An army marches on its stomach

Soldiers ate mostly brown, leavening-based bread, which remained relatively fresh for a long time. Army bread was usually made from rye flour with additions of wheat and spelt flour. Till the 20th century both rye and wheat flour had a relatively low gluten content. Gluten, a protein occurring in corn, is responsible for fluffiness of bread. Thanks to gluten, the dough is easier to make and contains more carbon dioxide. “Civil” bread had more holes in it and was softer than army bread, which was tough and slack-baked. It was harder to digest and looked unappealing but was healthier than the fluffy white bread we buy in supermarkets.