Words to Describe Bread

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh

Say, you want to do a critical analysis/appreciation of a bread. What points do you look for?

1. Crumb

2. Crust

3. Spring

4. Taste

5. ......others?

Pls feel free to expand on each point. Tks.

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331 users have voted.

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SourYumMum's picture
SourYumMum 2006 June 30

yumminess - does it make your mouth happy?

Sorry TP ... I'm not very helpful, I know!

soakability - how much gravy can you soak up with it?

fussiness - now this could be contentious. Some people like a hard, sharp, crackly crust that scratches your gums .... I like them more chewy than shard-like! And I HATE it when I'm having a nice salad roll at work and get shattered bits of crust all down the front of me and you have to "fuss" and bother to get it all off!

mouth-feel - now THIS one is true. I once spoke to a man who TASTES CHOCOLATE FOR A LIVING! (Why can't I have a job like that?!) And he talked about 'mouth-feel'. I think pie-testers also go for 'mouth-feel'.

Carol.

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 June 30

Personaly I think Carol hit it right on the head, mouth feel. Eating it is what it is all about, and if it feels good when you eat it, then it is good.

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2006 June 30

Beauty
shape
grigne
mouth appeal
spreadability of butter and jam
taste with jambon or dried sausages

there are some!

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2006 June 30

This is great, guys! Your descriptors really took me out of my teeny tiny bread box. Keep 'em coming!

I went googling for 'jambon' not knowing what this animal was, and I found [url=http://www.hertzmann.com/articles/2004/jambon/]this site[/url]. Click at the bottom for the wonderful fully illustrated how-to's. Now if I can just get ahold of some nitrite....I'd have me a nice jambon-ree!

My eldest notices me doing one thing after I cut a piece of cooled newly-baked bread. I'd study...admire really....the crumb. Bite, savour, close-up of crumb again. Smile. Be happy. This goes on till I finish the whole piece. Am I weird or am I weird?

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2006 June 30

I just made some of these beauties at work(saucisson sec) they are hanging in our wine cellar, nothing better than a few thin slices, truffled butter and a baguette!

J

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 June 30

[quote="TeckPoh"]
My eldest notices me doing one thing after I cut a piece of cooled newly-baked bread. I'd study...admire really....the crumb. Bite, savour, close-up of crumb again. Smile. Be happy. This goes on till I finish the whole piece. Am I weird or am I weird?
[/quote]
No not weird, simply infected with the same virus that the rest of us here have.

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2006 June 30

[quote="Jeremy"]
I just made some of these beauties at work(saucisson sec) they are hanging in our wine cellar, nothing better than a few thin slices, truffled butter and a baguette!

J
[/quote]

Major ENVY here. I wish I could attempt to make one of these. Has been dreaming of the day ever since I saw Jack's. But, me old man needs some convincing that we won't be poisoned to an ugly death by the nitrite in preserved meat. We hardly even eat chinese sausages....tho' I do cook it when he's not coming home for dinner....shhh. Next obstacle would be our heat and humidity.

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2006 June 30

There is this great Italian neighborhood, sort of a enclave in the Bronx called Arthir Avenue, they have the best saucisson here, although the best I had were in Chamonix with hazelnuts and to top the cake, I ate donkey sausages in Paris, wow fabulous, it grossed out my wife though! Imagine in her country guinea pigs are the dish!

J

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 June 30

Ah Jeremy, then your wife would be Thai? Have had the odd little critter myself when visiting there.
A saying that TP may have heard "Anything with legs bar a table and chairs, anything that flies bar a 747".
Tp we eat Lap Cheung quite often.

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2006 June 30

Nope she's from Ecuador! been there several times, and they are squeamish with some things and my stomach has had a few tosses and turns there!
Ceviche, fabulous though!

Jeremy

SourYumMum's picture
SourYumMum 2006 June 30

I once saw on a Lonely Plant program folks having a lovely time with guinea pigs on sticks ... kinda like what Australians call a Pluto Pup ... guess where they stuck the stick doesn't matter much to a deceased guinea pig! I have no idea if they ate them with sauce, perhaps they had been in a marinade .......

Speaking of delicacies ...

I spoke to a chef in Sydney yesterday who is having a degustation dinner this weekend featuring .... OFFAL ... of all kinds! Restaurant booked out!

Hilarious!

(Being descended from long line of Scots, I have an appreciation of the fifth quarter!)

bethesdabakers's picture
bethesdabakers 2006 June 30

This isn?t really words to describe bread but is a framework to put the words into.

A couple of years ago I must have got delusional about my command of the French language (which doesn?t go much past bon appetit) because I bought all 500 pages of Steven Kaplan?s ?Le retour du bon pain?. If I live to be 150 I still don?t think I?ll finish it.

Anyway, he gives a model for assessing bread with marks out of 20 based on wine tasting. I?ve left it in French because there?s a very reasonable chance your French is better than mine but I?ve written what I think it means.

1. L?aspect ? 3 (how it looks/first appearance)
2. La croute ? 3 (the crust)
3. La mie ? 3 (the crumb)
4. La mache (the impression caused by chewing)
5. Aromes/odeurs ? 5 (smell)
6. Gouts/saveurs ? 5 (taste/flavours)
7. L?harmonie ? 1 (bonus) (the balance between all the aspects)
8. Panimaginaire ? 1 (bonus) (creativity of the appearance)

Best wishes,

Mick

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2006 June 30

[quote="bethesdabakers"]
Anyway, he gives a [size=18][color=orange]model[/color][/size] for assessing bread
[/quote]

That's Elle.

Tks,Mick, this is interesting. Is the framework supposed to add up to 20? The total points there are 21 and [i]la mache[/i] is not given any points. I would take away a point each from 3, 5 and 6 to give 3 points to Chew.

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2006 June 30

Hi boy's and girls,
I think Helena Christensen would be the bread I would want to Manche!

Jeremy

carla's picture
carla 2006 July 19

[quote="TeckPoh"]
Say, you want to do a critical analysis/appreciation of a bread. What points do you look for?
1. Crumb
2. Crust
3. Spring
4. Taste
5. ......others?
[/quote]

Definitely "Smell".

All bread judges go by
outside looks first (crust, colour and cuts),
then cut (how does it cut),
then all-round crust (is it even, bottom and top?),
then crumb (colour, holes, elasticity),
then smell,
and finally taste.

SourYumMum's picture
SourYumMum 2006 July 1

Does George Clooney count?

Can't make any further comments as they would be utterly inappropriate for this forum.

But I'd like to see some of HIS bread porn!

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2006 July 1

LOL, I'm biting my lips on this one too.

Suffice to say I prefer matured bread like Sean Connery, Robert Redford and Anthony Hopkins. If I can have them together like Bill's triplets, oooh laa laa...ding ding 20 points!

OK...now who made us go this off-tangent?

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 July 1

Now now TP, don't be greedy.

BTW on most forums this is called hijacking a thread, and on a particular forum that I inhabit it has developed into quite an art.

SourYumMum's picture
SourYumMum 2006 July 1

Now Bill,

George Clooney could be a perfectly fine baker of sourdough breads for all you know! In which case, we are indeed ON thread. And even if he isn't, I'm sure he would like sourdough bread - particularly mine - and I would be more than happy to bake some for him!

For which he would be eternally grateful and shower me with untold pleasures like flying me to his luxury villa on the edge of Lake Como for weeks, months, years of backrubs, foot massages and ... well, YOU KNOW!

TP ... do NOT stand between me and George.

You will get hurt.

And he IS a grown up ... all those lovely grey hairs ... even wrinkles ... good lord!

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2006 July 1

OK, Carol, let's have an agreement. Hands off my triplets and you get to keep George untouched....with my blessings, "Go....Eat thy bread with Joy!"

p/s Under this thread's context, I really should delete my signature.

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