For a long time, everything revolved around bread. Providing more than half of people's daily calories, bread was the life-source of Europe for centuries. In the middle of 19th century, a third of household expenditure was spent on bread. Why, then, does it only account for 0.8% of expenditure and just 12% of daily calories today? In this book, Peter Scholliers delves into the history of bread to map out its defining moments and people. From the price revolution of the 1890s that led to affordable and pure white bread, to the taste revolution of the 1990s that ushered in healthy brown bread, he studies consumers, bakers and governments to explain how and why this food that once powered an entire continent has fallen by the wayside, and what this means for the modern age. From prices and consumption to legislation and technology, Scholliers shows how the history of bread has been shaped by subtle cultural shifts as well as top-down decisions from ruling bodies. From the small home baker to booming factories, he follows changes in agriculture, transport, production and policy since the 19th century to explain why bread, once the centre of everything, is not so today.

In this beautifully photographed book, master baker Jan Hedh teaches us the basics for baking delicious artisan breads right in our own ovens. Hedh offers a cookbook full of recipes for all occasions-from daily loaves for sandwiches to delectable sweet breads for special occasions. This cookbook includes master tips on how to bake bread for maximum taste and aroma, the proper way to knead dough, the type of flour to use, and the correct baking time and oven temperature. With his wide breadth of recipes from all over the world-including Italian, French, Swiss, German, Arabic, and of course Swedish breads. This book is a must-have for all those who love to bake.