Bread is a complex medium, looking nothing like the original seed of grain from which it originates. Yet when we mix a few simple ingredients we are able to induce a transformation that results in an edible, highly nourishing, staple food product crucial for sustenance in many cultures. In Bread 101, you will explore the energy requirements, biomedical and biochemical aspects, and local and sociopolitical context of bread production. You will read and discuss a variety of primary and secondary literature related to wheat production, the microbiological, chemical, and physical processes that transform wheat into bread, the energy cost of this transformation, and cultural implications of bread production in the United Kingdom. There will be several class excursions and guest speakers. Course work will include active discussions, short essays, problem sets, recipe analysis, and a presentation.
In Bread 101, you will look beyond a single loaf of bread and consider the broader scientific and sociopolitical context in which that loaf was produced. You will explore several related areas of bread production: energy requirements, biomedical and biochemical aspects, and local and sociopolitical context. The course will be divided into interdisciplinary modules based on chemistry, biology, physics, and cultural studies of bread.