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Understanding Artisan

Fermentation is the key!

By Viki AllinPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Photo by V.M.Allin

Artisan Baking

When you think of a microbrewery you think of the knowledge that the brewmaster has about the unique beers that he or she brews — the care that goes into choosing the types of grains, hops, sugars, and yeasts that are used for each beer. A pilsner, ale, stout, or lager each have different ingredients and each has a unique process that the brewmaster has developed over years of personal experience. The long fermentation that allows the yeast to pull the flavors out of the grain. The combination of grains and the different types of hops. This knowledge makes each brewmaster a specialist of the craft.

The artisan baker, like the brewmaster, takes great care in choosing the types of grains, sugars, and yeast that are used for each artisan bread. Keeping starters going for years, that pull the wild yeast out of the air to create regional sourdoughs. Blending together starters with poolishes to create complex French and Italian. Developing wheat starters and poolishes to coax the flavor out of the grain to create the artisan's unique Honey Wheat, Spent Grain, German Rye and Multigrain. Gently working the soft Ciabatta dough, that spends the night in a bath of extra virgin olive oil. The two-day process of the biga that creates the desired texture and flavor of the Neapolitan dough, for hand tossed pizzas.

Commercial bakeries are mainly concerned with pumping out as much bread as the machinery can produce. Grocery stores buy frozen, pre-shaped, dough that they then thaw and bake. (Baked fresh daily and made fresh daily are not the same!) For the artisan baker, the combinations of starters, poolishes, and pates can cause a batch of bread to take anywhere from 12 to 48 hours. To the artisan baker it's not about pumping out as much bread as is possible, it about creating the best bread he or she can bake and then trying to make it even better the next time. Each loaf is shaped by hand and baked with care. Some loaves of bread are steamed while others are bathed in buttermilk. Each bread is given its own unique look to complement its unique taste.

If you can't meet the artisan baker, it is not artisan bread.

Many chain grocery stores and chain bakeries use the term "Artisan" to describe their bread. That would be like a large commercial brewery claiming to make "Microbrewery Style" beer. The consumer would know better when it comes to beer. It's big business trying to tap into the microbrewery market. There are 5,300 microbreweries in the United States. There are 20 corporate brewers in the United States. How does this compare to the artisan bakery? There are 2,250 artisan bakeries in the United States, 10,355 wholesale bakeries producing bread and other bakery products, and 7,470 retail bakeries.

There is no confusion when it comes to microbrewed beer, but the 2,250 artisan bakeries have a lot of competition and that competition uses the term "Artisan" when there truly isn't anything "Artisan" about their bread. Sourdough flavoring does not make a sourdough bread. And, sourdough bread only has 3 ingredients — flour, water, and salt. So, the next time you are in the grocery store and pick up that beautiful loaf of "Artisan Style" bread with its 20 or so, unpronounceable ingredients and tell yourself that there isn't much difference between bread, ask yourself, WHO made this? WHY does this bread have those extra ingredients that it doesn't need? WHERE is the corporation that is profiting from your purchase of that lovely faux Artisan Style bread?

It takes a beer meister to create a unique brew.

It takes a master baker to create artisan bread.

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About the Creator

Viki Allin

There are many Cobwebs rattling around in my head. The slightest breeze and they undulate into a chaotic dance. Each trying to outperform the other. Each taking its turn at center stage.

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