Fougasse, pita pockets, bagels and other breads !

When was the last time you heard someone say, “It’s the best thing since sliced bread?“.

Many countries do not or very seldom make or eat the leavened breads we know today. In every part of the world you can find some sort of flat bread: the Middle East has pita bread, India has naan bread, Mexico has tortillas, the Jewish community has azymous bread (matzo), etc. Many of these breads were created by nomad populations who had to find recipes adapted to their lifestyle. They cook very quickly without consuming much energy and keep for a long time. These flat breads are used as plates, coverings, bowls, pockets, spoons… or simply to wipe the plate clean!

Topping off the list of course are our City’s famous Montreal style bagels, proudly defending the title of Best Bagel in America with New York style bagels, savoury French fougasse, Italian foccacia and ciabatta, and English muffins.


Bagel
A bagel is a ring-shaped roll made popular here by the Jewish community. A bagel is generally served hot with cream cheese at breakfast, lunch or as a between-meal snack. Two styles are available: the New York style bagel that is shaped and baked in a conventional oven, and the Montreal-style bagel that is poached before it is baked in a wood-burning oven.

Several varieties are offered: whole wheat, multigrain, plain, oats and bran, cheese, onion, sesame seed, poppy seed, cinnamon raisins, chocolate chips… and of course Selection Merite bagels, sold in packages of six.


Ciabatta
Ciabatta, the Italian word for “slipper”, is a very light, oval-shaped Italian flat bread that is thought to come from the Emilie-Romagne region. It is the prolonged rising and high liquid content that produces this very light bread with porous texture and unique taste. Ciabatta can be purchased plain, whole wheat or white flour, seasoned with olive oil.


Foccacia
Foccacia originated in Genoa, Italy, where it was originally made from left-over bread dough generously flavoured with salt and olive oil. Today, this large bread is made from white flour and olive oil. A great many combinations of ingredients can be added to flavour the Foccacia, including basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil and fresh herbs… It is also used to make large stuffed sandwiches that can be cut into individual portions.


Fougasse
Fougasse is the traditional flat bread of Provence. This branch-shaped bread is often flavoured with savoury ingredients like fresh herbs, olives, cheese, dried tomatoes, etc. Fougasse can be served with any meal or simply with cheese, cold cuts, or pâtés.


English Muffin
The English muffin is a small round bread with a smooth outer surface. It can be sliced in two with a knife or fork split for more crunchiness when toasted. The texture of an English muffin is ideal to hold butter, cheese, jam, preserves or any garnish of your choice. Many varieties are available including plain, white or whole wheat, oatmeal, honey, raisin and even cinnamon. Serve fork-split toasted English muffins with poached, fried or scrambled eggs or use to make warm sandwiches.


Azymous bread
This flat bread is light, crispy and very easy to digest; it is an unleavened Jewish bread eaten during Passover. The bread is cracker thin, made from whole meal flour and water, no yeast.


Naan Bread
Naan bread comes to us from India where it is often served as a cover to eat with curries and other meals. It is made from whole flour, yeast, and yoghurt, sometimes enriched with eggs. Naan bread is often spicy and garnished with onions or garlic. The large teardrop shape of the bread is obtained by slapping the dough on the side of a very hot tandoori oven to make it stick to the side; it is hooked off when it is cooked. It is best eaten hot.


Pita
The staple bread of the Middle East, pita is a flat, round, double layer bread made from white or whole wheat flour. While baking, a large bubble forms and deflates as soon as it is out of the oven. The resulting pouch makes it the most versatile of breads, ideal to scoop up, dip in, wrap around or be filled with all kinds of hot or cold foods including the traditional baba ghanouj and hummus. Pita bread can also serve as a base for a quick pizza. METRO carries both full-size and mini pitas.


Tortilla
The basis of many Mexican and Latin-American dishes including enchiladas, tacos and burritos, the tortilla is a thin pancake traditionally made from corn flour or, at times, whole-wheat flour. It can be eaten by itself, stuffed and rolled up, fried and eaten like chips or used simply used to make sandwiches. It can be garnished with meat, fish, vegetables and/or cheese, much like a crêpe.