gastronoise.com

 I have been aware of the magical quality of fresh baked bread since an early age.  My father was given a sourdough starter from a work-friend and spent a few years of my youth baking loaves a few times a week.  I have never tried opiates, but the smell and flavor of his warm buttery slice brings them to mind.   

 I have been baking bread on and off for the past ten years and have not been able to attain a high like consuming my dad’s bread but I feel like I’m getting close.  This method is helping me get there.

 A lot has happened since I was a chubby ten year old eating my dad’s delicious breads.  I have become aware of the common flour additive Bromate, which is illegal in much of the world because it’s a believed carcinogen.  I am weary of the bleaching process which is standard practice for US flours.  Not only are harsh oxidizing chemicals used, but the flour gets striped of nutrients.   And I have become interested in using flour that retains much or all of the whole grain bran and germ. Using flours that address my new found concerns create challenges for the home baker.  

I thought that I could make a hearty, crusty loaf at home that would be versatile and address my concerns about flour. After submitting my wife to dozens of “health food”, dry and tasteless loaves that we tried to convince ourselves were tasty, I discovered this method that changed everything. With just flour, salt, yeast, water and TIME, I could make the types of loaves that I was paying top dollar for.

I started with the recipe as written using all purpose flour and instant yeast, but soon I substituted natural yeast and whole grain flours (hand milled even using this thing).  This new method is a warp zone for home bakers to get the results that the professionals get. We may not understand exactly why it works, but it does. If you have a Kitchen-Aid and have been making marginal bread, put it away and join the revolution.

The United States is a country that demands efficiency, progress and profit margins.  The free market/capitalism thing we have is a machine for innovation; a la airplanes, telephones, and microchips.  We want technology to “improve” all aspects of our life and in the fifties, food in the United States got an overhaul.  We got the ease, convenience, and (gulp) flavors that us Americans really wanted (hey focus groups don’t lie).  Not only did we get a whole world of chemically derived artificial flavors, TV dinners and hydrogenated oils, but we also got flavor crystals in our ready to scoop coffee grounds.  The days of roasting and grinding beans were a thing of the past.  Why go through all that hassle when you can brew an unknown pulp matter enhanced with “flavor” and “caffeine” with such ease?  The Europeans for whatever reasons never went for this approach.  Perhaps a 30-hour workweek perpetuated the old antiquated methods of preparing their morning brew, or more likely they didn’t find artificial foods an acceptable substitute for the real thing.

Fast forward fifty years or so and you see that the same crazed American ingenuity that invented and promoted such unfoodlike foods, are now in the forefront of a culinary revolution.  Starting in northern California in the early nineties and fanning out to cities from coast to coast, we are seeing a return to well crafted and genuinely artisanal foods.  Maybe because food and beverage in Europe has always been decent, you do not see the drive and excitement of a burgeoning foodie culture like we have in the states.  Those Americans who are driving this gastronomic push were raised on fast food and gummy rats.  Maybe you can say we’ve hit rock bottom.

European beers have always been regarded as premium and American beers as flavorless, but now we are now seeing craft breweries pop up all over the states that are the most sought after beers in the world.  The same thing can be said of coffee.  All of the world’s coffees are grown on or near the equator and small independent American roasters have helped to radically change the way in which beans are sourced.  Instead of going through co-ops and buying the best grade (like the Europeans have historically done), these small roasters are establishing relationships directly with farmers so they can monitor the quality of the coffee from the dirt to the cup. 

Now some of the most sought after coffees are auctioned off at “Cup of Excellence” programs and through roasters like Portland’s Stumptown, Chicago’s Intelligentsia or Boston’s Terroir.  Some of these uber-elite beans will sell for hundreds of dollars a pound on auction.  That in and of itself is not doing much for the average joe coffee drinker in America, but these moneys are going almost directly to the farms of coffee producers allowing them the capitol to invest in their operations, and the direct feedback from demanding American coffee geeks.  This system also inspires other farmers to compete in this private and directly traded market, which empowers the growers by avoiding co-ops all together.  If a cup is only as good as the worst bean that goes into it, then commodity coffee will always be inferior to the micro-lots from persnickety producers.  And these producers will be rewarded with the highest prices for their efforts. 

World class coffee is certainly available in our country, but if you were to compare the coffee at a truck stop in Spartanburg county to a truck stop in Sardo, yea it’s gonna suck.  However, the truck stop in Seattle is pretty damn impressive and I think the good stuff is creeping this way.  Starbucks may have effectively put Sanka out of business, but if I’m reading this trend correctly, the best is yet to come.   

ANSON MILLS  WOW
A couple of weeks ago a few friends and I did a local food challenge where we only could consume things grown in the Carolinas. I eat pretty local, I thought, anyways so I didn’t feel that this would be a difficult feat.  Then I started to really look at what I eat. …. BREAKFAST!! No cereal …no bread….eyyeee!!!
A few of us decided to order some grains from Anson Mills in Columbia SC. These are locally grown heirloom grains that are grown with such respect and love that using them in my home has reignited the kitchen goddess in me. Glenn Roberts story for starting Anson Mills and continuing the survival of almost extinct varieties of indigenous grains is on ansonmills.com but if you get the chance to hear him speak about it- go. His passion is infectious and his John Haulk grits are life changing!!!
Anyways, I ordered graham wheat flour, farro and oats. The first thing I made was oatmeal.
Organic whole oats that are stone cut, toasted and hand milled.
This is not your typical breakfast. They take as much time as regular oats to cook but every other minute detail is different. You taste oats. You feel texture.  A slight sweetness, creamy consistency and this is with no more than salt added.
I was blown away. I did add local blueberries and honey because..well,  why not. It is not needed but damn, this ended up being an unforgettable breakfast!
You owe it to yourself to check Glenn’s products out. From Thomas Keller in CA to our local Greenville eateries like American Grocery , Anson’s  products are becoming a staple for food enthusiasts!! I am so grateful to have been exposed to all this goodness and am inspired to spreads the word ( and biscuits) to all I can!!
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