Is your bread real? A real-life example of what I mean by real vs. fake food.
Flickr photo courtesy of Moyan Brenn berkut83@hotmail.it
I’m doing a series on what I mean by ‘real food’. And making a point of reading the ingredients list before choosing a ‘food item’ to put into your body. I thought yoghurt would be the first off the list. But on a recent flight to Brisbane for work, I was presented with something. It looked like a vegan sandwich, made with gluten-free bread. But it wasn’t. It was something posing as a sandwich. A stand in if you will. The real issue was the bread. When I looked at the list of ingredients, there were 18 in the bread alone. Mostly refined starches, gums and additives.
So I ask: How many ingredients should bread have? In it’s truest form, bread is made with flour, water, sourdough culture (or yeast), salt, and a touch of sweetness (e.g. honey) to activate the yeast if you’ve used the instant variety – that’s it. Take a look here and here for some real bread recipes.
But it’s not only a question of the number of ingredients, but also the quality. What should real bread be made of? Many supermarket brands of bread are made with highly refined flours (and additives). The difference in the quality of flours has to do with the milling process. Good quality bread is made with a stone-ground whole grain flour to keep the germ intact (the germ has B vitamins, some protein, minerals and healthy oils). What supermarket bread tends to do it pull all the good stuff out, so all that’s left is the starchy endosperm (innermost part of the grain). Read here and here for more information on whole grains (there’s a picture too), and supermarket versus boutique bakery bread.
I know gluten-free bread generally needs many more ingredients (to help with binding), but, still, it doesn’t need to be full of rubbish. Unfortunately, though, many gluten-free breads are made with highly processed ingredients. Take a look at some real gluten-free bread recipes here, here, and here. Now compare them to the ingredients that were in the ‘pretend bread’ I was given during the flight:
- potato starch
- white rice flour
- tapioca starch
- water
- psyllium husk
- sugar
- mineral salt (400, 500)
- emulsifier (475, glycerides of fatty acids-soy 471)
- dextrose (from maize)
- thickener (1442)
- salt
- yeast
- sesame seeds
- vegetable gums (415)
- acidity regulator (575)
- thickener (466)
- yeast extract
- preservative 202
See what I mean? Luckily I had taken my own sandwich made with barley sourdough bread (wheat-free, not gluten-free). The bread was made of 7 ingredients: organic barley flour, filtered water, organic barley bran, organic barley sourdough, sea salt, olive oil. Nothing fake in sight.
Do you read the ingredients list? Next time you buy bread from the supermarket. Take a look. If you see any numbers, or ‘things’ that shouldn’t be in your bread, run away. Fast. To make your own. Or buy it from a real, independent boutique bakery. Your body will thank you for it.
PS: some organic, stone-ground flour bakeries in Victoria that I’ve tried and enjoyed:
- Loafer Bread in Fitzroy North
- Dench in Fitzroy North
- Fatto a mano in Fitzroy
- Red Beard in Trentham, country Victoria
- Lievito in Mornington Peninsula
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20 Comments on “Is your bread real? A real-life example of what I mean by real vs. fake food.”
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Hi Lesh!!!
I’m starting to read ingredients lists a lot more, you just can’t take anything for granted. 18 ingredients for bread is crazy-talk. Real bread is heavenly.
Oh and yogurt, don’t start me. I have a photo of the ingredients for a yogurt and it’s a liiiiiiiiiittle long.
Hi Sharon, yes, can’t taken anything for granted! Always, always read food labels and ingredients. It’s a shame what ‘they’ve’ done to yoghurt. Luckily there are some great producers out there who care about what they produce, and your work on finding who they are is very invaluable.
Great post.
We have stop buying supermarket breads and start making our own bread from scratch (not pre-mix bags).
It does take time and a bit of labour but all you need is to plan ahead. My bread still wonky and need lots of practice haha. Baking your own bread is definitely worth it healthier and cheaper too.
Thanks Diana. Great stuff baking your own bread – although, I am a bit of a novice! I have good boutique bread suppliers, so tend to rely on them for real bread. But nothing beats trying to make your own
Brilliant idea for an article! I am now positive we were separated at birth: I ride to Ascot vale farmers market almost every Sunday to get Red Beard Bakery’s bread – specifically their “nice buns”. Simply incredible when slightly toasted under the grill to caremalise the top.
That aside I totally agree on the amount of ingredients – it’s unnecessary to make the lifespan of bread 100 years!
Thanks Becki! We must have been separated at birth. Nice buns indeed. Need to me hands on some of those, it’s been a while – ha ha!
You can find the British Real Bread Campaign’s definition at: http://bit.ly/2OFypz
Thoughtful post. One thing – you don’t actually need to add honey or other form of sugar – there’s more than enough food for the yeast in the flour itself.
Thanks for this information, Chris! It’s great.
I’m a bread making novice. But definitely know what I don’t want to see in my bread.
such a good post and thanks for the ping back!
have you read michael pollan’s book ‘in defence of food’? he talks about this issue and provides the example of whole grain Wonder White which has been processed so much (with so many different ingredients) such that it looks exactly like the original stark white Wonder White and doesn’t have any of the whole wheat health benefits! it’s madness!
Thanks Katinka! My pleasure re the pingback. That’s a great post of yours. I read Michael Pollan’s IDOF a while ago, so don’t remember the whole grain wonder white example. I must read it again. Thanks for the reminder
Nice work – will use this info Lesh!
Thanks Love. Glad it’s useful for you. Hope you are well
I’m a relatively recent sourdough convert. I’d baked my own yeasted bread, on and off, for years, but it was always just that little bit too much work to become a routine. So I’d buy quality sourdough, but at $5 or $6 a loaf. Then I was given a sourdough culture. So easy. So good. So cheap. So much fun. There’s a loaf of Oat and Linseed Sourdough proving on my kitchen bench at home now, and I can fit baking two or three times a week in around full time work without stress. Yay for homemade sourdough!
Wow, that’s great! Creating your own sourdough culture can be tricky so being given some must just make so easy as you say. I may get to making my own sourdough bread eventually. My husband loves bread. Maybe I should ask around for some culture? Hmmm…you’ve got me thinking now. Thanks for the link to your recipe too!
Absolutely great information. I am always fascinated by the large numbers of ingredients listed on store bought bread. It is so crazy!!! No store bought bread for me – just plain good sourdough is all i need.
I completely agree with this. I usually make my own bread. It really is shocking to turn over the packaging and discover what is hiding in your food!
What a wonderful post!! I am a true believer that “real food” has no more than five ingredients – and I can pronounce them all, no matter how many beers I have had! My wife makes (almost) all the bread we eat, it amazes me what goes in to store-bought loaves.
Thanks! Lucky you to have someone bake you real bread.
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