Much Ado About
Artisan Bread
“Not all bread is created equal. You don’t need to be a baker, a foodie or
even fully awake to notice that tearing into a crusty, freshly-baked loaf is
a lot nicer than the supermarket sliced variety.”
By Jennifer Lance
I
t’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, or so it seems.
Artisan bread has been popping up everywhere it seems.
From the bakery in your favorite supermarket to fast-ca-
sual sandwich places, even to burger buns from a drive-thru
joint. It isn’t some fancy word for bread to make it sound
more upscale. There is much more than meets the eye about
artisan bread.
A glance at any menu around the country today and you’ll
likely see “artisan” describing something on there. From
cheese to bread, artisan is often used to describe that the
item, in this case bread, is fresh, hand-crafted and real.
Bread is always a labor of love. It’s a time-consuming baking
process. With the mass-produced stuff you get off the super-
market shelves, it doesn’t have the same love and attention
as an artisan loaf of bread. Artisan bread is often crusty on
the inside and soft and fresh on the inside. It’s made this way
by being intimately kneaded and shaped. It’s baked in small
batches to ensure perfect, homemade quality.
The techniques used to make artisan bread might take
time, but they always lead to delicious results. The secret to
this success is being patient. For proper artisan bread, the
dough is often left to ferment for up to 24 hours in order for
the natural enzymes in it to undergo a chemical reaction
with the flour. By allowing this process to occur naturally,
it creates a far better taste and a divergence of pleasing
textures, allowing the outside to get the crispness while the
inside gives way to soft melt-in-your-mouth bread.
be baked into bread. The enzymes break down the gluten
in flour as they ferment. This makes it easier for you to
digest. And when digestion is easier, you may start to feel
better with more energy and lighter too. Processed breads
make your body lag with the chemical cocktail of unnatural
ingredients plus added sugars. So, essentially, artisan bread
is made from dough with natural ingredients, is kneaded
by hand, rests for up to 24 hours to let the dough grow, and
then it’s baked up slowly. If waiting for dough to rise and
bread to bake is not something you’d wish to experience,
there are plenty of places all around you that sell freshly
baked artisan bread. Seek out cafes in your area that sell
artisan bread, or check out the local farmers’ market. You
can stock up on your fresh vegetables and score some fresh
artisan bread to enjoy it with.
Artisan bread is great for making sandwiches, serving
alongside soup, or perfectly enjoyable as-is. Plus, you’ll get
more life out of artisan bread. It lasts longer before molding
thanks to the long production process it undergoes. So feel
free to break bread more often!
Something interesting to note about artisan bread is that
thanks to the patience it requires to allow the dough to
do its thing, the enzymes – the same ones that make the
bread tastier – have used their time wisely while waiting to
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2017