Traditional Polish Breads

Abstract

Sourdough bread is deeply rooted in Polish culture. Poland has dozens of types of regional breads, of various shapes, with shiny or floury crusts, often with decorative scoring. Some specialty breads are still raised in wooden molds and baked on horseradish or cabbage leaves. These include Silesian Gryczok and Krajcok or Old-Polish Staropolski chleb sanacyjny. There is also a very special Chleb prądnicki, which has a history reaching as far back as fourteenth century, and was awarded the protected geographical indication label. For special occasions, breads are baked with decorative dough on top of the crust. Although today wheat-rye bread is much more common than traditional rye bread, multistage fermentation is still required due to the characteristics of rye flour. The flavor and appearance of sourdough bread depend on the lactic acid bacteria and yeast that develop during the various stages of sourdough fermentation. This process varies depending on the recipe, temperature, and fermentation time.