Prices and some Major Changes
After some substantial thinking, I have to raise prices and remove some breads from the order lists. I have absorbed costs so far as basically I have near zero waste (breads are all made to order), distribution costs are low and the actual cost of flour hasn't gone up very much (maybe £2 for 25kg bag).
The problems are the costs of electricity and secondary ingredients. Some of this I can avoid, so most butter based recipes are no longer available but simple things like walnuts have gone from say £1.50 for 500g bag to £6.50. I use these a lot in the baking as I tend to offer a lot of traditional French recipes.
Full details are on the ordering page, but basically a 500g wholewheat loaf is now £3.50 and a 500g standard sourdough £4.50. The weights are the raw flour so these will be around 750g when baked.
After some substantial thinking, I have to raise prices and remove some breads from the order lists. I have absorbed costs so far as basically I have near zero waste (breads are all made to order), distribution costs are low and the actual cost of flour hasn't gone up very much (maybe £2 for 25kg bag).
The problems are the costs of electricity and secondary ingredients. Some of this I can avoid, so most butter based recipes are no longer available but simple things like walnuts have gone from say £1.50 for 500g bag to £6.50. I use these a lot in the baking as I tend to offer a lot of traditional French recipes.
Full details are on the ordering page, but basically a 500g wholewheat loaf is now £3.50 and a 500g standard sourdough £4.50. The weights are the raw flour so these will be around 750g when baked.
Health Issues
The breads do not include nuts or seeds unless explicitly indicated. However, they are prepared in a working kitchen where these are used both in baking and cooking. If avoiding these is critical to your health, then I cannot guarentee there will be no trace elements in any of the breads sold.
Given time, or any encouragement, I can describe at great length the many problems of commercial bread making. The main issues are the use of poor quality flours, poor kneading, little or no proving process and the addition of needless ingredients designed to offset these problems or improve shelf-life. All this means the consumer ends up eating yeast, unprocessed gluten and things never intended for the human stomach ... so people suffer from bloating etc. when they eat commercial breads.
In addition to avoiding all this, there are a few extra things you can do.
First, on balance Sourdoughs are healthier. The greater range of yeast types helps avoid some intolerances and the much slower proving process means that most of the gluten has been incorporated before you eat the bread.
Second, Rye is actually a grass not a form of wheat. So if you have some wheat intolerance, eating breads with a greater proportion of Rye might help.
The breads do not include nuts or seeds unless explicitly indicated. However, they are prepared in a working kitchen where these are used both in baking and cooking. If avoiding these is critical to your health, then I cannot guarentee there will be no trace elements in any of the breads sold.
Given time, or any encouragement, I can describe at great length the many problems of commercial bread making. The main issues are the use of poor quality flours, poor kneading, little or no proving process and the addition of needless ingredients designed to offset these problems or improve shelf-life. All this means the consumer ends up eating yeast, unprocessed gluten and things never intended for the human stomach ... so people suffer from bloating etc. when they eat commercial breads.
In addition to avoiding all this, there are a few extra things you can do.
First, on balance Sourdoughs are healthier. The greater range of yeast types helps avoid some intolerances and the much slower proving process means that most of the gluten has been incorporated before you eat the bread.
Second, Rye is actually a grass not a form of wheat. So if you have some wheat intolerance, eating breads with a greater proportion of Rye might help.
Organic
In part for cost reasons, I have decided not to use organic flour as these would easily add £1 or £1.50 to the cost of each loaf. Equally, while ingredients like milk or eggs are good quality, they are not always organic. For the non-sourdough breads, I use baker's yeast. For both practical and cost reasons I use high quality dried yeast.
On the other hand, unless otherwise noted, the breads contain nothing but flour,water, yeast and salt. A quick comparison to the list of ingredients on super-market breads shows the clear difference in terms of health. Add on, the Chorleywood process used for almost all commercial bread is deeply unhealthy and is probably the cause of many dietary problems.
In part for cost reasons, I have decided not to use organic flour as these would easily add £1 or £1.50 to the cost of each loaf. Equally, while ingredients like milk or eggs are good quality, they are not always organic. For the non-sourdough breads, I use baker's yeast. For both practical and cost reasons I use high quality dried yeast.
On the other hand, unless otherwise noted, the breads contain nothing but flour,water, yeast and salt. A quick comparison to the list of ingredients on super-market breads shows the clear difference in terms of health. Add on, the Chorleywood process used for almost all commercial bread is deeply unhealthy and is probably the cause of many dietary problems.
Keeping the bread
Ok, there is nothing as wonderfully delicious as eating a bread on the day it was baked. Having said that, the yeasted breads will stay fresh for 2-3 days, the sourdoughs for 3-4 and the enriched breads for 4-5.
They are perfectly edible beyond this but you might want to use them for toast or place in a warm oven for 5 minutes (this does wonders for the flavour).
They can all be frozen for 2-3 months.
Ok, there is nothing as wonderfully delicious as eating a bread on the day it was baked. Having said that, the yeasted breads will stay fresh for 2-3 days, the sourdoughs for 3-4 and the enriched breads for 4-5.
They are perfectly edible beyond this but you might want to use them for toast or place in a warm oven for 5 minutes (this does wonders for the flavour).
They can all be frozen for 2-3 months.
Bread Styles
There are a number of distinct styles of bread. Some reflect how yeast (or other raising agents) is combined with the bread flours, some reflect various national differences in bread making.
Bread only needs two ingredients. Flour and fluid (usually water). Now this would give a boring flat-bread so most breads add some form of yeast and salt. Beyond that nothing should be added that does not contribute to either the flavour or texture of the finished product. My breads do contain combinations of nuts, seeds, fruit, eggs, butter or milk but only when these are needed
Bread only needs two ingredients. Flour and fluid (usually water). Now this would give a boring flat-bread so most breads add some form of yeast and salt. Beyond that nothing should be added that does not contribute to either the flavour or texture of the finished product. My breads do contain combinations of nuts, seeds, fruit, eggs, butter or milk but only when these are needed
Sourdoughs
There are a number of myths about sourdough so it is useful to stress just what it is. It is not a bread in itself, it is how yeast is combined with the flour to make bread. Pretty much any bread (including croissants) can be made with a sourdough starter.
Most breads are made with baker's yeast and this is a single strand of yeast that became common across Western Europe from the 1950s. The advantages are that is reliable (important in bulk production) and easy to produce and store. However, due to its common usage (and some bad practices) some people find it causes them digestive problems.
Sourdoughs by contrast have 30-50 different yeasts and vary substantially each time they are prepared. Mine have travelled from Ayrshire to Glasgow to Caithness (and back) and contain naturally occuring yeasts from all those regions. Basically this mix is used in place of baker's yeast in order to make the bread rise.
For large scale commercial production, this variability is a problem (this is one reason to be very suspicious of relatively inexpensive commercial sourdoughs) as the process of kneading, proving and the final bread shape (especially in terms of how much the bread rises) can all vary --- sometimes substantially --- between batches. When you are making 1,000s of identical loaves for supermarkets, you cannot cope with this sort of variation, and the solutions are less than ideal for the health of the consumers.
Bread made with sourdough needs longer to prove and rise than those using baker's yeast. Almost always they need at least one night in a cool location before they are ready (which is why they take 2 days to prepare). This improves the final flavour as the bread takes on more taste and is also a lot more healthy - as all the yeast is consumed before the bread is baked and the gluten in the bread breaks down (so does not irritate your digestion when you eat the bread).
I use two different types of sourdough.
One is a relatively solid starter made up with white bread flour. This looks a bit like a bread itself and sections are torn off and mixed with fresh flour to start the new bread. This style is called a Levain and is particularly common for sourdoughs made in French or Italian styles.
The other is a more watery starter made up with Rye. This style is called a Poulish and, perhaps, not surprisingly, is common in the sourdoughs of Central and Eastern Europe. In this case, the breads are usually denser than those made with the Levain but have a stronger taste and often contain more fresh Rye flour in their preparation.
At least one of each is on offer.
Most breads are made with baker's yeast and this is a single strand of yeast that became common across Western Europe from the 1950s. The advantages are that is reliable (important in bulk production) and easy to produce and store. However, due to its common usage (and some bad practices) some people find it causes them digestive problems.
Sourdoughs by contrast have 30-50 different yeasts and vary substantially each time they are prepared. Mine have travelled from Ayrshire to Glasgow to Caithness (and back) and contain naturally occuring yeasts from all those regions. Basically this mix is used in place of baker's yeast in order to make the bread rise.
For large scale commercial production, this variability is a problem (this is one reason to be very suspicious of relatively inexpensive commercial sourdoughs) as the process of kneading, proving and the final bread shape (especially in terms of how much the bread rises) can all vary --- sometimes substantially --- between batches. When you are making 1,000s of identical loaves for supermarkets, you cannot cope with this sort of variation, and the solutions are less than ideal for the health of the consumers.
Bread made with sourdough needs longer to prove and rise than those using baker's yeast. Almost always they need at least one night in a cool location before they are ready (which is why they take 2 days to prepare). This improves the final flavour as the bread takes on more taste and is also a lot more healthy - as all the yeast is consumed before the bread is baked and the gluten in the bread breaks down (so does not irritate your digestion when you eat the bread).
I use two different types of sourdough.
One is a relatively solid starter made up with white bread flour. This looks a bit like a bread itself and sections are torn off and mixed with fresh flour to start the new bread. This style is called a Levain and is particularly common for sourdoughs made in French or Italian styles.
The other is a more watery starter made up with Rye. This style is called a Poulish and, perhaps, not surprisingly, is common in the sourdoughs of Central and Eastern Europe. In this case, the breads are usually denser than those made with the Levain but have a stronger taste and often contain more fresh Rye flour in their preparation.
At least one of each is on offer.
Enriched Breads
This is a generic term for breads that are made up with some (or all) of milk, eggs, fruit and butter. Usually some sugar is added as well. This type of bread covers a vast range including croissants, brioche, stollen, selkirk bannocks, chocolate breads, couronnes and others. The exact mix varies of course.
National Differences
French breads tend to be made over two days (either with a sourdough starter or baker's yeast). They also tend to have some Rye flour added (even if just 10%) for flavour and texture. The actual range is predictably vast and can include unusual flours such as Buckwheat.
Italian breads tend to be lighter, and often include small amounts of non-bread flour (commonly pasta flour) and olive oil (in place of butter).
Scandinavian breads classically mix fruit and flavourings such as dill, caraway or cardomoms. They often include substantial amounts of Rye flour so are quite dense.
Eastern European breads often use a lot of Rye (it grows better than wheat in cool damp climates) and can be strongly flavoured with herbs and spices. At the extreme, some are made with 100% Rye, producing a bread that is more or less solid (and wonderful with a hearty winter stew or soup ... or you can be Dutch and serve it with cured meat).
Italian breads tend to be lighter, and often include small amounts of non-bread flour (commonly pasta flour) and olive oil (in place of butter).
Scandinavian breads classically mix fruit and flavourings such as dill, caraway or cardomoms. They often include substantial amounts of Rye flour so are quite dense.
Eastern European breads often use a lot of Rye (it grows better than wheat in cool damp climates) and can be strongly flavoured with herbs and spices. At the extreme, some are made with 100% Rye, producing a bread that is more or less solid (and wonderful with a hearty winter stew or soup ... or you can be Dutch and serve it with cured meat).
Some Bread Information
A number of terms are often used in connection with bread making,
'Rise' refers to how much the bread has risen in the baking process. More is not necessarily better as this will vary according to the amount of yeast used (too much is bad for you), whether the yeast was mostly used up in the proving process (again most should have been - you actually do not want to eat too much yeast) and the flours in use (Rye tends not to rise very much).
'Proving' is the time the bread spends once it has been kneaded where the yeast eats into the gluten from the bread flours and the flavours develop. Depending on the bread this can take 1-2 hours or 2 or more days. If this is hurried, you will end up eating unprocessed gluten and yeast (both likely causes of some bread intolerances).
'Kneading' is the process by which all the ingredients are combined and incorporates air into the mix.
'Crumb' is the structure of the final bread. The ideal is a nice even spread of flour, ingredients and small air pockets. The better the kneading and proving, the better the final crumb. Done badly, the bread can be like a solid brick, done well and the bread will have a light airy texture ... as below.
'Rise' refers to how much the bread has risen in the baking process. More is not necessarily better as this will vary according to the amount of yeast used (too much is bad for you), whether the yeast was mostly used up in the proving process (again most should have been - you actually do not want to eat too much yeast) and the flours in use (Rye tends not to rise very much).
'Proving' is the time the bread spends once it has been kneaded where the yeast eats into the gluten from the bread flours and the flavours develop. Depending on the bread this can take 1-2 hours or 2 or more days. If this is hurried, you will end up eating unprocessed gluten and yeast (both likely causes of some bread intolerances).
'Kneading' is the process by which all the ingredients are combined and incorporates air into the mix.
'Crumb' is the structure of the final bread. The ideal is a nice even spread of flour, ingredients and small air pockets. The better the kneading and proving, the better the final crumb. Done badly, the bread can be like a solid brick, done well and the bread will have a light airy texture ... as below.
Making bread
The pictures below show 3 stages in making a bread. In this case, the bread is the Polish Silesian sourdough. In the first the raw ingredients are just about to be mixed together. The second shows the bread towards the end of the kneading process. And then, just out of the oven.
The pictures below show 3 stages in making a bread. In this case, the bread is the Polish Silesian sourdough. In the first the raw ingredients are just about to be mixed together. The second shows the bread towards the end of the kneading process. And then, just out of the oven.