Why is American bread like that? Why did we swoon of "Old Fashioned Bread" during the pandemic?  What happened so that our bread is these nice neat rectangular loaves with close textured middles and soft crust perfect for sandwiches - while so much of the rest of bread world is more interesting?

The answers - surprisingly enought lie in the start of the 19th century when the New Americans got itchy feet and started to head Out West.  Not that it's surprising - but such activities were not conducive to cultivating yeast and baking the slow rise, freeform breads of the community bake oven.  That took time, and skill and babued yeast.

Instead, on the move, in a hurry, and going it alone, the quick bread, the Johhny cake, the pancake and the biscuit were all more practical (if not basically the same darn thing.)

This isn't the entire reason American Bread is like "that", but it's about half of it.  Come along, and hear the roots of some  American habits and lore.

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
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