What You Knead To Know

We take our time to bake bread at ‘Organic Foods and Café’, and it takes a long time to make a good traditional loaf of bread, especially when you don’t put artificial rising agents into the dough. Nor does organic bread have preservatives, stabilizers or artificial colouring. We craft our breads by hand, using centuries old techniques to produce authentic artisan breads that are superior in taste and nutrition. It takes about twenty-four hours to achieve loaves that have a full texture, a good crust and a hearty nutty flavour.

All our breads are made from 100% organic ingredients. The flour is milled in a small, family run mill in the north of Germany, which adheres strictly to organic methods and modern standards of cleanliness. The organic grains are a mix of modern and ancient grains. These ancient grains such as spelt, kamut, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat, would have been used as far back as by the Romans and Vikings.

Our bread dough would have been familiar to them as well, as our dough is made without artificial additives, emulsifiers, enhancers or preservatives. For example, artificial emulsifiers such as mono-diglyceride are replaced by natural ones such as egg yolks. The bread is hearth baked on a stone slab on the bottom shelf without using trays or moulds to get maximum crust for maximum flavour. The end result is authentic, organic bread which has outstanding flavour and excellent nutrition. A Grain of Truth Grains are an important part of a healthy diet, as they are high in complex carbohydrates and are a rich source of fibre. This insoluble fibre helps prevent constipation, guards against colon and rectal cancer and helps reduce and control blood sugar. Whole grains are high in B-vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium. When eaten with complementary foods they are a good source of protein. However, modern flour milling and mechanized manufacturing of breads strip out these important nutrients, which is why so many breads are “fortified.” The Organic Ancient Grains Used.

Spelt (Dinkel)

Spelt is an ancient relative of modern common wheat, and was widely grown by the Romans. It had been popular in Europe for centuries until modern wheat took its place at the table because of its easy cultivation. It has a complex, nutty flavour and is extremely nutritious as it is an outstanding source of fibre as well as many vitamins and minerals.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat has no relationship with wheat, but is actually the seed of the flowering thistle plant and is naturally gluten free. Buckwheat is a traditional food in many parts of Russia and China where it is made into pancakes and noodles. The whole grain, sometimes known as “kasha” produces a sweet and speckled flour.

Amaranth

Amaranth is an 8,000 year old crop called “super food” by the ancient Aztecs. It has a reputation for providing large bursts of energy and improving athletic ability. Amaranth contains large amounts of dietary calcium as well as many other vitamins and minerals. It is also a natural source of lysine, methionine and cysteine and other essential amino acids. It is an excellent source of protein and contains no saturated fat.

Millet

Millet has been used for centuries by the Nepalese for energy at high altitudes. It has been valued for its mildly sweet flavour as well as its digestibility and high amount of protein. It not only contains 15% protein but also many other beneficial nutrients including niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin E, the minerals iron, phosphorous and potassium, and the essential amino acid lecithin.

Einkorn

Einkorn is the oldest known cereal; it is traced back to the Fertile Crescent. It fell out of favour as it is delicate and less hardy than other grains such as wheat and barley but is making a modern comeback because of its high protein content, its digestibility, and its delicate taste. Einkorn packs a huge vitamin punch. It is rich in amino acids that are important in nerve function, methionin and isoleucin, rich in carotene, a potent anti-oxidant, and has 50% more protein than wheat.

Wheat

Wheat is the most cultivated crop in the world. Yet through modern cultivation, milling and manufacturing processes it has lost much of its nutritional value. Most of the fibre, vitamin and protein content are in the wheat-germ and husk of the grain. To keep the goodness, the husk and wheat germ should be milled together with the grain, giving whole-wheat flour. However due to this being more difficult to produce and store, most breads are made in the easiest and cheapest way and thus have less than 90% of their original nutritional value.

Modern wheat is a high gluten and low fibre food, which is more efficient than white sugar at increasing blood sugar levels. Wheat can however be used as a healthy part of a diet if it is grown, (harvested, milled and manufactured the old fashioned way) and it must be organic and come from a variety grown for its nutritional value, harvested carefully to keep the precious wheat germ intact, stone ground or whole grain and then baked without additives, preservatives, enhancers or emulsifiers.

Things to look for in good organic bread

• ‘Wholegrain’ is always better
• Check for a full crust to get a good flavour
• When buying organic bread and pastries, ensure they are 100% organic (certified) and not just a percentage of organic grains added
• When buying specialist grain breads such as spelt, make sure that you are getting 100% organic spelt, and not just an added percentage of spelt flour as is common practice
• Make sure all of the ingredients such as salt etc. are also organic.

Wheat is the most cultivated crop in the world. Yet through modern cultivation, milling and manufacturing processes it has lost much of its nutritional value. Most of the fibre, vitamin and protein content are in the wheat-germ and husk of the grain. To keep the goodness, the husk and wheat germ should be milled together with the grain, giving whole-wheat flour. However due to this being more difficult to produce and store, most breads are made in the easiest and cheapest way and thus have less than 90% of their original nutritional value.Modern wheat is a high gluten and low fibre food, which is more efficient than white sugar at increasing blood sugar levels. Wheat can however be used as a healthy part of a diet if it is grown, (harvested, milled and manufactured the old fashioned way) and it must be organic and come from a variety grown for its nutritional value, harvested carefully to keep the precious wheat germ intact, stone ground or whole grain and then baked without additives, preservatives, enhancers or emulsifiers.- ‘Wholegrain’ is always better- Check for a full crust to get a good flavour.- When buying organic bread and pastries, ensure they are 100% organic (certified) and not just a percentage of organic grains added.- When buying specialist grain breads such as spelt, make sure that you are getting 100% organic spelt, and not just an added percentage of spelt flour as is common practice.- Make sure all of the ingredients such as salt etc. are also organic.