There are two main distinguishing features of the breads of Northern Europe (including Germany, Scandinavia and Poland) as compared to the breads popular in countries like France, Italy and Britain:
- They typically use rye rather than just wheat for flour. In Germany, breads made from mixtures of different grains are quite popular, but breads made predominantly from rye are also common.
- They normally use sourdough for leavening rather than baker's yeast; this gives them their characteristic sour flavour.
Whether they’re better is a matter of opinion. Some people hate the taste of sourdough bread. I love it.
That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of other wonderful styles of bread. Take a nice baguette, for instance!
Depending on what you’re comparing it to, there may be more to it, though: a good German or Danish rye bread, a fresh baguette, a warm pita bread, or even a roti – those are solid. They have substance. They’re made of bread and you can taste it.
An American-style sandwich bread, on the other hand, is usually made of nothing but air, deceit, and sugar. (Not that there isn’t good bread in the US. There is. But you know the type of ‘bread’ I mean)
