photo : lyn froehlich
Andrew Roy and his fresh baked bread from Twin Bears Bakery .
Large industrial grain mills moved quickly and reduce bread ’ s shelf life . away from stone milling in favor of Although the germ and bran have a metal mechanized system . Grain high nutrient and fiber content , farmers and industrial bakers grew today they are typically turned in unison just as they had done in into animal feed or discarded . The the past . This modern evolution of remaining parts of the wheat were the baking industry was fairly swift further manipulated to produce and much more dramatic than flour for use in mechanized bread changes in the past , and it eliminated most processes that were impacts the vitality , health benefits
factories . Manipulating the grain
once performed by the hands of and digestibility of a nutritious food skilled bakers . source many cultures relied on as
The baking machinery did have a cornerstone of their daily diets . its limitations , however . Industrialized baking necessitated industristandably questioning whether
Today many people are underalized millers to produce flour that industrial milling and farming practices contribute to growing gluten was better suited to the new baking methods . The relatively simple sensitivities in the US . I have heard approach to milling was replaced from gluten sensitive travelers who by a complex process where the enjoy pasta and bread while traveling abroad , where traditional farm- wheat grain was dissected into many small parts .
ing , milling and baking practices are Wheat germ and bran were more common , with no ill effects . removed due to high oil content
One of my favorite quotes is that caused them to turn rancid “ The more advanced a civilization becomes the worse their bread gets .” This is the unfortunate truth of American bread . We are lucky , nevertheless , that despite the mechanization of bread production , a small group of bakers held true to the traditional approach to bread baking . Even as large bakeries forced many traditional and small bakeries out of business in the 1940s-1960s , naturally leavened sourdough bread could still be found in small bakeries throughout the country .
At the helm of these bakeries were obsessed bakers , resisting trends and the lure of increased profits . Their breads were developed by hand and loaves were formed on large wooden tables . At the end of the fermentation process the dough was shaped and placed in linen-lined wicker baskets for their final proof .
These bakers formed relationships with small local farmers to grow grains that complement this type of baking . There were still small mills that stone ground whole grains in a traditional fashion . When compared to modern industrial milled flour , stone-milled whole grain flour is in a class by itself . After tasting the dynamic flavors , soft crumb , and crispy crust of a traditional loaf of bread , it ’ s nearly impossible to go back to a loaf of factory-made supermarket bread . Enthusiastic foodies will attest to that and drive for miles to get their hands on the real stuff .
My wife Emily and I were grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area , where making sourdough bread is still a way of life . Our love of real bread drove us to start baking when we relocated to Frederick , Maryland .
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