Discover the origin of water bread

They say that water is life. So much so, that water is the most abundant component in organic materials. Just one detail to prove it: living things are, on average, 70% water. And not only that: water is essential to maintaining and reproducing life on Earth. It is a crucial resource, not only for humanity, but for practically all living things.

Water is an ancient (even sacred) element. And, of course, its existence is intrinsically linked to gastronomy, being as it is one of the main ingredients in innumerable recipes. This is true of bread, in which water is one of the four basic ingredients along with flour, yeast and salt.

Water bread owes its name to this element, and is notable for following a centuries-old recipe that was born directly from the Mediterranean tradition. In the past, at dawn, the mothers and grandmothers in each family were responsible for making bread. Care, patience and a lot of love were among the ingredients they used to give life to water bread. Traditional stone ovens, on the other hand, lent the product all the rustic strength and gave it an incomparable flavour and texture. The water bread of the time, moreover, was designed to last for several days and would become the necessary sustenance of families after long working days.

Back then, bread was synonymous with attachment, pleasure and well-being. Today, thanks to the legacy of these families, an authentic, simple, patient and careful recipe has been preserved that allows us to bake water bread with similar characteristics.

What makes water bread so special? 

What really makes water bread so peculiar? First of all, the exceptional quality of the wheat flour used to make it, which is specifically prepared to host its main ally, water. This, indeed, is the essential star ingredient that guarantees that water bread will go from the oven to the table tender and fresh throughout the day.

Not only are the ingredients important in which bread, which has so much Mediterranean tradition behind it: so, too, are the processes. The customs associated with slow life, which is so characteristic of the Levantine culture, are marked by patience, dedication and care in what they do. Water bread, in this regard, draws on all these procedures.

We obtain a very moist dough, which is why it is especially delicate. Care and respect are key when making this bread and are essential to ensuring water bread reaches its full potential. The long preparation times, on the other hand, are what allow small air bubbles to be generated, which will later make for an alveolated, moist bread.

And, of course, it wouldn't be a traditional product without a tool as important in its conception as a stone oven. Mankind has had this type of oven for thousands of years and they have endured becuase of their ability to lend the products a delicious final touch thanks to their great baking power. This produces, in the case of water bread, an extraordinarily alveolate crumb, a crunchy rustic crust and an unmistakable flat base.

What water bread offers your business?

The tradition around water bread speaks for itself and lends it the importance it deserves. At the end of the day, only a product that really works will last (even across the centuries). Water bread, thanks to its volume, its rustic crust, its ability to remain tender and crunchy from morning to night, and its moist, alveolate crumb, is one of the essentials that you must have in your establishment.

Thanks to frozen pre-baked bread, you can have water bread in your business. Frozen bakery doughs allow you to have this type of product intact and perfectly preserved until it's time to give it a blast in the oven. From this point on, you're in charge, and you can finish shaping according to the criteria, professionalism and experience that have made your reputation. All the qualities described above are retained thanks to the characteristics of pre-baked bread, which not only allows you to offer this type of food in your business, but also makes it really profitable for you to have it.

And the fact is that water bread is not only the main ingredient when preparing a delicious mid-morning or mid-afternoon sandwich. Lunches and dinners are also the perfect time for this type of product, which you can make the ideal companion for many dishes. Not to mention, on the other hand, the toast you can make with water bread, which is simply irresistible accompanied by, for example, a few thin slices of avocado, cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of oil.

Water bread, thanks to its simple but exquisitely-selected and treated ingredients, recalls once more the value of simple things done well. A traditional product with a recipe that has been passed down the generations and which bespeaks love, care, attention to detail and quality. A noble food, water bread, which never goes out of fashion.