Breadssssssss

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods. Evidence from 30,000 years ago in Europe revealed starch residue on rocks used for pounding plants.[2] It is possible that during this time, starch extract from the roots of plants, such as cattails and ferns, was spread on a flat rock, placed over a fire and cooked into a primitive form of flatbread. Around 10,000 BC, with the dawn of the Neolithic age and the spread of agriculture, grains became the mainstay of making bread. Yeast spores are ubiquitous, including the surface of cereal grains, so any dough left to rest will become naturally leavened.[3] There were multiple sources of leavening available for early bread. Airborne yeasts could be harnessed by leaving uncooked dough exposed to air for some time before cooking. Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples." Parts of the ancient world that drank wine instead of beer used a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting, or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source for yeast. The most common source of leavening was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to use as a form of sourdough starter.[4] A major advance happened in 1961 with the development of the Chorleywood bread process, which used the intense mechanical working of dough to dramatically reduce the fermentation period and the time taken to produce a loaf. The process, whose high-energy mixing allows for the use of lower protein grain, is now widely used around the world in large factories. As a result, bread can be produced very quickly and at low costs to the manufacturer and the consumer. Recently, domestic bread machines that automate the process of making bread have become popular.

Desserts Quotes of the Day~~

God gave the angels wings, and he gave humans chocolate. ~Author Unknown

All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz

At no other time has Nature concentrated such a wealth of valuable nourishment into such a small space as in the cocoa bean. ~Alexander von Humboldt

As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate. ~Sandra Boynton

You can say this for ready-mixes - the next generation isn't going to have any trouble making pies exactly like mother used to make. ~Earl Wilson

WAFER~~

In gastronomy, a wafer (also spelled waffer) is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, and dry biscuit,often used to decorate ice cream. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They frequently have a waffle surface pattern but may also be patterned with insignia of the food's manufacturer or may be patternless. Many chocolate bars, such as Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp, have wafers in them.

Communion wafer The word also refers to the special small round, often starchy flatbreads made for Western Rite celebrations of the Eucharist, including Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and some of the more liturgical Protestant churches. The word "host" is used to describe the larger wafer used by the clergy, while the term "communion wafer" refers to the smaller pieces used to distribute Holy Communion to the people. These holy wafers often have an image of a cross or the crucified Christ imprinted on them. Spa wafers Special "spa wafers" (Czech: lázeňské oplatky, Slovak: kúpeľné oplátky) are produced in the spa towns of the Czech Republic (e.g. Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, etc.) and the Slovak Republic (e.g. Piešťany, etc.). Christmas wafer Christmas wafers, whose patterns often depict religious scenes, are an Eastern European Roman Catholic Christmas tradition celebrated in Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian and Italian families during Wigilia (Christmas Eve Vigil). Oblea A variation of a wafer; it is considered a part of the traditional cuisine in Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela and México where it is known as an oblea. Usually eaten as a dessert with two pieces filled with arequipe, dulce de leche (milk caramel) and/or sweetened condensed milk in the middle. In some places they might contain cheese, fruits, chantilly cream, among others. They are usually very popular as they are very inexpensive. In Argentina the term oblea is used to refer to a wafer. Freska Freska is an Egyptian wafer sold only on beaches in the summertime. It is made from two thin circular wafers filled with a thin layer of honey syrup.

Pizza Types~~`

ItalianNeapolitanNeapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana): Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are typically made with tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese. They can be made with ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and mozzarella di bufala Campana, made with the milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio in a semi-wild state (this mozzarella is protected with its own European protected designation of origin).[6]

According to the rules proposed by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana,[7] the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other machine, and may be no more than 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire.[8] When cooked, it should be crispy, tender and fragrant. There are three official variants: pizza marinara, which is made with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil, pizza Margherita, made with tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil, and pizza Margherita extra made with tomato, mozzarella from Campania in fillets, basil and extra virgin olive oil. The pizza napoletana is a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (Specialità Tradizionale Garantita, STG) product in Europe.[9][10] Lazio This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2012) Lazio style: Pizza in Lazio (Rome), as well as in many other parts of Italy, is available in two different styles. Take-away shops sell pizza rustica or pizza al taglio. This pizza is cooked in long, rectangular baking pans and relatively thick (1–2 cm). The pizza is often cooked in an electric oven. It is usually cut with scissors or a knife and sold by weight. In pizzerias, pizza is served in a dish in its traditional round shape. It has a thin, crisp base quite different from the thicker and softer Neapolitan style base. It is usually cooked in a wood-fired oven, giving the pizza its unique flavor and texture. In Rome, a pizza napoletana is topped with tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and oil (thus, what in Naples is called pizza romana, in Rome is called pizza napoletana). Other types of Lazio-style pizza include: Pizza romana: tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, oil Pizza viennese: tomato, mozzarella, German sausage, oregano, oil Pizza capricciosa: mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives, oil Pizza quattro formaggi ("four cheese pizza"): tomatoes, and the cheeses mozzarella, stracchino, fontina, and gorgonzola. Sometimes ricotta is swapped for one of the last three. Pizza bianca In Rome, the term pizza bianca refers to a type of bread topped with olive oil, salt and, occasionally, rosemary sprigs. It is also a Roman style to add figs to the pizza, the result being known as pizza e fichi Pizza alla casalinga ("Grandma pizza") consists of a thin layer of dough is stretched into an oiled, square "Sicilian" pan, topped sparingly with shredded mozzarella, crushed uncooked canned tomatoes, chopped garlic and olive oil, and baked until the top bubbles and the bottom is crisp.[11] Italian and European lawIn Italy, there is a bill before Parliament to safeguard the traditional Italian pizza,[12] specifying permissible ingredients and methods of processing[13] (e.g., excluding frozen pizzas). Only pizzas which followed these guidelines could be called "traditional Italian pizzas" in Italy. On 9 December 2009, the European Union, upon Italian request, granted Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) safeguard to traditional Neapolitan pizza, in particular to "Margherita" and "Marinara".[14] The European Union enacted a protected designation of origin system in the 1990s.

Cooking Methods and Ingredients for Pizza

CookingIn restaurants, pizza can be baked in an oven with stone bricks above the heat source, an electric deck oven, a conveyor belt oven or, in the case of more expensive restaurants, a wood- or coal-fired brick oven. On deck ovens, the pizza can be slid into the oven on a long paddle, called a peel, and baked directly on the hot bricks or baked on a screen (a round metal grate, typically aluminum). Whe

n made at home, it can be baked on a pizza stone in a regular oven to reproduce the effect of a brick oven. Another option is grilled pizza, in which the crust is baked directly on a barbecue grill. Greek pizza, like Chicago-style pizza, is baked in a pan rather than directly on the bricks of the pizza oven. CrustThe bottom of the pizza, called the "crust", may vary widely according to style—thin as in a typical hand-tossed pizza or Roman pizza, or thick as in a typical pan pizza or Chicago-style pizza. It is traditionally plain, but may also be seasoned with garlic or herbs, or stuffed with cheese. CheeseMain article: Pizza cheese The most popular cheeses to use on pizza are mozzarella, provolone, cheddar and parmesan. Romano and Ricotta are often used as toppings and processed cheese manufactured specifically for pizza is used in mass-produced environments. Processed pizza cheese is manufactured to produce preferable qualities like browning, melting, stretchiness and fat and moisture content. Many studies and experiments have analyzed the impact of vegetable oil, manufacturing and culture processes, denatured whey proteins and other changes to creating the ideal and economical pizza cheese. In 1997 it was estimated that annual production of pizza cheese was 2 billion pounds in the US and 200 million pounds in Europe. ToppingsA myriad of toppings are used on pizzas, including, but not limited to: Anchovies Bacon Ground beef Mushrooms Olives Onions Pepperoni Peppers Sausage Seafood Sun-dried tomato Tomatoes Vegetables

What is Pizza??^^

Pizza (i/ˈpiːtsə/, Italian pronunciation: [ˈpittsa]) is an oven-baked, flat, round bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings. Pizza was originally invented in Naples, Italy, and the dish has since become popular in many parts of the world.[1] An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria". Many varieties of pizza exist worldwide, alon

g with several dish variants based upon pizza. In 2009, upon Italy's request, Neapolitan pizza was safeguarded in the European Union as a Traditional Specialty Guaranteed dish. Some mass produced pizzas by food chains have been criticized as having an unhealthy balance of ingredients. Some studies have linked consumption of the antioxidant lycopene, which exists in tomato products that are often used on pizza, as having a beneficial health effect.

Dessertssssss