There is something very special about bread, especially the aroma from the fresh baked loaf. The thought of the flavour of a good loaf, the texture of the soft crumb con­ trasting with the crispness of the crust, sets the hunger juices into action . Who can resist the promise of a slice of a soft white farmhouse loaf, spread simply with butter?

Most people have their own favourite: ciabatta, rich with olive oil; dark, malty rye; honeyed challah or a Middle Eastern bread, freshly baked and aromatic from the herbs and spices. Whatever the shape or texture, bread has a special place in our affections. 

The obvious explanation for bread's importance is that until quite recently, it was for many, quite literally the "staff of life" - the single essential food. Today, most people have more varied diets. Potatoes, pasta and rice are all enjoyed in the West and are important staple foods, but in some countries, for example France and Italy, bread is easily the most popular of the carbohydrates, eaten with every meal and in many cases with every course. 

Nowadays there is a huge choice of breads both from independent bakeries and from the large supermarkets. Italian ciabatta and focaccia are now a regular sight, even in the smallest food stores, as are the various Spanish, Indian and Middle Eastern breads. There is an increasingly interesting choice of German, Danish, Scandinavian and eastern European breads and, among the French breads, there is now a truly good range on offer. If the supermarket has an in-store bakery, baguettes are likely to be freshly baked and some are now as good as the real thing. The availability of pain de cam-pagnes, levains and other rustic breads means that you can choose breads to suit the style of meal you are serving, while sweet breads, such as brioches and crois­ sants from France, pane al cioccolato from Italy and numerous offerings from Germany mean that there is much more to choose from than simply toast at breakfast and malt loaf at tea time.

Local bakers, although competing with the supermarkets, have paradoxically benefited from the range on offer from supermarkets. The more breads there are available, the more people feel inclined to try other baked goods. Small bakers who could easily have lost customers to the big stores, have risen to the challenge by producing their own range of country- style and fine breads. Craft bakers are producing traditional breads, at the same time experimenting with recipes they have devised themselves. Bread making has never been a tradition that stood still. The best craft bakers have ensured that bread making has continued to evolve, resulting in the emergence of all sorts of corn and barley breads, mixed grain loaves and a range of new sourdoughs. 

Many people are now wanting to make their own breads, especially since the introduction of bread making machines which significantly simplify the process, and yet produce the flavours and aromas. Most of the wide range of breads can be prepared in a domestic bread making machine. For those breads that are best “oven bottom” baked, use the breadmaker to take the flour mixture to the proving stage, turn out the dough and shape to that required, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven.