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Nobody, at this point, doubts that we are living a bread revolution. The germ of this change must be sought in the rejection of industrial baking processes, to standard flours and flavors without nuances, in the name of greater richness. Of flavors, textures and nutritional properties. After the initial fever of the “Shops del pan” From a few years ago, what remains now is a greater offer, both of ingredients and of finished product, and of a greater awareness on the part of the consumer that not all breads are the same.
Today Summum we propose you a guide to living bread in the most gourmet, alternative and fun way.
Knead a luxury bread
Knead It is an artisan bakery headed by the Brazilian entrepreneur Silene da Rocha. It is also a cafeteria, a space where workshops are given and, recently, an online store that makes deliveries throughout Spain. Of this workshop loaves come out of the real ones, with a marked flavor, an intense fragrance and a texture that is difficult to find.
Panes Ecological 100% such as the classic and highly recommended white bread, the Cafuso (a mixture of white, rye, whole wheat and poppy seeds), the dried tomatoes and oregano, the Brazilian cheese bread or some “Superpanes” like white with chia or moringa and blueberries.
It is also possible to order baskets for sweet and savory breakfasts – with muffins, biscuits, butter, jams and yogurt, as well as bread – and for new dads. The baskets are extremely pretty and include accessories in an exclusive tropical print. Prices they vary from 38 to 55 euros.
Natural sourdough, the one that makes the difference
The bread revolution would not be understood without the planetary triumph of the sourdough natural. It is a patient culture of yeast and bacteria from two simple ingredients: water and flour, nothing more. The mixture is stored in an airtight container, stored in the refrigerator and “Feeds” with more water and more flour until yeast and bacteria are sufficient to leavened bread. Natural sourdough replaces baker’s yeast in the bread-making process, giving it flavor (slightly more acidic), aroma and texture.
For those who dare to make bread at home in the most natural way, the book ‘Sourdough’ gives a few ideas and tips. The authors, Casper André Lugg and Martin Ivar Hveem Fjeld, are two Scandinavian bakers who speak from their own experience (and centuries of history), giving special priority to gluten-free flours and fashionable cereals such as rye, spelled and oatmeal. The prologue writes it Jordi Morera, one of the best bakers in this country. And one of the most inspiring.
Beyond common wheat: spelled, Kamut, Tritordeum
The bread revolution is also not understood without the multiplication of alternatives to common wheat in baking processes. Spelled, for example, is a more digestible and nutritionally richer type of wheat.
Kamut is a durum wheat with a dark color and a marked, almost spicy taste. Despite its name, buckwheat or buckwheat does not belong to the wheat family and can only be used in baking in small quantities. The Tritordeum It is a Spanish hybrid between a wild barley and a durum wheat, very rich from a nutritional point of view. And then there are the gluten-free options, like corn.
In all stores Nugget and Grain (Madrid, Ponferrada, San Sebastián, Valencia and Florence) all these varieties of flour can be purchased in bulk, most of them organic. To bread!
Enkir, the most gourmet choice
El Enkir It is a type of wheat that is born from a unique selection of some of the more than 200 varieties of Triticum monococcum. It is grown in Piedmont, Italy, 500 m above sea level and under the seal of Mulino Marino, a family business, but a benchmark among bread and flour gourmets.
The Enkir is biological, it hardly needs fertilizers and it is very resistant to pathogens and parasites. It is low in gluten and rich in proteins and beta-carotene (vitamin A), something that gives it a nice golden color. In addition, it presumes, they tell us, of a very marked flavor, which ranges from fruity tones to more vegetable tones such as artichoke and thistle. An ancient wheat that aims to become a trend.
Bread is gold
What can a bunch of multi-star cooks do with leftover bread? The answer to this question is on the pages of ‘Bread is Gold’.
The new book of Massimo Bottura relates the experience of Ambrosian refectory, a project to reduce food waste and social inclusion that the famous Italian chef carried out coinciding with the Milan Expo. This initiative was joined by some of the most brilliant chefs on the planet, from Ferran and Albert Adrià to Joan Roca through René Redzepi and Daniel Humm (current number one in the world).
The book, recently published by Phaidon In Spanish, it compiles the recipes made by these geniuses of the kitchen over the course of six months. Among them, Bread is gold, Bottura’s grandmother’s recipe that gives the publication its name, made with breadcrumbs, milk and sugar.
The most beautiful way to bake bread
They are the whim of any foodie worthy of the name. Because of its design, its colors, its quality and its high price.
The cocottes of LeCreuset They are made of cast iron, a material that provides multiple advantages to cooking, such as that the heat is distributed evenly. On the other hand, its lid helps to retain moisture. And yes, they can even go in the oven. In other words, in the case of bread, they are capable of simulating cooking similar to that of professional ovens. Essential.
Learn to make bread
There are several reasons to go to one of the Madrid stores in Babette’s Furnace. One of them is the more or less twenty varieties of bread that come out of his bakery, among which the simple loaf, the baguette, the buckwheat bread and the rye sliced bread with blueberry and seeds stand out.
The breads are made from five different sourdoughs, with stone-ground eco flours and processes of at least 18 hours. Another good reason is that here you learn to make bread from the hands of some of the best bakers in the world. For May, courses will be taught by the Italian Ezio Marinato and the French Thomas Teffri-Chambelland. Babette’s Furnace He is also part of the La PEPA collective, a select group of Spanish bakers who share the same philosophy about bread and the trade. Bread is a way of life.
The rules of bread
The rules of food are extremely flexible and those of bread even more so. The taste, color, aroma and texture of the bread They depend on many factors, such as the flour used, the quality of the water, the yeast, the fermentation process, the shape of the bread and the volume. Still, we can follow some guidelines.
Un intense color from the crust of the bread can give us clues about the fact that it has been cooked at a high temperature, that it is a long-leavening or sourdough bread. Crumb of a good loaf it must be spongy but not rubbery, with large and irregular alveoli and a thin and crunchy crust. The smell maybe it’s simpler: bread has to smell like bread.
Yes, conserve properly the bread must be wrapped in a bread basket or in a paper bag. And although it seems obvious, you should never put it in the fridge, because low temperatures not only do not slow down, but also accelerate the aging process of bread.
Club sandwich, street version
Steamed muffin, pork, ricotta cheese, quail egg and chili mayonnaise. The DiverXO chef David Muñoz can afford to cover a classic like Sandwich Club in the most radical way and make it a success.
It is one of the tastiest dishes on the menu of its most informal place, StreetXO, with offices in Madrid and London. In fact, it has become a classic. Bread goes a long way.
Bread and coffee
It has just opened its doors in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Rome, under the seal of Niko Romito, a chef who boasts 3 Michelin stars. Niko Romito space It is a multifunctional restaurant concept that has been warming up engines in other Italian cities, but only in the capital has an area whose gastronomic offer is focused on bread.
Is called Bread and coffee area and combines the sale of fresh bread with ideal proposals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Roman style bread and artichoke, with hazelnut cream, with butter cod, with ricotta cheese and herring, with ragout or with eggs, sandwiches, toasts, brioches, cookies, focaccia. Here bread and flour are declined in every possible way.
Un sweet tooth project that within the next seven years it plans to expand beyond national borders as well.
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