheat, and each year manufacturers mill nearly more than 5 million tonnes of wheat grown by UK farmers into flour. So the next time you visit an artisan bakery or your local supermarket and purchase a loaf of your liking, you can revel in the fact that you’ll be supporting hardworking and dedicated British farmers.
White bread is full of sugar
You’ll likely hear this from the mouths of those who swear by brown and wholemeal bread. The truth is that only a small portion of the starch present in the flour used to bake white bread is broken down into maltose and fructose - both of which are types of sugar - during the fermentation process of manufacturing. With the exception of this sugar, which amounts to approximately 1-2g per slice, there is no extra sugar added during the manufacturing of bread.
Now that we’ve given you a handful of myths and facts about bread, there’s no reason you shouldn’t browse our selection of bread boxes, including our Artisan Bread Box, Essentials Bread & Veg, our Variety Wonky Box, and more!
We are big believers in enjoying every bite that you take, which is why each and every one of our boxes have been baked with care and in support of our mission to ‘Taste More, Waste Less’. Subscribe or purchase your very own bread box today!