Bread in Europe They are very light, contain preservatives (e.g. ethyl alcohol) and have a very long shelf life (often more than a month). In Ireland it is traditionally held that the end of a loaf of bread (the "heel" of the loaf) is the best part of the loaf. Other stories and myths surround this piece of the bread in Irish mythology. Irish soda bread, developed to make the most of the soft wheat grown in Ireland, is unusual for a European bread in that it is a quick bread, using the reaction of buttermilk and baking soda rather than yeast to
Pan loaf top and bottom. Pan loaf A pan loaf is a style of bread loaf baked in a pan or tin. It is the most common style available in the United Kingdom, though the term itself is predominantly Scottish and Northern Irish so as to differentiate it from the plain loaf. It was once more expensive than the then more common plain loaf. Hence, to speak with a "pan loafy" voice is to speak in a posh or affected manner. The pan loaf has a soft pale brown crust all round the bread, in contrast to a plain loaf's darker crust