In Praise Of Our Daily Bread..

The different cultures across the globe do share one thing in common and that is the eating of Bread. For each country there is local bread or similar product that usually forms part of the daily staple diet. Consumed daily to sustain and nourish its people. It can be made from many different grains with or with our yeast and whist travelling most travellers will usually get to try at least one of the local bread products. Bread making goes back in time to the most primitive of societies and even though its form and texture may differ from place to place it is usually pretty delicious. We in Australia get a whole variety of different breads because of our multi culture. I must admit I have tried many and there are really not too many that I don't like however I do like a very nourishing grainy loaf..



Now I am interested to learn about your daily breads from your region of the world.

Tell me what is your favourite and do you make it yourself? What is the main ingredient and how is it cooked. Do you eat it with a topping like butter or margarine or one of the new cholesterol lowing spreads?

I am including a recipe for Damper an outback bread recipe from Australia and really yummy especially when it is cooked in an outside camp oven or open fire.



Australian Damper Recipe and Billy Tea for Beginners.You need:

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup of water

Sprinkle of salt

Method:

Mix ingredients together in bowl until dough has a thick consistency.



You can cook Damper in oven or in a hot fire.

If the fire is big you can pull ashes away from fire, and place damper in ashes.

If there are lots of ashes in fire you can put the damper straight into the fire and cover with ash.

If there is no ash, place damper straight into camp oven and cover with hot coals.

Keep adding hot coals to top of camp oven.

Let Damper cook for about 10 minutes

To see if Damper is cooked you can touch it and if it feels firm it is ready.

You can also tap the top of the damper and if it has a hollow sound, you know it's ready.

A tip: it is best to break the damper off with your hands rather than cut it with a knife. Then enjoy it with some Billy Tea.





Making Billy Tea is one of those legendary pastimes where every bushy has his own method and style and fiercely disputes the quality of any tea made by any other bushy. The main thing with billy tea is to remember that it doesn't matter what it tastes like, you have to look real good making it. So with this being the accepted rules of billy tea making, it is no wonder we have a whole craft made up of forked sticks, jam pots tied with wire, gum leaves and bearded bushies swirling boiling water round their heads. It has become acceptable behaviour to threaten the safety of anyone foolish enough to be still standing that close to the campsite after the antics started.

What you need

 Tea, Australian grown of course

 Sugar as needed

 Milk as needed

Water

Billy Can, make your own or buy one

 Forked stick

 Fire

What you do

Drag some coals out of the fire and put the billy on. When boiling, throw in a single fistful of tea for each person and then throw one in for the pot. Leave on heat for another minute then pull away from coals using the forked stick on the handle to lift.

This is where the rot sets in.

Grab billy handle with hat or other suitable insulator and swing quickly around in a full circle three times bringing it back up past your knee then back over your shoulder and so completing a full circle each time. The reason for doing this is to sink the tea leaves to the bottom of the pot so you can pour a drink without filling the cup with tea leaves.

However if you just let it sit for a minute or two and then pour carefully you still get a good cuppa without risking life and limb.

Some people apparently use tea strainers.

There is nothing better than a good mug of billy tea to start the day, with a slab of damper in the other hand.



To finish off the post about Bread what better way than to leave you with the Group from the 70s called BREAD and their most beautiful ballad Called: If......



If Lyrics



If a picture paints a thousand words,

Then why can't I paint you?

The words will never show the you I've come to know.

If a face could launch a thousand ships,

Then where am I to go?

There's no one home but you,

You're all that's left me too.

And when my love for life is running dry,

You come and pour yourself on me.

If a man could be two places at one time,

I'd be with you.

Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.

If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,

I'd spend the end with you.

And when the world was through,

Then one by one the stars would all go out,

Then you and I would simply fly away



Bread's song If and Youtube of the original version and it's members.