WISCONSIN GROWN, SHEBOYGAN BAKED.
Bread has been a dinner table staple for over thousands of years. At any large family gatherings and holidays, you’ll find bread is there to accompany any meal. Whether it’s in the form of rolls, flat bread, or a nice sourdough, it’s always been there for as long as we can remember. That being said, we are seeing more and more that people are starting to have intolerances to gluten, and the bread being more difficult to digest. Because of this, many people are starting to look for alternatives. What many aren't aware of, is that an alternative item or a gluten free bread doesn’t have to be the answer. Sourdough and heritage grains offer a healthy non-GMO alternative.
Over the centuries, our scientific knowledge has expanded and allowed us to start making modifications to many things in our life. Food being one of those things. Before genetically modified wheats and grains were common, the wheat grain and other heritage grains were very hard to produce in large yields. Grains were more susceptible to diseases which resulted in loss of crops. As the population has grown creating more demand, genetic modifications have been made to allow wheat to produce higher yields and be more resistant to disease. Our bodies are not able to process these wheats the same. The breads you buy from commercial grocery stores are commonly made with highly processed ingredients and genetically modified wheats.
True scratch bakers are realizing this and starting to support farmers growing those ancient and heritage grains again. Replacing flour made from highly processed wheat, they are choosing to buy flour made from unmodified heritage and ancient grains. People who have had gluten intolerant issues with commercially bought bread, are finding that they are able to eat breads made with these ancient flours. As well, the bacteria-yeast composition of sourdough with the long prep time means that starches and much of the protein gluten are broken down before consumed making it easier to digest.
Here at Stefano’s Slo Food Market, we do the very same! We support a local company called Meadowlark Organics. They have farmers who grow these ancient grains and then they mill it into flour. One of Stefano’s and the bakery’s favorites is our Dinkelbrot. This bread is made with a spelt flour from Meadowlark. Spelt is one of these ancient grains that is very healthy and exactly the same grain it was thousands of years ago. In the markets in house bakery all of our breads are made with flours milled from heritage wheats/ancient grains. It is important to everyone here at Slo Foods to embrace these old and healthy ways of making food, while also supporting our local farmers. So if you’re noticing you’re struggling to digest those commercially made breads, stop in to the Market and try one of our loaves. All of our breads are created using a sourdough method, with the exception being the baguette, and our Dinkelbrot which uses a little yeast, and is made in a similar manner to sourdough. Danielle Santos Head Baker