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Bread.

© Bob Ewing

This is not the first time that I've written about bread. It has been sometime since that first article, but instead of repeating it with a few updates, I'm going to take a new look at one of Life's most basic foods. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the sandwich and the choice of bread makes all the difference in the world to the success of that sandwich. That is, of course, unless it is a peanut butter sandwich, in which case any bread becomes a delight.

Bread is a very versatile food which any search on the Suite will show. There are enough bread recipes to keep you experimenting for months. Of course this suggests that you make your own bread and don't buy it pre-made. I enjoy making bread. I must admit that I use a bread machine which I must say is a great tool. I can create some wonderful and nutritious breads just by adding a few ingredients, plus I can make pizza dough and bagels too.

I know I don't grow any wheat in my small urban plot. This means that I rely on a local store for the ingredients. In addition to bread machine flour, water, sea salt, olive oil, brown sugar and bread machine yeast, I will choose from among the following, corn meal, rolled oats, bran, wheatgerm, flax seeds, alfalfa seeds, to name a few. It all depends upon what I feel like. I don't grow any of these items either. So I'm happy to make my own bread, at least I am involved in the process and actually know what is in the slice that I am feeding to my family.

Far too many people do not make enough money to be able to feed their family even this basic staple on a regular basis. There is no shortage of wheat. There is a serious distribution problem which is the subject of a future series of articles.

For people who have a wheat or gluten allergy, there are alternatives such as hemp flour. Next week I will take a look at the gluten free alternatives, I'll also toss in, at least one of my favourite bread recipes.

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