Canned food is part of modern life. Without them, sometimes it’s not possible to cook any dish, and sometimes they just help out when there isn’t much time to cook. We are all used to canned fish, stew, green peas and more. Canned bread is something that sounds very unusual. But such canned goods exist, and they have a long history. Today we’ll talk about such a product.
If we talk about the unusual nature of such canned foods for us, we should not forget that in Russia various canned foods are very actively produced from stuffed with minced peppers, classic pilaf, buckwheat porridge with meat and other things, it seems that such canned foods will put foreigners in the same dead end as us puts bread in this form.
History
Canned bread found its wide distribution during the Second World War. When the delivery of fresh bread was not possible due to the situation on the front line, then the German soldiers received just such canned food. Wehrmacht canned bread was a jar of product (400 grams). Quite a lot of varieties of bread were produced (wheat, rye, bread with the addition of nuts and cereals). The shelf life of such a product was more than 10 years, but after opening canned bread in a jar, the product was recommended to be consumed in 2-3 days.
The Germans produced such a product in large quantities. Canned bread in the German army in those years was considered the norm. In addition to the military, this product was also provided to the civilian population of the country, in case of any interruptions in the supply of traditional bakery products.
It is noteworthy that today there are banks with the product of those ancient times. They are made more than 60 years ago. And if you open the can, you can make sure that the product is not only not dangerous to human health and suitable for food, it is also delicious!
Post-war time
At the end of the war, they left the mass of canned bread. But, it is thought that each country has a strategic stock of product for some unforeseen situations, and from time to time this stock is replenished, updated. Of course, today few can imagine that once such a product was standard and common for people.
Modern world
Today you can find such bread on store shelves. RusCon canned bread is an excellent example of a modern variation of a product. Bread has a shelf life of two years from the date of production. Of course, this is not several decades, but the shelf life of two years is also impressive by modern standards. RusCon company supplies rations products for the Russian army and other law enforcement agencies. In rare cases, products fall on the shelves of chain stores, but in this case it is exclusivity, not a food product for every day. There are quite a few varieties of the product (canned rye bread RusCon, wheat, with additives and others).
Some fishermen or hunters prefer to take such bread with them. They explain this by the fact that such bread is tasty, perfectly stored, it is convenient in nature (does not crumble, does not get wet). Excess bread can always be left the next time (if the package is not opened). It is worth paying tribute to these inventive people, because in nature without bread it is not very comfortable, especially if outings on nature are long. It is possible to interrupt with galetes, crackers, but it is difficult. But long-term storage bread from a can is a real solution to the problem.
Experts say that first you need to buy some canned bread to try it, and then, if you like it, then you can buy the volume of product you need. The fact is that sometimes some manufacturers include additives in the bread composition that greatly change the taste of the product and not all people like it in terms of taste sensations.
Product preservation
There are several different ways to get canned bread. An important element in any type of preservation of bread is the preservation of its natural moisture. To accomplish this task, special materials are used that have a low coefficient of moisture permeability. In addition, it is important to protect the product from microorganisms, this can be done using sterilization during the preservation of the product. Let's consider conservation methods in more detail.
Thermal sterilization
For packaging the product using special materials (not cellophane and not a polyamide film). Usually, parchment paper, foil and special cardboard are used as packaging. After packaging, the product is sterilized. The process takes about three hours, sterilization occurs at a temperature of 100-110 ° C.
At the end of the sterilization, the bread is additionally packed in durable polyethylene and special cardboard. After that, the finished packaged bread is processed with a mixture of paraffin and petroleum jelly. Such bread can be stored for about 6 months in warehouses under normal conditions.
Intensive heat treatment
The essence of preserving the product by intensive heat sterilization is to pack the bread in a special bag made of polyethylene and then process the product in the package (sterilization) for one hour. The processing temperature is about 140-160 ° C. After sterilization, the product is additionally packaged in a plastic bag. Canned bread by this method is more delicious and aromatic (in comparison with the product prepared according to the first embodiment).
No sterilization
The product undergoes surface treatment using special chemical preservatives, they are added to the dough before baking bread. After the bread is baked, it is treated with sorbic acid or ethyl alcohol. Bread, preserved by alcohol, is well stored. At enterprises engaged in such production, there must be strict sterility, because any microorganisms that can significantly reduce the shelf life of the product must be excluded.
Also, sometimes spraying with sorbic acid is changed to wrapping the finished bread in paper that is already saturated with the same acid. After that, the bread is additionally packed in a special dense polyethylene.
Canned bread in a jar
Photos of such canned food can be seen in our article. In Germany, such production is still very developed. Bread is baked directly in cans (dough is put in cans), after baking, cans are rolled up immediately and cooled in jets of cold running water. Such canned foods can be stored for up to five years. If you open the can and try the product, it will taste like it has just been baked. The difference from classic bread is the absence of a crust. Canned bread consists entirely of crumb.
At home
Of course, such (or almost such) product can be prepared at home on the principle of winter preparations from your personal garden. Only very well you need to think about the need for such an event. If you are not sure that the war will begin this winter, then perhaps you should abandon the production of canned bread at home and it is better to limit yourself to baking according to the classic recipe. But if you, nevertheless, decided for some reason to cook this product at home, then we will give one of the possible recipes below.
Homemade Canned Bread Recipe
You need to take good quality flour. Ideally, take the grain and make flour from it yourself, but you can limit yourself to buying high-quality flour. From it knead the dough on the water. It is important to take clean drinking water (water from a tap is not suitable). The kneaded dough should turn out cool, then add dry yeast or baking additives to the dough.
After that, we form the bread from the dough and put it in a warm (not yet fully heated oven). The crust in the resulting bread should be intact, this will significantly extend the storage of your bread. Bread from this test can be stored for up to one month. This is an impressive indicator for the home option!
Analogs
We have already said that canned bread today is a product for military rations. In the same rations, bread substitutes in the form of biscuits, crackers and cookies are very often found. This is a little different, but still much more often than canned bread is found in individual rations of the Russian military. But at this time there is a trend that involves the replacement of biscuits in military rations precisely for long-term storage bread. Bread is tastier and healthier.
Conclusion
Bread in Russia is almost a national product. We eat bread with all kinds of dishes, including pasta and dumplings. Scientists say that the average resident of our country will eat about 20 tons of bread in his life. That is why the reserves of canned bread in our country for an emergency should be impressive. Strategic reserves are crucial for any country. And bread is a product that helped people a lot in difficult times.
In general, we must admit that long-term storage bread is a very useful discovery, which is sometimes extremely necessary. Of course, I want those times when you need such bread to never come! And it is better to use this product only outdoors when hiking, fishing and more!