Naan and yogurt dip. See our review of Fabulous Flats Tandoori Naan.

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August 2008
Updated November 2009

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Breadstuffs

A Guide To The Many Types Of Bread

Page 4: Glossary Of Bread Types ~ D To F

This is page 4 of a 9-page glossary of the many different types of bread. In this section you’ll find breads such as dosa, focaccia and ficelle. Click on the links below to visit other pages. You can also return to the overview and the history of bread or select from more than 60 food glossaries.

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DIPLOMAT A diplomat is a small Parisian breakfast bread (actually a pastry). Flaky croissant pastry surrounds creamy custard dotted with raisins. Like a chocolate croissant or a danish, they are considered a bread (viennoiserie) rather than a pastry. As with the financier pastry, Parisian bakers named some of their work after important people. Compare that to the American shoo-fly pie and brown betty!

Diplomats available at MackenzieLtd.com.

DOUGH
Dough, the base for most bread, is a made by grinding a grain or legume into flour and mixing it with enough water or other liquid to form a paste. Leavening may or may not be added to cause the dough to rise; salt and other seasonings may be added, as well as inclusions—herbs, fruits and nuts, for example.

DOSA An Southern Indian flatbread, similar to a crêpe, made with a variety of fillings. Typically, it dipped in sambar, a spiced lentil dipping sauce, and one or more chutneys. The classic masala dosa is filled with spiced potatoes, onions and cashews.

A masala dosa from Shiv Caterers in New Delhi, India.

EGG BREAD and EGG WASH
When mixed into a recipe, eggs provide added leavening, yellow color, softness and richness to sweet breads and other recipes, such as brioche and challah. When mixed with water or milk and brushed on the outside of a bread prior to baking, an egg wash gives a glossy sheen and deeper color to the bread.

EMPANADA Bread (pastry dough) stuffed with a filling, then fried or baked. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Spanish empanadas are usually pie-shaped, made with a broad variety of fillings (including pork, sausage, cod and sardines) and served in wedges; Latin American empanadas are typically made in individual, half moon-shaped portions and filled with minced, seasoned meat. Some Mexican restaurants serve dessert empanadas as well, and “gourmet” empanadas are interpreted by fine chefs.

Photo of Latin American-style empanada by Stu Spivack | Wikimedia Commons.

ENGLISH MUFFIN A fork-split yeast roll related to the crumpet, popular as a breakfast bread and as the base for dishes such as Eggs Benedict. English muffins were originally made by cooking dough in a circular form on a griddle. Read the history of the English muffin and a review of our favorite English muffins, Wolferman’s, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week (photo at right). ÉPI A French wheat bread shaped to resemble a sheaf of wheat. To those who don’t know what wheat looks like, it may look like a tree.

Wolferman’s English Muffins.

FICELLE
A long, slender French loaf, thinner than a baguette (one to two inches wide). The word is French for “string.”

FLATBREAD Flatbreads are the simplest breads, requiring no leavening, although some are leavened (made with a chemical agent that adds gas to the dough to produce a lighter, airier, more easily chewed bread). They can be extremely thin, like a tortilla, one millimeter or so in thickness, to a few centimeters thick, like focaccia. Examples include the arepa (South America), chapati (India), injera (Ethiopia), jonnycake (U.S.), lavash (Persia), matzoh (Israel), naan (India), oatcake (Scotland), pita (Middle East), pizza (Italy), roti (India), tortilla (Mexico) and sangak (Persia). Some other breads called flatbreads are not completely flat, but use yeast and are partially risen, such as focaccia (Italy).

Flatbread made from Canterbury Naturals flatbread mix. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

FLÛTE
A flûte is a long loaf, thicker than a baguette. In the United States, it is also called a parisienne.

FOCACCIA A rich, thick Italian snack bread. Olive oil is brushed over the dough prior to baking, to retain moisture. While it uses yeast to rise, it is not kneaded and is a relatively flat bread, often an inch or so in height. Focaccia is served with meals, used as a base for pizza and as sandwich bread. A basic focaccia is simple, sprinkled with salt; it can be topped with fresh herbs and ingredients as elaborate as any pizza, including sauteed onions and mushrooms, diced tomatoes, prosciutto, cheese or anything that appeals to the maker. The word is derived from the Latin focus, fireplace.

Photo of focaccia courtesy of National Honey Board.

FOUGASSE A raised flatbread from southern France. The recipe and flavor are similar to focaccia, but the top is styled with elongated slashes, which create a shape of an evergreen tree. FRENCH BREAD French bread is a term that applies to a variety of different-shaped loaves that have a crusty exterior and a chewy crumb. French bread is typically made from wheat flour, water, yeast and salt. Some of the shapes include baguette, bâton, boule, ficelle and flûte. In the photo at right on the top shelf, slender ficelles appear to the left of large batards. On the lower shelf, smaller bâtons can be seen next to a basket filled with baguettes.

French bread. Photo by Lalito | CSP.

FRENCH TOAST Slices of bread are dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs and milk, and pan-fried in butter. It is a popular main dish at breakfast, garnished with confectioner’s sugar, syrup, jam and/or fresh fruit. Sweeter, light breads, such as brioche, challah and white bread make the best French toast. Not your grandmother’s French toast: Here, slices of French bread are cut with deep pockets. After the toast is fried, the pockets are stuffed with fresh berries and served with a fruit yogurt sauce.

French toast. Photo courtesy of DairyInfo.com.

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