The English Bread Book facts for kids
Frontispiece of the 1857 edition
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| Author | Eliza Acton |
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| Subject | English baking |
| Genre | Cookery |
| Publisher | Longmans |
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Publication date
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1857 |
The English Bread Book is a cookery book from England written by Eliza Acton. It was first published in 1857. The book shares the history of how bread was made in England. It also talks about new ways of making bread that came from Europe. Plus, it looks at the ingredients used and gives recipes for many different kinds of bread.
About the Book
In 1845, Eliza Acton, who used to be a poet, released a popular book called Modern Cookery for Private Families. This book was made for everyday English families. It even had a chapter about making bread and recipes for different types.
Eliza Acton started updating her book in 1855. But she felt she couldn't add all the bread-making details she wanted to. So, even though she wasn't feeling well, she decided to write a whole new book just about bread. This new book was called The English Bread-Book For Domestic Use.
It came out in May 1857. This book was different from her earlier recipe book. It was a serious and scientific study of bread. It covered the history of bread making in England and new methods from Europe. It also looked closely at the ingredients used and included many bread recipes.
Important Topics in the Book
Eliza Acton also wrote about how some flour millers and bakers at the time would add things to bread that shouldn't be there. This was called "adulteration." They sometimes added things like alum and other harmful substances.
The book mainly focused on British bread. Eliza Acton wrote that bread was super important for most English people. She said it was food for everyone, the main food for many, and almost the only food for lots of people.
She even dedicated a whole chapter to how bread was made in France, Germany, and Belgium. The book has recipes for German pumpernickel, French baguettes, Italian polenta bread, Turkish rolls, and Indian breads.
What's Inside
The 1857 edition of the book includes these main sections:
- Preface (an introduction from the author)
- Contents (a list of what's in the book)
- ;Part One
- Bread, its value (how important bread is)
- Adulteration of bread, and its consequences (adding bad things to bread and what happens)
- Large institutions established abroad (big bakeries in other countries)
- Gluten (a protein found in wheat)
- To remove the taint of must from wheat (how to fix wheat that smells bad)
- Different varieties of bread-corn (different types of grain used for bread)
- ;Part Two
- Outline of bread making (the basic steps to make bread)
- General rules for baking bread (important tips for baking)
- Making dough (how to prepare the dough)
- Bread recipes (recipes for different breads)
