# Bread With Your Meal



## Andy M. (Apr 15, 2014)

Just wondering...

Do you eat bread as part of your main meal on a regular basis?

Let's not count sandwiches.  Also, if you have a dietary issue that prohibits eating bread, what did you do before that came into play?

I do not eat bread as part of my meal.  I never really got into the habit.  Not at home and not at a restaurant.  My Mom and Dad did.  So pasta - no garlic bread.  Thanksgiving - no rolls.  Easter - no hot cross buns.  I always felt like I didn't want to use up valuable stomach space for bread when there were so many other goodies on the table.

What about you?  

Take a second and complete the poll.


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## Zhizara (Apr 15, 2014)

I never eat toast with breakfast, nor do I have bread with any meal.

Occasionally, I'll have toast by itself like a snack before bed.

The only time I have bread as part of a meal is when I make French bread pizza.


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## JMediger (Apr 15, 2014)

My grandparents had bread with every meal, regardless of the meal.  My mom served bread with most meals and now, I find I do to.  I think, in part, it becomes a utensil.  My grandfather mopped up sauces and gravies with his bread.  My mom taught us how to use it as a way to push food onto our forks instead of a finger, especially salad and pasta.  I think that's why I still grab a slice with each meal.


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## pacanis (Apr 15, 2014)

I voted depends on the meal. I'm a big fan of bread. I eat bread as a snack. I don't require it with every meal though. At least that's what I tell myself. Sometimes if I don't eat bread with supper I find myself buttering a couple slices twenty minutes later... but not all the time.


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## Katie H (Apr 15, 2014)

I've always enjoyed all types of breads.  Especially since I've eaten home-baked bread for most of my life.

As for how we eat bread in our house, it depends on the meal, the weather, and a multitude of other factors.

Most weekday breakfasts don't include any bread products.  Sundays are another story.  If you count waffles and pancakes as a type of bread, yes, we have them infrequently.  Breakfast rolls, toast, coffee cakes, biscuits, etc. are also on our weekend breakfast table infrequently but that's because I usually try to serve a nice and somewhat substantial Sunday morning breakfast with a wide variety.  I rarely serve the same Sunday breakfast more than once in a three-month period.

Lunches hardly ever include bread, unless crackers count.

When it comes to dinner, the entree dictates whether we have a bread.  Chili, white beans and ham hocks, etc. require cast iron skillet cornbread.  Beef stew and hearty soups beg for crusty rolls.  Main course salads, especially during the hotter months, are accompanied by baguettes, as are a variety of Italian dishes.  Roasted meats and poultry are served with several different types of yeast rolls.

After giving some thought to the posed question, I realize that when we have fish, there's rarely any bread accompanying it.

Thanks for the question, Andy.  It made me do some thinking.


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## Whiskadoodle (Apr 15, 2014)

I don't routinely have bread with a meal.  For some reason, I like bread with Italian pasta dishes.  I freeze bread and take out only a half or a third of a loaf at a time to use.  

More often I am apt to make biscuits or cornbread/muffins than serve "regular" bread or rolls.


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## pacanis (Apr 15, 2014)

I must have missed Andy's fish reference in the original question, but where I grew up we always had bread on the table when we ate fish. That was because a bite of bread helps dislodge a stuck bone in the throat. Not that we always got bones so always ate bread with our fish, but it was there if needed.


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## bakechef (Apr 15, 2014)

Weekday meals, no bread with dinner, meals are usually protein, veg, and starch such as rice or potatoes.  On occasion I'll replace the starch with bread if I have something good, like my St. Patrick's day meal had soda bread.

Weekend comfort food dinners will often have bread accompanying them.  Holiday dinners always have fresh, homemade rolls.

Weekday pasta dinner, no rolls.  If I'm having company and cooking a pasta dinner, I'll often make bread to go with it.

If I didn't have to pay attention to calories, I'd have good bread with every meal, I love bread.


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## Cheryl J (Apr 15, 2014)

How fun, I didn't know we had polls here.  Thanks, Andy! 

I voted 'depends on the meal'.  If I have spaghetti or lasagna, there has to be garlic bread alongside.    If I have fried eggs in the morning, I love a piece of toast to go along with it.  

Other than that, I rarely have bread with a meal.  It's just too filling for me.  When I have pizza, I prefer it to be thin crust, as the regular crust is just too bready. I'd rather have the 'goodies'.


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## Dawgluver (Apr 15, 2014)

When we go to a restaurant, we devour the garlic bread, or whatever other bread that's offered.  Otherwise at home, we never have bread other than a sammie.


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## Rocklobster (Apr 15, 2014)

I like bread with some meals. Classic beef stews w/ bread and butter for dipping and sopping, eggs w/ toast, crusty bread with mussels to dip into the juice,  toasted strips dipping into butter w/ escargot, Turkey dinner w/ soft roll, hot turkey sandwich between two slices of white bread covered in gravy. Not really with pasta, although I do make it for everybody else.......
So, outside of toast with eggs, if you add up all the times I eat these meals in a year, I would say I eat bread with my meals about a dozen times a year...


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 15, 2014)

We are both bakery folks, we love bread, unfortunately.  We have had to curtail our bread habit.  We used to eat it at every meal and in between.  Now bread is as pancakes, sandwiches, pizza.  I have been known to buy sourdough rolls to make mini sandwiches.


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## salt and pepper (Apr 15, 2014)

Bread is the MOP of the meal.                 Not before.


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## taxlady (Apr 15, 2014)

I think you should have had an option, "Seldom" or "Almost never". If it's good bread at a resto, while waiting for the meal to arrive, we usually eat some. At home, unless it's garlic bread, almost never and even that, not often. French onion soup wants its croutons and Indian food is easier to eat with some chapati or roti.


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## Kayelle (Apr 16, 2014)

Bread has never been important to us except for sandwiches. We really like lunch sandwiches. We often enjoy garlic toast with grilled meals but I don't remember the last time I served dinner rolls. On our cruise, the bread baskets on the table always included those long crisp bread sticks, and I enjoyed them a lot with my salad.


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 16, 2014)

My Dad delivered bread for almost 25 years. Bread was always a given at our table! When Himself and I got married, bread became an accompaniment to what we were having if it enhanced the meal, not just to fill us up. Pasta dishes never get bread, but dinner salads always do. Juicy, one-bowl meals (chili, soup, stew) get crusty bread, while meals with rice or potato are bread-free. Since I grew up with bread all my single life, it is something we always have in the house whether in the bread box or in the freezer...or both. And like pac, I'll happily have a snack of bread any ol' time. Actually, a slice of toasted Challah with cinnamon sugar on top sounds good right about now... I think I'll resist until breakfast.


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 16, 2014)

I grew up with bread and potatoes on the table for almost every meal.  

Now I seldom have bread because of diabetes.

I chose none in the poll, but the reality is seldom or rarely and yes I miss it!


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## Addie (Apr 16, 2014)

I grew up with a stack of bread on the table. It was always sliced Italian crusty artisan bread. I would have just one piece if it was with pasta, stews, or soups. Now I can go months and not even buy one loaf of bread. Yet I followed my mother's lead and put bread on the table for my kids every night. I made egg salad tonight. But I don't have one slice of bread in the house.


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## CraigC (Apr 16, 2014)

Some meals just wouldn't be right without bread. Cuban meals without Pan Cubano, just not right! Garlic rolls with meatballs and pasta, gotta have it. What is pizza without the "bread" the toppings are on?


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## FrankZ (Apr 16, 2014)

Breakfast is usually.  If there are eggs there is bread.  Do bagels count?  

I remember having bread at the table when I was young, but we don't seem to do that unless it makes sense now.


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## bethzaring (Apr 16, 2014)

My father would admonish us kids, as he was slathering butter on bread, to not fill up on bread before a meal. I also pass up the bread for other offerings at a meal, in fear of wasting stomach space. And this comes from someone who considers herself a darn good bread baker. I've got two loaves of homemade ww bread in the freezer and will toss one today in preparation of a trip to Trader Joes later this morning.


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## CarolPa (Apr 16, 2014)

I love bread and could practically live on it, but unfortunately, I now have diabetes and have to stay away from bread as much as possible.

Bread was not served regularly at meals growing up but you could have it if you wanted it.

My maternal grandfather was from England.  He did not permit bread and potatoes to be served at the same meal.  I never knew why.  I wouldn't think it was for dietary reasons as I doubt if he had any knowledge of nutrition besides eating to stay alive.    I always wondered if it was an English tradition.  They were very poor.  I would image they would want to eat whatever was available and cheap.


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## Mad Cook (Apr 16, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Just wondering...
> 
> Do you eat bread as part of your main meal on a regular basis?
> 
> ...


 Sometimes. It depends on what it is. Once in a blue moon I'll have the "full English" breakfast and I like a slice of fried bread or just bread sliced off the loaf to soak up the tomato juices and the egg yolk. I might have something on toast for lunch. I wouldn't have it with a "meat and two veg" dinner but definitely with a thick soup for lunch. And of course, freshly fried crinkly chips HAVE to have bread and butter to make a chip "butty" (that's a sandwich to you lot)


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## Mad Cook (Apr 16, 2014)

CarolPa said:


> I love bread and could practically live on it, but unfortunately, I now have diabetes and have to stay away from bread as much as possible.
> 
> Bread was not served regularly at meals growing up but you could have it if you wanted it.
> 
> My maternal grandfather was from England. He did not permit bread and potatoes to be served at the same meal. I never knew why. I wouldn't think it was for dietary reasons as I doubt if he had any knowledge of nutrition besides eating to stay alive. I always wondered if it was an English tradition. They were very poor. I would image they would want to eat whatever was available and cheap.


Not an English tradition as far as I'm aware but if they were poor they probably couldn't afford to eat bread and potatoes at the same meal.


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## taxlady (Apr 16, 2014)

When I was growing up we never had bread with regular suppers. For special occasions there were sometimes rolls or biscuits. I still don't serve plain bread and butter with suppers. There could be rolls with a special supper.


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## Roll_Bones (Apr 16, 2014)

We almost always used to include bread with dinner.
Now, thinking to eat less carbs, we do not eat bread unless there is no other starch present in the meal.
I love good bread.  But its not in my best interest to eat it as much as I used to.

Note: When I say bread, I am talking good bread or rolls.  Not sliced white bread.
I don't care for most all prepared loaf breads.


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## GotGarlic (Apr 16, 2014)

I love good bread. I usually eat it daily but not at every meal. I made garlic knots the other night - yum!  My goal is to make it more often, including English muffins and pita.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 16, 2014)

When our daughter lived at home, and especially during her teenage years, I baked a lot of homemade bread and we had it almost nightly. I found it was an inexpensive way to stretch calories at dinner.

Now that she's away at college, I only bake once a month or so. We don't eat nearly as much bread as we used to. I still love it, though. There's nothing quite as satisfying as a nice warm chunk of homemade bread with butter or a little olive oil.


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## CraigC (Apr 16, 2014)

Sometimes a good caponade, tapenade or bruschetta topping will make a great meal with good bread.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Apr 16, 2014)

I have to have crusty bread with Italian food or the meal is not complete, and I have to have sliced bread buttered and folded in half with pork chops braised in Bush's beans (my mother used Campbell's pork and beans because they didn't have Bush's back then). Other than that, I can do without it.


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## Sprout (Apr 16, 2014)

I love bread, but if I do serve bread with a meal it's the grain/starch of the meal with only rare exceptions. I'll pick up fresh pitas periodically, still warm when I get them, from the market down the street and serve meat and veggies with tzaziki, hummus, or another sauce to wrap up in it (especially when I pick up some of their lamb, mmm), or I'll serve it with curry if I don't make rice. Occasionally I'll serve bread as a filler if realize I didn't make enough food or I'm in a hurry. I'll eat bread with cheese, eggs, or nut/peanut butter with some fruit for breakfast fairly often, usually as I'm running out the door.

I don't typically make pasta with sauces per say. I usually sautee veggies and meat with garlic and onions and herbs and dress it with a bit of oil and finish it with cheese, or make a light sauce in a sautee pan and toss the pasta in it, but occasionally I'll actually simmer a red sauce in a pot. When I do, I sometimes make garlic bread to go along with it (maybe a couple times a year). DH says stew is made to eat with biscuits, so if I make stew he usually makes biscuits, though I prefer crusty whole wheat bread with mine. When I make my parents' classic hamburger soup (just ground beef, onion, carrot, celery, potatoes and peas all boiled together into a soup) it must be eaten with a slice of buttered bread. 

Last spring I bought some wheat berries and a hand-crank grinder and got hooked on home made bread made with freshly ground flour. I use a combination of hard red a white wheat, half ground finely and half coarser and blend that with a bit of white bread flour. It bakes up sky high and has incredible flavor. Sadly I haven't been making it as often lately, so when I do I'm liable to come home from work to find out DH and the girls have polished off half a loaf or more in my absence and then he'll want to take some to work to boot!


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## CWS4322 (Apr 16, 2014)

Although I am a card-carrying member of the bread-eating tribe, I rarely eat bread. I LOVE bread--all types of homemade bread--flat, unleavened, dark rye, white squishy bread, you name it, I probably will start to drool. However, I rarely eat bread. I think naan compliments many Indian dishes, in the same way that a fresh baguette compliments dishes offered and there's just nothing that can compete with fresh. homemade Limpa or perfect lefse. When I host a holiday meal, I always include homemade bread/rolls. I just don't eat bread often because it is not part of my "new since 2012" way of eating.


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## CWS4322 (Apr 16, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> When our daughter lived at home, and especially during her teenage years, I baked a lot of homemade bread and we had it almost nightly. I found it was an inexpensive way to stretch calories at dinner.
> 
> Now that she's away at college, I only bake once a month or so. We don't eat nearly as much bread as we used to. I still love it, though. There's nothing quite as satisfying as a nice warm chunk of homemade bread with butter or a little olive oil.


or the "scum" of homemade chokecherry or wild grape jam. You know what I mean, being from MN and all. Did you watch the debut of Fargo?


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## Dawgluver (Apr 16, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> or the "scum" of homemade chokecherry or wild grape jam. You know what I mean, being from MN and all. Did you watch the debut of Fargo?



Mmmm.  Chokecherry jam!  Grandma and Great Aunt would make it.  We'd try to eat the chokecherries plain, and there's a reason they're called that....


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## Addie (Apr 16, 2014)

CarolPa said:


> I love bread and could practically live on it, but unfortunately, I now have diabetes and have to stay away from bread as much as possible.
> 
> Bread was not served regularly at meals growing up but you could have it if you wanted it.
> 
> My maternal grandfather was from England.  *He did not permit bread and potatoes to be served at the same meal.*  I never knew why.  I wouldn't think it was for dietary reasons as I doubt if he had any knowledge of nutrition besides eating to stay alive. I always wondered if it was an English tradition.  They were very poor.  I would imagine they would want to eat whatever was available and cheap.



My mother had the same rule. She said it was because you don't serve two starches at the same meal. I find myself (except for holidays) doing the same thing. Chicken and dumplings? No bread. Soup that had noodles in it? The same. No bread. 

I remember when one member here said that as a child, they were very poor. They were lucky to have just bread sometimes for a meal. That thought breaks my heart. I can't stand to think of a child going hungry.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 17, 2014)

We always had crackers with any kind of soup or chowder.  Now it's a rarity.


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## Addie (Apr 17, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> We always had crackers with any kind of soup or chowder.  Now it's a rarity.



Same here. We always had oysterette crackers on hand. I have some right now in my cabinet.


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## CharlieD (Apr 17, 2014)

Unfortunately I eat too much bread. Russian thing, I guess.


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## GA Home Cook (Apr 17, 2014)

I too love it.  Unfortunately Carbs and I don't agree.  I can literally go to a good Italian resturant, 1 loaf bread, olive oil and wine and I am good.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 17, 2014)

What is everyone's deal with carbs anymore? I just don't get it. It's like the new taboo food - sort of like fats were in the eighties. Humans have been eating carbohydrates for millennia, and in the last 10 years it's suddenly become a bad thing?

Pick your carbs wisely and you shouldn't have to worry about including them as part of a healthy diet.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 17, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> or the "scum" of homemade chokecherry or wild grape jam. You know what I mean, being from MN and all. Did you watch the debut of Fargo?


I know exactly what you mean. And no, I haven't seen Fargo. I haven't even seen the original movie. One of these days, though.


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## taxlady (Apr 17, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> What is everyone's deal with carbs anymore? I just don't get it. It's like the new taboo food - sort of like fats were in the eighties. Humans have been eating carbohydrates for millennia, and in the last 10 years it's suddenly become a bad thing?
> 
> Pick your carbs wisely and you shouldn't have to worry about including them as part of a healthy diet.


Too many carbs is the problem. _The Drinking Man's Diet_ came out in 1964 and was very popular. It was probably the first weight reduction diet that was low carb. Low carb works for some of us for weight loss/weight loss retention.

Nowadays there are a lot of type II diabetics, and they certainly have to be careful of carbs.


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## FrankZ (Apr 17, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> What is everyone's deal with carbs anymore? I just don't get it. It's like the new taboo food - sort of like fats were in the eighties. Humans have been eating carbohydrates for millennia, and in the last 10 years it's suddenly become a bad thing?
> 
> Pick your carbs wisely and you shouldn't have to worry about including them as part of a healthy diet.



Because main stream media needs a boogie man to keep people scared and watching the news to find out what the next boogie man is.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 17, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> What is everyone's deal with carbs anymore? I just don't get it. It's like the new taboo food - sort of like fats were in the eighties. Humans have been eating carbohydrates for millennia, and in the last 10 years it's suddenly become a bad thing?
> 
> Pick your carbs wisely and you shouldn't have to worry about including them as part of a healthy diet.



My problem with them is the effect on my blood sugars.  I've had to tone down my bread ingestion.  No more white bread with butter to mop up gravy, etc.  Somehow whole wheat and other breads just don't taste the same, so I do without.

I've been eating a lot of rye bread lately, doesn't have the same impact as white bread.


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## CarolPa (Apr 17, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Not an English tradition as far as I'm aware but if they were poor they probably couldn't afford to eat bread and potatoes at the same meal.



He worked in the mill but they had a lot of kids, so yes, they were poor.  But so was my family growing up, and filling us up with lots of cheap starches was what prevented us from going hungry.  Meat was a rarity in our house.  He was illiterate, couldn't read or write, not even his own name, so that's why I think it was not a nutritional decision.  Just an odd quirk, I guess.


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## CarolPa (Apr 17, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> My problem with them is the effect on my blood sugars.  I've had to tone down my bread ingestion.  No more white bread with butter to mop up gravy, etc.  Somehow whole wheat and other breads just don't taste the same, so I do without.
> 
> I've been eating a lot of rye bread lately, doesn't have the same impact as white bread.



Unfortunately, I have not found a bread that does not spike my blood sugars.  It is no longer part of my diet except on rare occasions.  I have even tried some labeled as high fiber.  I did hear that rye bread is a much better choice.  It's easier for me to go without than to stop at one slice.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 17, 2014)

Have you tried sourdough bread, Carol?  It also has a lower impact on my blood sugar.  Not perfect, but sometimes worth the higher levels.


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## CarolPa (Apr 17, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Have you tried sourdough bread, Carol?  It also has a lower impact on my blood sugar.  Not perfect, but sometimes worth the higher levels.




Yes, I tried it recently but didn't like the taste.  I could probably eat it on a sandwich where there would be other tastes mingled in, but not by itself.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 17, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> My problem with them is the effect on my blood sugars.  I've had to tone down my bread ingestion.  No more white bread with butter to mop up gravy, etc.  Somehow whole wheat and other breads just don't taste the same, so I do without.
> 
> I've been eating a lot of rye bread lately, doesn't have the same impact as white bread.


That's what I mean by people choosing their carbs wisely. And I do understand that diabetics have to watch anything that will spike blood sugar.

But mainly I'm talking about the Paleo-Atkins adherents. By way of example, I have an acquaintance who is always on the latest fad diet. For the last year, that's been the Paleo diet. Every time I see her she makes some big pronouncement about how she doesn't eat this or that and how great she feels now that she's eliminated all these evil carbs, etc. etc. 

The thing is, it seems like she's gained about 60 lbs.


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## Addie (Apr 17, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> *What is everyone's deal with carbs anymore?* I just don't get it. It's like the new taboo food - sort of like fats were in the eighties. Humans have been eating carbohydrates for millennia, and in the last 10 years it's suddenly become a bad thing?
> 
> Pick your carbs wisely and you shouldn't have to worry about including them as part of a healthy diet.



Carbs have become the nemesis of today's society due to the explosion of Diabetes II. I think if someone ran a poll asking Do you have Diabetes II, the "Yes" bar would need a second page due to the number of responses. Diet and controlling what foods a diabetic eats is the very center of how to control the disease.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 17, 2014)

Addie said:


> Carbs have become the nemesis of today's society due to the explosion of Diabetes II. I think if someone ran a poll asking Do you have Diabetes II, the "Yes" bar would need a second page due to the number of responses. Diet and controlling what foods a diabetic eats is the very center of how to control the disease.


This is a gross oversimplification. Type II diabetes has a genetic component, but is also triggered by lifestyle factors - primarily obesity. Obesity can be caused by eating too much of anything, not just carbohydrates alone. This comes from the American Diabetes Association, and has been backed up by a number of studies.

Complex carbohydrates can also be a healthy part of a diabetic's diet. This, again, is according to the American Diabetes Association.

But as I said earlier, I'm not talking about diabetes - or at least not directly. I think the primary reason carbs have gotten such a bad rap is because the majority of carbs consumed in this country comes from unhealthy sources, including soft drinks, restaurant super-sizing, and an overall increase in the number of processed food products on the market. Rather than cut back on these foods, the nature of our society is to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Instead of reducing the consumption of "bad" carbs, the knee jerk response is to eliminate carbs altogether.


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## taxlady (Apr 17, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> This is a gross oversimplification. Type II diabetes has a genetic component, but is also triggered by lifestyle factors - primarily obesity. Obesity can be caused by eating too much of anything, not just carbohydrates alone. This comes from the American Diabetes Association, and has been backed up by a number of studies.
> 
> Complex carbohydrates can also be a healthy part of a diabetic's diet. This, again, is according to the American Diabetes Association.
> 
> But as I said earlier, I'm not talking about diabetes - or at least not directly. I think the primary reason carbs have gotten such a bad rap is because the majority of carbs consumed in this country comes from unhealthy sources, including soft drinks, restaurant super-sizing, and an overall increase in the number of processed food products on the market. Rather than cut back on these foods, the nature of our society is to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Instead of reducing the consumption of "bad" carbs, the knee jerk response is to eliminate carbs altogether.


I think you hit the nail on the head.


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## pacanis (Apr 17, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> This is a gross oversimplification. Type II diabetes has a genetic component, but is also triggered by lifestyle factors - primarily obesity. Obesity can be caused by eating too much of anything, not just carbohydrates alone. This comes from the American Diabetes Association, and has been backed up by a number of studies.
> 
> Complex carbohydrates can also be a healthy part of a diabetic's diet. This, again, is according to the American Diabetes Association.
> 
> But as I said earlier, I'm not talking about diabetes - or at least not directly. *I think the primary reason carbs have gotten such a bad rap is because the majority of carbs consumed in this country comes from unhealthy sources, including soft drinks, restaurant super-sizing,* *and an overall increase in the number of processed food products on the market*. Rather than cut back on these foods, the nature of our society is to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Instead of reducing the consumption of "bad" carbs, the knee jerk response is to eliminate carbs altogether.


 
What does that mean, Steve?
Not that I'm a carb counter, but if I make my own mac and cheese does it have less carbs that the Kraft box version or frozen Stouffers (sp?)? If I make my own bread does it contain less carbs than comparable storebought bread?
We're just talking carbs here. I realize it's supposed to be healthier to make your own, less preservatives/chemicals/salt and all, but why would processed food contain more carbs?


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## Andy M. (Apr 17, 2014)

pacanis said:


> What does that mean, Steve?
> Not that I'm a carb counter, but if I make my own mac and cheese does it have less carbs that the Kraft box version or frozen Stouffers (sp?)? If I make my own bread does it contain less carbs than comparable storebought bread?
> We're just talking carbs here. I realize it's supposed to be healthier to make your own, less preservatives/chemicals/salt and all, but why would processed food contain more carbs?




I think he's referring to processed carbs like flour and sugar rather than natural carbs like beans and whole grains.


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## taxlady (Apr 17, 2014)

Lot's of processed has sugar, where a normal person wouldn't put sugar if they were making it "from scratch".


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## pacanis (Apr 17, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> I think he's referring to processed carbs like flour and sugar rather than natural carbs like beans and whole grains.


 
I guess my lack of understanding then is the word "processed".
What is a processed carb as compared to one that isn't processed?



taxlady said:


> Lot's of processed has sugar, where a normal person wouldn't put sugar if they were making it "from scratch".


 
Why wouldn't they? Bread likes sugar to feed the yeast, tomato based sauces like sugar to cut the acidity... you totally lost me. Why wouldn't a "normal" person not use sugar whereas a storebought food would?

And could someone tell me what "processed" means? It seems to be a general term for something not homemade. I know I must be missing something.


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## CarolPa (Apr 17, 2014)

As a type 2 diabetic, I would like to say that if I followed the rules of the ADA of eating 45 gr of carb at each meal and 15 gm of carb with 2 snacks I would have to be on a lot more medication than I am on.  I can eat about 35 to 50 gm of carb per day to keep my glucose levels within a safe range.  

I think cutting carbs has become so popular because it is possible to lose weight very quickly by doing so.


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## Andy M. (Apr 17, 2014)

pac, processed carbs are those found in processed foods like white flour and granulated sugar.  Carbs that are eaten in their original form like those in beans, veggies, fruits and whole grains are preferred.


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 17, 2014)

CarolPa said:


> As a type 2 diabetic, I would like to say that if I followed the rules of the ADA of eating 45 gr of carb at each meal and 15 gm of carb with 2 snacks I would have to be on a lot more medication than I am on.  I can eat about 35 to 50 gm of carb per day to keep my glucose levels within a safe range.
> 
> I think cutting carbs has become so popular because it is possible to lose weight very quickly by doing so.



My experience is very similar to yours.  I choose to restrict my carbs so that I don't have to go to the next step of taking insulin injections to control my blood sugar, the tradeoff is worth it to me.  I think the key for folks like us is that we do it under a doctors care and with periodic laboratory testing.


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## pacanis (Apr 17, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> pac, processed carbs are those found in processed foods like white flour and granulated sugar. Carbs that are eaten in their original form like those in beans, veggies, fruits and whole grains are preferred.


 
So what's the difference between homemade bread and storebought when it comes to carbs? 
Don't they both use granulated sugar and white flour?


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## Andy M. (Apr 17, 2014)

pacanis said:


> So what's the difference between homemade bread and storebought when it comes to carbs?
> Don't they both use granulated sugar and white flour?



If the homemade bread is white bread, no difference.


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## taxlady (Apr 17, 2014)

pacanis said:


> So what's the difference between homemade bread and storebought when it comes to carbs?
> Don't they both use granulated sugar and white flour?


Well, they could both be made with whole grain flour. 

I buy wholegrain bread that's made without sugar.

Store bought tomato sauce probably has more sugar than homemade. BTW, I don't add sugar to tomato sauce. I find most of the store bought stuff too sweet.

When I make muesli, it has a fair amount of carbs, but they are from whole grains, nuts, and dry fruit, no added sugar. My homemade granola probably has less added sugar ,from honey, that store bought. I've seen sugar as an ingredient in store bought salad dressing and soup. I've seen corn starch added to stuff that I would never have considered adding corn starch.

I can't remember all the stuff that has sugar or corn starch where you don't expect it. I avoid those things.


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## RPCookin (Apr 17, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Just wondering...
> 
> Do you eat bread as part of your main meal on a regular basis?
> 
> ...



Back on the original question, I did not grow up eating bread for every meal.  I did have sandwiches for lunch fairly often (still do, usually with just store brand wheat bread), and sometimes dinner rolls with a nice holiday meal.  

However, sometimes the bread offered is one of the real goodies being served, and then I definitely will have some.  I like good quality breads - white and other grains, I'm not that fussy about it - but I eat them in moderation for the same reason as Andy states - I want to make sure that I don't miss out on anything else on the table.  

Probably one of my most common ways of eating "bread" with a meal is when I have pizza.  Then the "bread" also serves as the plate.


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## pacanis (Apr 18, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> If the homemade bread is white bread, no difference.


 
Thanks. I didn't think so. Strictly talking carbs that is.
Which brings us full circle to my questioning the generalization that processed food has more carbs.
Anyway...


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## FrankZ (Apr 18, 2014)

pacanis said:


> So what's the difference between homemade bread and storebought when it comes to carbs?
> Don't they both use granulated sugar and white flour?



In homemade bread you can control the sugar levels.  That helps.

You don't need to add sugar to bread to make the yeast happy.


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## pacanis (Apr 18, 2014)

FrankZ said:


> In homemade bread you can control the sugar levels. That helps.
> 
> *You don't need to add sugar to bread to make the yeast happy*.


 
Interesting. Thanks for the information.
All my bread recipes have called for sugar, so I (erroneously) thought it was needed.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 18, 2014)

Processed, to me, means needing a copy of the Periodic Table to figure out what is in my food.  I'm talking about those compound elements added that are difficult to pronounce.


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## pacanis (Apr 18, 2014)

Same here, Fi.


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## tinlizzie (Apr 18, 2014)

I love bread and would have it at all meals, but had to mark the 'depends on the meal.'  It has become so much easier to put on weight the older I get, so I sacrifice the baked goods for the calorie count.  The main exception is BLTs made at the height of 'good' tomato season. YOLO.

I can recall when very small that the bread _*was*_ the meal -- a bowl of Mom's cornbread (sometimes with cracklins), crumbled, with milk or buttermilk poured over it.    I guess we were poor -- I just didn't know it.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 18, 2014)

FrankZ said:


> You don't need to add sugar to bread to make the yeast happy.


Absolutely. A lot of people think you need oil for homemade bread, too. The recipe I've used for much of the last 10 years has three ingredients (four, if you include water): flour, yeast, salt. I usually use a mix of flours. White flour does comprise a portion, simply because it has a higher gluten content than whole grain flour. But most of the time I use either whole wheat or rye to make up the balance. I've tried cutting back the salt, but I'll be honest... it doesn't taste as good. I like salt. 



pacanis said:


> What does that mean, Steve?
> Not that I'm a carb counter, but if I make my own mac and cheese does it have less carbs that the Kraft box version or frozen Stouffers (sp?)? If I make my own bread does it contain less carbs than comparable storebought bread?
> We're just talking carbs here. I realize it's supposed to be healthier to make your own, less preservatives/chemicals/salt and all, but why would processed food contain more carbs?


First, my definition of processed is pretty much the same as PF's. If it was designed in a laboratory and the list of ingredients takes up the entire side of the box, chances are it's processed.

Regarding mac and cheese, it depends on what you put in your homemade version. The boxed versions probably have more carbs, though. If you look at the box and see ingredients like modified food starch, cornstarch, high fructose corn syrup, or any ingredient ending in "ose", that translates to carbs. Manufacturers tend to put a lot of these sort of things in packaged products to improve the flavor. This includes any of the following:


sugar, brown sugar, raw or invert sugar
corn sweetener
syrup or malt syrup
corn syrup or high-fructose corn syrup
honey
molasses
fruit juice concentrates
glucose
lactose
dextrose
fructose
maltose

When I say things like "pick your carbs wisely", I don't entirely mean the type of carbs, but also the percentage of carbs in your meal. It seems like nutrition experts vilify white rice, but the fact remains that at least a quarter of the world's population eats white rice every single day and suffers no ill effects as a result. But they usually balance it out with fresh vegetables, protein, and fats, so that the meal isn't overly heavy in carbohydrates. And they don't typically wash down meals with a 20 oz. Mountain Dew.


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## taxlady (Apr 18, 2014)

Didn't beriberi first appear when people who eat mostly rice started eating white rice instead of brown rice? Yes, getting your vitamin B1 from other sources does help prevent beriberi.


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## Sprout (Apr 18, 2014)

pacanis said:


> Which brings us full circle to my questioning the generalization that processed food has more carbs.




I don't often hear people say that processed foods necessarily have more carbohydrates, more that they're a poor source of carbohydrates. They sometimes contain a higher carbohydrate count because of, like other mentioned, added sugars. Even when they don't though, they're more likely to contain refined sugars and less likely to contain whole grains. Even products that say whole grain often just have some corn flour or wheat bran added in. If I make my own wheat bread from my own flour ground from wheat berries, I know it not only contains the carbohydrates, but it also contains the bran(fiber) and germ (vitamins and minerals, not even present in many 'whole wheat' flours from the store).  Even if the carbohydrate count is exactly the same per serving, my bread (or pasta dish, fruit and yogurt, grain pilaf or whatever) is a healthier source of those carbohydrates because I can be certain that extra sugars, excessive sodium and other additives are not included and that the healthy nutrients are there. I only have a limited amount of food that I can/should eat each day, so when I choose better sources of carbohydrates over highly processed foods, I'm making sure that food gives me the most nutritional value it can. 

Of course, I know all this and try to practice it as much as I can, but sometimes those little pies just beg me to eat them...


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## taxlady (Apr 18, 2014)

What Spout said.

I think nutritionally dense food is more satisfying. I think you get cravings for more food if you don't get all the nutrients you need. No, I have no proof of this. It's just something I believe.


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## pacanis (Apr 18, 2014)

Very interesting stuff.
Not being a carb counter I didn't realize so many sugars were associated with carbohydrates.

That said, I just had two slices of garlic bread with lunch


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## CarolPa (Apr 18, 2014)

taxlady said:


> What Spout said.
> 
> I think nutritionally dense food is more satisfying. I think you get  cravings for more food if you don't get all the nutrients you need. No, I  have no proof of this. It's just something I believe.



I agree with this 100% Taxlady.  And I have no proof, either.

*Pac,* to me, anything that  is not in the form that nature supplied it is "processed."  Things like  boxed mixes are a prime example.  Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes come  to mind.  I don't think a person who is not diabetic has to worry much about carbs in moderation.  Your body works properly to process them the way it should.  So eat all the bread you like!  I will just be jealous.  

*FrankZ*, there's a lot more to worry about with diabetes than sugar.  It's the simple carbs..... sugar, flour, rice, starchy vegetables such as potatoes that enter the blood stream quickly that are not processed properly by the body.  Vegetables and beans are carbs too, but they are complex carbs and the body can handle them a lot better.  Some diabetics can eat wheat/whole grain bread without a problem.  I am one of those who can't.  Doesn't matter whether it contains sugar or not.


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## Addie (Apr 18, 2014)

Diabetes, carbs, and diets all combined is a very complicated subject. But one fact will never change. Once a diabetic, always a diabetic. I no longer am on any medication for diabetes. But I still watch my carbs. And I am an avid back of the container reader. I see "ose", and I will usually put it back on the shelf.


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## TaraWildes (Apr 18, 2014)

Well, if you make your own bread and pasta, you'll work off some of the deleterious effects.  At least that's what I tell myself.

Growing up in a poor southern farming community, we had bread of some kind with every meal.  Mostly biscuits or cornbread, if we were feeling lazy, what we called "light" bread, storebought sliced white, usually Sunbeam brand.  Even if the meal was starchalicious, like chicken and dumplings, there was still bread on the table for sopping up those last drops.

Today, if there's a starch already in the meal like rice, pasta or potatoes, we skip the bread.  But I still miss it.  

I do like the idea of matching the type of bread to the type of cuisine prepared, just love fresh Italian bread with pasta, naan with lamb stew, crunchy toasted Cuban with black beans, tortillas with just about anything and cornbread with greens and pork.  We eat a lot of pitas here too, middle eastern food like kibbe, tabouli and falafel have been a staple in our city for generations.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 19, 2014)

tinlizzie said:


> I love bread and would have it at all meals, but had to mark the 'depends on the meal.'  It has become so much easier to put on weight the older I get, so I sacrifice the baked goods for the calorie count.  The main exception is BLTs made at the height of 'good' tomato season. YOLO.
> 
> *I can recall when very small that the bread was the meal -- a bowl of Mom's cornbread (sometimes with cracklins), crumbled, with milk or buttermilk poured over it.    I guess we were poor -- I just didn't know it.*



Us too!  Dad made pancakes or waffles with cheese, diced onion and a cup of diced ham for the six of us.  Mom  could make one can of tuna feed six, too!  My parents did an amazing job of keeping us fed.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 19, 2014)

I picked up two kalamata olive rolls today...it's probably a good thing the store and bakery are across town or I would be eating them all them time. I bought a grilled tuna steak for making a sandwich with one roll,  red onion, alfalfa sprouts, tomato and EVOO with vinegar.  The other roll was torn into bite size pieces and devoured.


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## Addie (Apr 19, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Us too!  Dad made pancakes or waffles with cheese, diced onion and a cup of diced ham for the six of us.  Mom  could make one can of tuna feed six, too!  *My parents did an amazing job of keeping us fed*.



I don't ever remember my mother's pantry being as full as I keep mine. Of course she shopped weekly, and me, monthly. And she didn't have a freezer until the late 50's. Yet we always had great meals.


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## CarolPa (Apr 19, 2014)

My mother shopped once a month because that's how the money came in.  She bought only the food she needed to make meals for the month.  She made her own bread...6 loaves once a week.  The only milk we had was the powdered milk given to us by the government.  Guess who grew up never drinking milk?  Also, rarely eating cereal because the milk went on it.  Yuk!  The only thing there was to eat if you were hungry between meals was bread, and rarely some jelly to put on it. Never peanut butter and never anything to make a sandwich.  In fact, many times that was also breakfast and lunch.  A slice of bread.  When the end of the month came, dinner would often be a big batch of fried potatoes.  One year, Christmas dinner was spaghetti.  No meatballs.  I didn't care, I loved spaghetti!  

I knew we were poor, but didn't care as long as I got to go out and play.  But as I became an adult I swore I would never let that happen to me, even though, many times it is not within your control, which was the case with my parents. Illness sealed our fate.   I think that's why I'm such a penny pincher.  I always have to have something put away for a rainy day.


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## bakechef (Apr 19, 2014)

Addie said:


> I don't ever remember my mother's pantry being as full as I keep mine. Of course she shopped weekly, and me, monthly. And she didn't have a freezer until the late 50's. Yet we always had great meals.



We were a family of 5 (7 on the weekends when the stepsisters came), and we didn't even have a pantry.  Mom shopped weekly and somehow managed to store all of that food and prepare it in what would be considered a very small kitchen by today's standards.  She baked all the time.


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 19, 2014)

CarolPa said:


> My mother shopped once a month because that's how the money came in.  She bought only the food she needed to make meals for the month.  She made her own bread...6 loaves once a week.  The only milk we had was the powdered milk given to us by the government.  Guess who grew up never drinking milk?  Also, rarely eating cereal because the milk went on it.  Yuk!  The only thing there was to eat if you were hungry between meals was bread, and rarely some jelly to put on it. Never peanut butter and never anything to make a sandwich.  In fact, many times that was also breakfast and lunch.  A slice of bread.  When the end of the month came, dinner would often be a big batch of fried potatoes.  One year, Christmas dinner was spaghetti.  No meatballs.  I didn't care, I loved spaghetti!
> 
> I knew we were poor, but didn't care as long as I got to go out and play.  But as I became an adult I swore I would never let that happen to me, even though, many times it is not within your control, which was the case with my parents. Illness sealed our fate.   I think that's why I'm such a penny pincher.*  I always have to have something put away for a rainy day.*



I'm with you! 

Your comment made me think of the Delany sisters, they both lived to be over 100 years old and one of them said. " Papa always taught us to save for a rainy day and we did, but we never thought it would rain this long or this hard!"


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## CarolPa (Apr 19, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> I'm with you!
> 
> " Papa always taught us to save for a rainy day and we did, but we never thought it would rain this long or this hard!"



I liked that so much I thought it was worth repeating!


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## pacanis (Apr 19, 2014)

I'm pretty good at slicing evenly. Maybe that's because I am good with my hands... as in crafting or skills  I think that's part of the fun of cooking, seeing how evenly you can slice and dice.
But that said I can't help but think a mandolin might have been more useful for not that much more.
It's always fun to get new toys though


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## CarolPa (Apr 20, 2014)

pacanis said:


> I'm pretty good at slicing evenly. Maybe that's because I am good with my hands... as in crafting or skills  I think that's part of the fun of cooking, seeing how evenly you can slice and dice.
> But that said I can't help but think a mandolin might have been more useful for not that much more.
> It's always fun to get new toys though




My problem with slicing is getting my fingers and thumbs in the way.  That can happen with a mandolin, too, unless you get one with that little holder than holds the veggies to keep your fingers away from the blade.


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## Rocklobster (Apr 20, 2014)

This thread reminded me that I should bake a batch of soft dinner rolls right now because my mom likes them with her dinner.


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## CharlieD (Apr 20, 2014)

I've been trying to eat more healthy bread. Bake my own, but I've been so sick for the past month that I barely was able to boil a tea pot. G-d willing after Passover. Can't wait to bake a loaf of rye bread.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Discuss Cooking mobile app


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## Rocklobster (Apr 20, 2014)

Just took this small batch of good ol', white, dinner rolls out of the oven.  Bringing them to my mother's house today for Easter dinner where they will be eaten with copious amounts of butter.


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## pacanis (Apr 20, 2014)

Rocklobster said:


> Just took this small batch of good ol', white, dinner rolls out of the oven. Bringing them to my mother's house today for Easter dinner where they will be eaten with copious amounts of butter.


 
What a coincidence. I just finished some bread with copious amounts of butter


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## Rocklobster (Apr 20, 2014)

pacanis said:


> What a coincidence. I just finished some bread with copious amounts of butter


It's the only way.....


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 20, 2014)

Curse Costco!!!  I went in for a prescription, decided to look through the books and at the end of the book row was a Food Sample (in the BOOKS!?!) of fresh from the oven Sour Dough and Italian Bread, still warm-with butter. 2 loaves (still warm) for $4.99.  Yes, a loaf of each jumped into my cart.  The Italian made a good tuna sandwich and right nice for snacking.

Will be having the sour dough with our lamb dinner later.


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## msmofet (Apr 20, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Curse Costco!!! I went in for a prescription, decided to look through the books and at the end of the book row was a Food Sample (in the BOOKS!?!) of fresh from the oven Sour Dough and Italian Bread, still warm-with butter. 2 loaves (still warm) for $4.99. Yes, a loaf of each jumped into my cart. The Italian made a good tuna sandwich and right nice for snacking.
> 
> Will be having the sour dough with our lamb dinner later.


 
OH GEEZ!! I better not go to the book store! LOL


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## newjuliea (Apr 20, 2014)

*Bread of choice: Ezekiel (Food For Life)*

I eat 5 meals per day.  At least 1 out of 5 meals includes bread...  I typically have an egg sandwich for lunch.  Occasionally for dinner, I'll have a slice or two with a chicken or steak salad.  Not too often, I'll have slice of bread with a protein as a snack.  Daily limit:  1-3 slices.  Yes, there are day where I go without bread too.  I do prepare a food journal in advance, so all my meals are preplanned daily.  My bread choice is Ezekiel bread (Food for Life), sprouted grain - flourless  and low glycemic.


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## Addie (Apr 20, 2014)

Welcome to DC. This is a fun place to be.


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## newjuliea (Apr 20, 2014)

And, I do pasta too (1 - 1-1/2 servings max)...  had a bowl of whole wheat pasta, rotini, with crumbled feta cheese for lunch followed by an egg sandwich (Ezekiel bread) for my mid-day meal.  Later, I will have turkey, parmesan meatballs with quinoa (another grain) and peas.


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## Addie (Apr 20, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Curse Costco!!!  I went in for a prescription, decided to look through the books and at the end of the book row was a Food Sample (in the BOOKS!?!) of fresh from the oven Sour Dough and Italian Bread, still warm-with butter. 2 loaves (still warm) for $4.99.  Yes, a loaf of each jumped into my cart.  The Italian made a good tuna sandwich and right nice for snacking.
> 
> Will be having the sour dough with our lamb dinner later.



I have the same problem. Food that is not on my list jump into my cart every month. I should send a letter to the Utz potato chip folks and tell them to make their chips without legs. But writing a letter in longhand is such a chore.


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## newjuliea (Apr 20, 2014)

Just got back from a late afternoon stroll with mom in Downtown Plymouth.  Walked by a Panera Bread...  Got a craving for Sourdough Bread Bowl Soup Bundle with all this bread talk.   We passed though.  Plan is to make a healthier version at home.


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## RPCookin (Apr 22, 2014)

Rocklobster said:


> Just took this small batch of good ol', white, dinner rolls out of the oven.  Bringing them to my mother's house today for Easter dinner where they will be eaten with copious amounts of butter.



I have a recipe for soft dinner rolls that only takes a bit over an hour to make from scratch.  They are yummy!


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## Sprout (Apr 25, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Curse Costco!!!  I went in for a prescription, decided to look through the books and at the end of the book row was a Food Sample (in the BOOKS!?!) of fresh from the oven Sour Dough and Italian Bread, still warm-with butter. 2 loaves (still warm) for $4.99.  Yes, a loaf of each jumped into my cart.  The Italian made a good tuna sandwich and right nice for snacking.
> 
> Will be having the sour dough with our lamb dinner later.



No fair! They didn't have sourdough here. The warm multi-grain was pretty delicious though, still warm like yours. I was able to block it from jumping intoy cart though.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 25, 2014)

Sprout said:


> No fair! They didn't have sourdough here. The warm multi-grain was pretty delicious though, still warm like yours. I was able to block it from jumping intoy cart though.



That's too bad, the sourdough and Italian were great!


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## KiwiBerry (Apr 28, 2014)

*No bread for me....*

Never really cared for bread with my meal.  We grew up having it with every meal, but I'd pass on it.  Just seemed to fill me up too much and I'd rather have more salad or vegetables than bread.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 28, 2014)

I've been a bad boy.  I've finally got my bread down again.  It used to be great, and then, for a couple of years, I couldn't seem to get it to bake right.  It would seem to rise properly, but when baking, would fall, resulting in very dense bread.  The addition of Vital Wheat Gluten has resurrected my bread making skills.  Unfortunately, that allows me to make yeasty, fresh bread at home.  I made two loaves Saturday evening.  Before morning, I'd had one slice, warm with butter.  DW ate a full half of the first loaf.

I love freshly baked, yeasty bread with just the right amount of salt and sugar baked in (that woudl be 1/2 tsp. salt per cup of flour, and 3 tbs. sugar per cup of flour).  It so good as toast with butter, or with a runny-yolk egg, or to make English muffins from the dough.  I love its texture, and flavor with jam, or peanut butter, or both, to soak up egg yolk, or gravy, or broth.  It's just so darn tasty.  But though I made the evil stuff, I've eaten sparingly.  Give me strength.

It was white bread, though a week before, I'd made whole wheat/white bread.  My next loaves with be 100% whole wheat.  I've go some great sourdough starter sitting in my fridge that I just recently fed.  It started bubbling nicely.  DW isn't crazy about sourdough bread though.

I wish I could have shared that last loaf with all of you.  It was good enough to make me a proud bread-maker.  After the drought of good bread from my oven, I just want to keep making it.  Unfortunately, I can't see that as a healthy option.

Now that I make good bread again, it opens up my world to pizza crust, various multi-grain breads that I used to make, dinner rolls, pastries, etc.

It was a combination of DC and a friend who clued me in that cheap AP flour doesn't contain as much gluten as it did 13n years ago, and that more would have to be added to get my bread working again.  The gluten did the trick.

I have some sunflower seeds in the cupboard, and some pecans.  maybe I'll make a super-bread tonight, all multi-grain with nuts added.  I've got whole wheat, rye, oatmeal, flax seed, and some bird seed (Red River Cereal - yum), sunflower seeds, and pecan bits.  That's about a 7 grain bread, with two nuts when you figure the bird seed has multiple whole grains in it.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Tip, you must use 2 parts wheat to 1 part other grains combined for successful multi-grain bread.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## larry_stewart (Apr 28, 2014)

Love bread, and I love eating different ethnic meals with the different traditional breads that go with them .

Indian food - Naan
Greek - Pita
Italian - Italia bread/ Garlic Bread 
Jewish - Challah
Mexican - Tortilla 

---and the list goes on

Although I dont eat it with every meal, I do look forward to it, whether it be sopping up gravy, dipping it in sauces or soups ...


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## fairygirl69 (Apr 29, 2014)

Addie said:


> I don't ever remember my mother's pantry being as full as I keep mine. Of course she shopped weekly, and me, monthly. And she didn't have a freezer until the late 50's. Yet we always had great meals.


Isn't it amazing all of the conveniences we take for granted that not everybody had in our parent's and grandparent's day?


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## fairygirl69 (Apr 29, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Just wondering...
> 
> Do you eat bread as part of your main meal on a regular basis?
> 
> ...




Only if the bread is really special. Otherwise I don't bother. Like you said too many other treats on the table.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 29, 2014)

Report on that "Super Bread":
1. Flavor - Excellent
2. Nutritional Value - Excellent
3. Texture - Quite heavy.  

I used 8 cups whole wheat flour, with 1 cup each, buckwheat, Red River Cereal.  The bread rose well enough initially, and I thought that this was going to be a great bread.  However, I had to add about 2 cups AP flour to give it more elasticity before the initial rise.  I put it into the bread pans (made 4.5 loaves worth), and placed them in a warm spot to rise.  They didn't quite rise to double.  I baked them and they fell.  The bread is soft, very flavorful, and moist, but with a tight crumb, and fairly heavy.  

So, in retrospect, I believe that I need to increase the gluten content to 3 tbs. gluten per loaf of bread, if I'm going to use such heavy grains as buckwheat and bird seed.  Oh, There's also about a cup of sunflower seeds that were in the dough.

Back to the drawing board.  White bread, easy-peasy.  Multi-grain super bread, still working on it.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 29, 2014)

Chief,

The folks at Cornell University did a lot of work in the 30's and 40's to develop nutritional breads.  This may help you in your quest for the miracle loaf.  Check out the preview pages.  You can also google to find additional Cornell bread recipes.

The Cornell Bread Book: 54 Recipes for Nutritious Loaves, Rolls & Coffee Cakes - Clive Maine McCay, Jeanette B. McCay - Google Books


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 29, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> Chief,
> 
> The folks at Cornell University did a lot of work in the 30's and 40's to develop nutritional breads. This may help you in your quest for the miracle loaf. Check out the preview pages. You can also google to find additional Cornell bread recipes.
> 
> The Cornell Bread Book: 54 Recipes for Nutritious Loaves, Rolls & Coffee Cakes - Clive Maine McCay, Jeanette B. McCay - Google Books


 
Thanks.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the Nroth


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## Mad Cook (Apr 29, 2014)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Report on that "Super Bread":
> 1. Flavor - Excellent
> 2. Nutritional Value - Excellent
> 3. Texture - Quite heavy.
> ...


As a lifelong bread maker (well, since I was a bored school kid on a miserable wet day and decided to experiment with Mother's cookery books) I find that whole wheat flour, even the "Strong" sort for bread making, makes a rather solid home made bread. Shop-bought wholemeal bread has all sorts of additives to make it lighter. I find that a proportion of unbleached white bread flour added to the whole wheat makes it lighter. My "daily bread" is made with half and half so I get the benefits and flavour of the whole wheat with the advantage of the white flour making the bread lighter. The other thing about whole wheat flour here (and it may be different in the US) is that there is "soft" whole wheat flour for baking cakes and things and "strong" whole wheat for bread making. The former does not make very good bread at all

I don't use extra gluten - in fact I'd never heard of doing it until I read about it on DC. Our "strong" bread flour, which mostly comes from Canadian wheat, has more naturally occurring gluten than your all purpose flour (which has more than our "plain" flour which probably explains why American cake recipes have larger amounts of raising agents in them than ours do). I believe you can buy strong bread flour in America (I have my spies!) Perhaps if you could get hold of some it might be worth an experiment? 

Are you kneading the dough for long enough? Sometimes insufficient kneading can cause the bread to fall in the oven.

And then there are the old wives tales. It was dinned into me by mother and grandmother to be gently with the dough when putting it into the oven and not to bang the baking sheet or loaf tin down on the shelf or to slam the oven door, both of which were supposed to "knock the air out of the dough". As I have always followed these instructions to the letter I have no idea whether there's any truth in them but it doesn't do to take chances .

Better luck with your next effort.


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## taxlady (Apr 29, 2014)

The organic whole grain wheat flour that I buy at the health food store (and sometimes it's available at supermarkets) comes in hard/bread and soft/pastry.


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