The bread spread

They may sound like strange bedfellows, but onions and methi kneaded into the right kind of dough make for some delicious breads. Anjana Vaswani scouts the city for some of the most exotic and delectable varieties for this cut-and-keep bread Bible

If you thought varieties of bread include 'milk', 'white' and 'brown', and 'multi-grain' was a strange yet interesting concept, it's time to convert. Scouting the city for yummy bread types, we realised that Mumbai, with its terribly multicultural populace, kneads a mean dough, replete with strange ingredients, in pretty much every nook and cranny. If it's not your neighbourhood aunty in Bandra baking a fresh batch of croissants, you can be sure to find a batter that suits your needs at the chic restaurant round the corner. And almost each type of bread has an interesting story, like that of Challah, prepared especially for Shabbat (which starts Friday evening and carries on till Saturday night).


Here's what the yummy outcome looks like Pics/Anjana Vaswani
& Santosh Nagwekar

This sweetish braided bread, says Chef Moshe Shek of Moshe's, "is prepared from much richer dough than ordinary sliced bread. Challah is almost like a cake as its recipe includes eggs, honey, sugar and oil." Detailing the four hour-long process that goes into making the bread whose name we struggle to pronounce ("It's not "Ch" but a more guttural sound"), Chef Moshe also prepares the Challah for the Synagogue.

"Traditionally, Jews distinguish the day of the Shabbat from other days of the week -- if you wear coloured clothes through the week, for instance, you may wear a white shirt on this day, and the meals are far more elaborate too, with the Challah being integral to it. To celebrate New Year we make a round Challah to signify continuity." The Challah is available for Rs 50 for 400g (advance order)

Flute
Ideal for: Accompaniment to soup
Prepared with organic wheat flour, raisin and nuts, the flute is a wonderful combination of flavours. It works well as a sweet, crunchy and nutty snack, but can also be enjoyed with a blue-cheese spread or with a hot bowl of soup. Like all the breads here, this too is a handmade sourdough preparation, which means there are no additives.
Available at: Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ)
Getting there: Dhanraj Mahal, Apollo Bunder
Shell out: Rs 50

Bell pepper Focaccia
Fresh out of the oven, the Focaccia here isn't made out of whole-wheat or organic flouru00a0-- it doesn't promise to deliver health or large doses of fibre, but serves bread's most basic purposeu00a0-- it delivers on taste.u00a0 The bell-peppers and Italian seasoning make this a good lunchtime treat all on its own. Alternately, you could stop by the bright little cafe, sip on a nice cup of coffee and enjoy a warmed-up Focaccia. Don't leaf through one of their books at the same time thoughu00a0-- the bread is likely to get grease all over your hands.
Available at: The Banyan Tree Cafe getting there: Queens Mansion, G T Rd, Near Cathedral School, Fort
Getting there:u00a065109308
Shell out: Rs 40

Walnut-Mexico Roll
Ideal for: Tea-time snack
Tucked away as it is right at the end of the food court in this gigantic mall, you may think twice about trekking all the way to the BreadTalk kiosk, but the goodies here are well worth the effort. This slightly sweetish roll, for instance, hits the spot with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee. Besides, the see-through kitchen here not only allows you to observe the superior level of hygiene that's maintained at this branch of the Singapore franchise, it also allows you to savour the enticing fragrance that lingers in the air here and whets the appetite.
Available at: BreadTalk
Shell out: Rs 60

Methi Naan
Ideal for: While sipping a cup of cutting chai
If you can't be bothered to make yourself a sandwich or just enjoy those routine afternoon teatime snacks, this is something you should pick up. Not really a Naan, but more like a Methi-speckled soft pizza base, you can get really imaginative with this interesting creation -- toast it and enjoy it with a mint-yoghurt dip, or throw on some pizza sauce and Indian Masala for an Indian pizza. The bread's a delight even on its own, so if you want an easy-to-pack snack for your workplace, there's nothing quite like it.
Available at: City Bakery
Shell out: Rs 26


Date & Walnut Bread
Ideal for: Your evening cuppa of coffee or tea
Prepared with dates, walnuts and cherries, this snack is hard to come across in the city.u00a0 With its delicate sweetness, it's ideally enjoyed as a tea-time snack. Tanveer Abdi who has been running a bakery cum cafe in Bandra for over 13 years now says this is one of their most unique creations. Additionally, the cafe stocks croissants and a host of savoury and sweet items, but Middle Eastern preparation, Shawarmas, are the best-selling dish.
Available at: Biona, The World Cafe
Getting there: 34, Rizvi House, Hill Road, Bandra
Call: 26411921
Shell out: Rs 50
For 450 g ring


Multi-grain bread
Ideal for: Packed sandwiches or cube, toast and enjoy with soup
Prepared with honey, milk, rye flour, bajra flour, jowar flour, ragi flour, whole-wheat flour, white flour, mixed seeds and salt, this loaf has a crisp crust but a delightfully soft centre. Its texture renders it ideal for packed lunches and though it's not as healthy as whole-grain bread, the fibre content and the fatty acids in this bread are associated with tremendous health benefits. Cafe Basilico also stocks a variety of other in-house breads such as the traditional Focaccia, bagels, bread-sticks, baguettes, Pita bread and assorted buns and rolls.
Available at: Cafe Basilico, Colaba and Bandra
Call: 66345670 andu00a0 67039999
Shell out: Rs 55 for 200 g

Vegan, Braided Onion bread
Ideal for: Those vegetarian days
Prepared with 100 per cent whole wheat, this bread is denser, more flavourful and much healthier than white bread or readily-available mass-produced brown breads. No preservatives, improvers or conditioners are included in this variety that tastes great toasted or warmed-up and is wonderfully complemented with just a simple vinegar-herb-olive oil dip. This is a vegan preparation from a home-run bakery that's just a year old, and whose menu now offers a whole range of organic breads. The enthusiastic Rithika Ramesh of Green Stove also takes orders to customise breads according to dietary requirements. So, if you are allergic to soy or nuts or if you are diabetic, you'd want to reserve this number. If you don't like onions, Italian herb or sun-dried tomato variants are available too.
Available at: Green Stove
Order: https://www.thegreen/stove.com
Call: 9819955320
Shell out: Rs 75

German Rye Bread
Ideal for: A sandwich, with cheese
After more than 25 years in the business, Alpa Pereira, a trained French patisserie chef decided to introduce a whole new line of assorted breads in the Indian market. This bread, she tells us, is a healthy option she thought youngsters would appreciate since it has neither additives nor artificial colouring, and the city's youth seem to be far more health-conscious than their predecessors. The sourdough bread prepared with whole rye has a wholesome taste, deep flavour and, says Pereira, "it provides an ample dose of fibre, contains no fat and is good for diabetics."
Available at: Cake n Candy
Getting there: 126, Andheri Industrial Estate, off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W)
Call: 26730861
Shell out: Rs 150 for an 8 inch diameter loaf

Middle-Eastern bread
Ideal for: Sandwich for breakfast or with dips like Hummus and Labneh
This is a special, fresh Middle-Eastern bread that is especially baked to order and isn't available at all branches of the restaurant. It only takes about nine minutes to prepare and is rolled out of freshly-made dough which is a combination of wheat flour (60 per cent) and white flour (40 per cent). Only flour, water, salt and yeast go into the recipe which makes this the most basic bread -- a thinner version of this is the pita bread, while thicker versions are ideal for sandwiches. Baked at the bottom of a hot stone oven that closely resembles the hearths used in olden times, the bread is best eaten fresh and is completely fat-free.
Available at: Moshe's
Getting there: No 3 Feroz Building, Apollo Bunder
Call: 22021205
Shell out: Rs 20

Mini Country Bread
Ideal for: Gravy dishes
With worldwide recognition for its baked goods, it's no surprise that almost every item stocked at BreadTalk tastes divine. The simple looking Country bread, available in two sizes, has a hard crust and soft centre. Though it's a pure wheat-flour preparation, there isn't a trace of bitterness in the roll. Though the bread may soften in a day's time, all you need to do is to pop it in the oven for a minute to regain its original firmness.
Available at: BreadTalk
Getting there: Shop No 17, Food Court, Inorbit Mall, 2nd Floor, Link Road, Malad (W)
Call: 40036309
Shell out: Rs 50

Ciabatta
Ideal for: Traditional Italian sandwiches
Arjun Gadkari from The Cafe at Le Mill tells us that the word Ciabatta translates as slipper, and explaining why the bread is named thus, he says, "Soft, delicate dough is wrapped within a chewier outer layer of dough, much the same way a foot is wrapped inside a slipper." Pointing out that the recipe for the traditional bread varies from region to region in Italy, Gadkari shares that the idea that stays unchanged is that it must retain a soft core and a tougher crust.
Available at: The Cafe at Le Mill, Mazgaon
Getting there: 17/25 Nandjal Jani Road, Masjid Bunder (E)/ Take the slip road under Wadi Bunder New Railway Bridge and turn left
Call: 23742415
Shell out: Rs 85

Rustic Brown Bread
Ideal for: Soup, salad or spicy food
This sour dough bread is prepared with a combination of whole wheat flour and regular wheat flour. Crusty on the outside and with a soft centre, the dense bread is satiating and best enjoyed with continental stews. Toasted, it tastes excellent and makes for a healthy breakfast option. This is a hand-moulded, traditional recipe that takes a long time to prepare and for which especially prepared flours that are ideal for baking the bread are imported from Switzerland.
Available at: Toujours
Getting there: 63, Breach Candy, near Premsons
Call: 23693254
Shell out: Rs 80 for a foot-long loaf

Olive Focaccia
Ideal for: Pastas and bakes, also divine with fondue
Look at the simple piece of bread dotted with olives and it's hard to imagine that the recipe includes "Wheat flour, olive, sugar, yeast, salt, olive oil, honey, wheat gluten, bread improver, lime juice and calcium propionate,"u00a0-- the last being an additive that keeps it from getting moldy. But, a detailed list of ingredients, nutritional information and a customer-care number are always imprinted on the packaging at Moshe'su00a0-- a fact that most customers find extremely reassuring. Equally reassuring is the fact that all the breads are prepared with a special margarine that ensures your arteries don't get clogged. The Focaccia, Chef Moshe tells us, grills really well as it becomes crisp on the outside while staying soft inside. It's great with fondue, soup or main-course, and at the cafe, grilled Focaccia is sometimes also used to prepare sandwiches.
Available at: Moshe's, Cuffe Parade and Bandra
Getting there: No 7, Minoo Manor, Badhwar Park, Cuffe Parade
Call: 22020934
Shell out: Rs 55 for 150 g

Rye bread
Ideal for: Cocktail party canapes and sandwiches
Made using organic wheat and rye flour, this dense loaf is firm though well-risen. Wheat is added as rye flour contains less gluten, keeping the bread from rising. The bread owes its firmness to the rye flour, and its texture makes it ideal for sandwiches. The grain has an almost-spicy flavour. AT LPQ, it's stocked with others varieties, and can be packed up and enjoyed in the comfort of your own home but half the fun of eating it lies in enjoying the enticing aromas that tempt you at this eatery.
Available at: Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ)
Getting there: Dhanraj Mahal, Apollo Bunder
Call: 66150202
Shell out: Rs 185 for a full loaf; Rs 100 for a half-loaf

7 Grain Bread
Ideal for: A healthy start to the day
Prepared from a combination of flours mixed with wheat grain, this bread is slightly-sweetish but absolutely delicious. Soft and light, its texture renders it both, perfect for sandwiches as well as for toasting. Packed with fibre, the loaf is testimony to the fact that healthy food can taste good too. This simple old bakery at Worli is the only place in town that makes this variety, and it literally flies off their shelves. So, drop by early in the day.
Available at: City Bakery
Getting there: Worli Naka, Annie Besant Road, Worli
Call: 24930562
Shell out: Rs 26