--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes good bread? It is a question…" description: "\"“What makes good bread? It is a question of good flour and slow fermentation. In the old days we used to leave the dough to ferment for at least three ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/john-hillaby-41949_bread_what-makes-good-bread-it-is-a-question-o_996177.jpg" --- # What makes good bread? It is a question of good flour and… ![“What makes good bread? It is a question of good flour and slow fermentation. In the old days we used to leave the dough to ferment for at least three or four hours, and it wasn't necessary to put chemicals into the dough. Today the farmers get much bigger crops from the same piece of ground, but…” quote by John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/john-hillaby-41949_bread_what-makes-good-bread-it-is-a-question-o_996177.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/john-hillaby-41949_bread_what-makes-good-bread-it-is-a-question-o_996177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/john-hillaby-41949_bread_what-makes-good-bread-it-is-a-question-o_996177.jpg) > ““What makes good bread? It is a question of good flour and slow fermentation. In the old days we used to leave the dough to ferment for at least three or four hours, and it wasn't necessary to put chemicals into the dough. Today the farmers get much bigger crops from the same piece of ground, but the wheat has lost its taste. And to make it look nice and white — comme un cadavre — the millers grind it up fine and sift it, so you are left with very little except starch.”” [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good bread depends on quality ingredients and time; modern agriculture and processing have reduced flavor and nutritional value. **In simple terms:** Quality flour and slow fermentation make good bread; modern shortcuts hurt taste. Key Takeaway Choose traditional methods and quality grains. Themes food tradition industrialization Mood reflective critical Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - baking - culinary education - food criticism Key Concepts agriculture food science culture Questions to Reflect On - Can modern techniques be improved to preserve taste? - What trade‑offs exist between efficiency and quality? A Different Perspective Industrial processes prioritize appearance over flavor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Bread Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread-question-2072218/) [Dough Ferment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dough-ferment-2072219/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Good Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-bread-695487/) [Good Flour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-flour-2072220/) [Wheat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheat/) ## Related quotes > [We can grow good wheat and make good bread only if we understand that we do not live by bread alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/we-can-grow-good-wheat-and-make-good-bread-only-if-we-understand-that/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/the-smell-of-good-bread-baking-like-the-sound-of-lightly-flowing/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [Good bread and good butter go together. They are one of the perfect marriages in gastronomy, and they never fail to cheer me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/good-bread-and-good-butter-go-together-they-are-one-of-the-perfect/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [“Mamá was mixing bread dough by the kitchen window, pressing and pulling in a culinary tug of war. It took all her strength to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-almend-rez-lojacono/mam-was-mixing-bread-dough-by-the-kitchen-window-pressing-and-pulling/) [Tess Almend�rez Lojacono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-almend-rez-lojacono/) > [In fact, two slices of whole wheat bread increase blood sugar to a higher level than a candy bar does. And then, after about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/in-fact-two-slices-of-whole-wheat-bread-increase-blood-sugar-to-a/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [I eat nothing that's processed or refined - no high-fructose corn syrup, no sugar, no trans-fats. I eat a lot of fish and monounsaturated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/i-eat-nothing-that-s-processed-or-refined-no-high-fructose-corn-syrup/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [In our world, 80 to 90 percent of women's weight gain comes from overindulging in insulin-stimulating food. And it's not hardcore, straight-up, I-can-see you-in-the-face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-cruise/in-our-world-80-to-90-percent-of-women-s-weight-gain-comes-from/) [Jorge Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-cruise/) > [There's a long history in the Middle East of "bread intifadas," starting with 1977 in Egypt, when Anwar Sadat tried to lift bread subsidies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annia-ciezadlo/there-s-a-long-history-in-the-middle-east-of-bread-intifadas-starting/) [Annia Ciezadlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annia-ciezadlo/) > [God is a God of galaxies, of storms, of roaring seas and boiling thunder, but He is also the God of bread baking, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/god-is-a-god-of-galaxies-of-storms-of-roaring-seas-and-boiling/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [No mirror ever became iron again; No bread ever became wheat; No ripened grape ever became sour fruit. Mature yourself and be secure from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/no-mirror-ever-became-iron-again-no-bread-ever-became-wheat-no/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [As a preacher, I should be prompted to tell men, not so much how to get their wheat bread cheaper, as of the bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-a-preacher-i-should-be-prompted-to-tell-men-not-so-much-how-to-get/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In the Middle East, bread is so essential to everyday life that word for it in Egyptian Arabic is aish, which means life. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annia-ciezadlo/in-the-middle-east-bread-is-so-essential-to-everyday-life-that-word/) [Annia Ciezadlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annia-ciezadlo/) > [“No deception lasts forever. Truth rises like good bread dough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-p-kiernan/no-deception-lasts-forever-truth-rises-like-good-bread-dough/) [Stephen P. Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-p-kiernan/) > [“A city that had learned to make good bread had learned to make good cake also. A city that built itself up by good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-city-that-had-learned-to-make-good-bread-had-learned-to-make-good/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“Perhaps this war will make it simpler for us to go back to some of the old ways we knew before we came over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher-2/perhaps-this-war-will-make-it-simpler-for-us-to-go-back-to-some-of/) [M.F.K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher-2/) ## More by John Hillaby > [The way a good rod first flexes and then extends its muscles as the line quickens, tightens, rises off the water and does figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/the-way-a-good-rod-first-flexes-and-then-extends-its-muscles-as-the/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [Few things are more pleasant than a village graced with a good church, a good priest and a good pub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/few-things-are-more-pleasant-than-a-village-graced-with-a-good-church/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [“Groddeck, that strange pupil of Freud, claimed that in reality our powers of smell are as sharp as those of a dog, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/groddeck-that-strange-pupil-of-freud-claimed-that-in-reality-our/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [“In Mexico today the word for the ultimate, the best in anything from a straight flush to the sight of beautiful country, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/in-mexico-today-the-word-for-the-ultimate-the-best-in-anything-from-a/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [There is scarce a cave, an isolated rock, a lone pine tree or a pile of stones without supporting folklore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/there-is-scarce-a-cave-an-isolated-rock-a-lone-pine-tree-or-a-pile-of/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [“I have often wondered how this circumpolar stars between the Drago and the Lion came to be known as the Great Bear. The ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/i-have-often-wondered-how-this-circumpolar-stars-between-the-drago/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [“Either you like cats or you don't. Whole nations have been divided on what people thought of an animal that mates openly, walks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/either-you-like-cats-or-you-don-t-whole-nations-have-been-divided-on/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [“Good wines are produced in small quantities. It is a matter of time and attention and picking only the best grapes. Today they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/good-wines-are-produced-in-small-quantities-it-is-a-matter-of-time/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [Walking is a way of being somewhere, rather than striving to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/walking-is-a-way-of-being-somewhere-rather-than-striving-to-arrive/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) [Explore all 10 John Hillaby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) ## More Bread quotes > [French women don't eat Wonder Bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mireille-guiliano/french-women-don-t-eat-wonder-bread/) [Mireille Guiliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mireille-guiliano/) > [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [“We should remark the grace and fascination that there is even in the incidentals of Nature's processes.. When a loaf of bread,. for instance,.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/we-should-remark-the-grace-and-fascination-that-there-is-even-in-the/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [When I met you you were oh so sweet, now you give me the bread and you take all the meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/when-i-met-you-you-were-oh-so-sweet-now-you-give-me-the-bread-and-you/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [I think the best Thanksgiving we ever had was one where we didn't even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-think-the-best-thanksgiving-we-ever-had-was-one-where-we-didn-t/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Bread is a second cause; the LORD Himself is the first source of our sustenance. He can work without the second cause as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bread-is-a-second-cause-the-lord-himself-is-the-first-source-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even if we have to go without bread, we Albanians do not violate principles. We do not betray Marxism - Leninism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enver-hoxha/even-if-we-have-to-go-without-bread-we-albanians-do-not-violate/) [Enver Hoxha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enver-hoxha/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [“Nine times out of ten, people pick the wrong food. No, it’s not the sugar (GI = 68), it’s not the candy bar (GI…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/nine-times-out-of-ten-people-pick-the-wrong-food-no-it-s-not-the/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [Waffles аrе јust awesome bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/waffles-r-ust-awesome-bread/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [At my age, I don't buy but a half a loaf of bread, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-haggard/at-my-age-i-don-t-buy-but-a-half-a-loaf-of-bread-you-know/) [Merle Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-haggard/) > [Jesus Christ would have been considered just another long-haired hippie freak if he hadn't been crucified. The folks weren't impressed with healing the sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/jesus-christ-would-have-been-considered-just-another-long-haired/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [“To consume the Eucharist is an act of anticonsumption, for here to consume is to be consumed, to be taken up into participation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-cavanaugh/to-consume-the-eucharist-is-an-act-of-anticonsumption-for-here-to/) [William T. Cavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-cavanaugh/) [Browse all 2,164 Bread quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What makes good bread? It is a question of good flour and slow fermentation. In the old days we used to leave the dough to ferment for at least three or four hours, and it wasn't necessary to put chemicals into the dough. 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