Alan,
I haven't read the play, but my thoughts are the following:
If he is brain damaged, and has been for that long, the obsessive
bread-baking comes from memories which are very deep, going back to
childhood. Childhood food memories are often memories of comfort, of
being provided for, of love. Probably, he is baking from those
memories, doing what mother or grandmother did, combining flour,
water, salt, yeast, without measuring, without recipe, just by
instinct. There might be some honey or sugar, maybe a little oil. I
would deduce that it is a very simple recipe, made with the most
commonly available flour.
The rythmic kneading would be comforting, as well as the product.
If he lived on a wheat-producing farm as a child, bread might be made
with that grain ground at home, but more likely the wheat would be
sold or taken to a mill to be ground. I would watch for the
symbolism with the bread. Whole wheat is thought of as wholesome,
rustic. White flour would have been seen as more refined, more
upscale - often children prefer it for its milder flavor and texture.
I don't know if rural Ontario would have produced much
wheat. Probably the agriculture would have been more along the lines
of dairy farms, feed corn, alfalfa...If you feel compelled to
accuracy, research whether or not this was true for the time of the
man's childhood. My sense is that you can't go wrong with the
simplest, most basic and wholesome whole wheat.
Amy Smereck