Words are strange - how is it that the word for something unpleasant in English is the same as the word for an essential food in French? This week I am forgetting about carbs and aiming to sample as many wonderful pains as I can
Following a comment from SencoSue on Monday, I've done more reading up on the Sourfaux Scandal.
The Real Bread Campaign took Lidl to court over their Rye Sourdough, which was mostly made with regular baker's yeast - and they won. The loaf is now a Crusty Wheat and Rye Bloomer.
The RBC is not against bread made with baker's yeast - but it is against shops promoting breads in a misleading way - calling loaves 'sourdough' when they are mixed doughs, and doing the same with wholemeal. Shops which say "Baked in store" - technically correct, but the dough has been made elsewhere, and merely gets 'browned off' when it arrives onsite. These shortcuts make the product cheaper - and militate against proper artisanal bakers who want to make the best, authentic product for their customers. It will be interesting to see what Parisian bread tastes like.
I do know that if bread is good, I find it satisfies for longer than the cheap white sliced "Chorleywood" stuff.
The simplest loaf in my breadmaker contains
flour, yeast, water, sugar and salt [and a splash of oil to soften/preserve the crumb]
flour, yeast, water, sugar and salt [and a splash of oil to soften/preserve the crumb]
Tesco white sliced contains
Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Yeast, Salt, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Soya Flour, Spirit Vinegar, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Rapeseed Oil, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).
I am truly sorry for those of you who have to avoid gluten or excess carbs. That's a real pain.
Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Yeast, Salt, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Soya Flour, Spirit Vinegar, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Rapeseed Oil, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).
I am truly sorry for those of you who have to avoid gluten or excess carbs. That's a real pain.
That's the advantage of using a breadmaking. We also use a little less salt th an the recipe states, not much, but I find a lot of bought foods are a bit too sweet and salty for my taste. Enjoy your French bread adventure
ReplyDeleteYesterday we had delicious Finnish Rye Bread (and Turkish pitta bread on Tuesday night with Julian) This bread exploration is certainly taking on an international dimension.
Delete"That is a real pain."- nice parting shot!
ReplyDeleteI love bread!!! Good quality bread is the food I missed most after a year in Indonesia!! Kx
Food here is GOOD
DeleteMy two favourite things to eat in France, besides bread, are French onion soup with gruyere croutons and Cote d'Agneau.x
DeleteF O soup is so comforting on a cold day...🧅🧅🧅
DeleteEnjoy sampling your way through all the lovely varieties of bread in France!
ReplyDeleteI will
DeleteThat is interesting but also disappointing about Lidl, I dislike anything done to deceive. We have a wonderful artisanal bakery in our small town, with a lot of choice and really delicious bread. Sadly I have to ration my bread intake, but sourdough bread is something I can eat a little of and enjoy. We have always found French bread in all its forms delicious and if a very high standard. I think there are strict regulations about flour, additions etc. I hope you are enjoying your time away and your carb fest! Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteVery sunny here, loving it
DeleteI don't put sugar in my mix and less salt than recipe asks for. Paul Hollywood suggests oiling the kneading board rather than flouring it but I found that too messy!do you set a tray of water underneath your loaf when it's baking?
ReplyDeleteYes if cooking in oven (obvs not in the bread maker!)
DeleteLove bread, and I mean good bread.
ReplyDeleteFrench bread here is often soggy but in France, divine. I remember eating a croissant in our hotel and thinking how it was so different from the ones here.
At home I like Aldi frozen croissants best, for size and flakiness and buttery flavour (and value)
DeleteDH has taken over the breadmaker, the only cooking he does. We get good bread from basic ingredients and it costs less than the UPF stuff. The 400g loaf doesn’t take long to make, and is just the right size so none gets wasted.
ReplyDeleteFor a treat we get Waitrose Seeded Wholemeal bread flour, (and a free mug of coffee.)
He is working on getting a good cinnamon bun loaf.
Ooh, please do let me know if he finds a good cinna-bun bread maker recipe.
DeleteGood bread of any kind is a real treat. I remember going to charity fund raisers in university which were Bread and Cheese lunches. I think I probably ate more than I should have! Keep on enjoying your trip. JanF
ReplyDeleteBack in my student days I helped organise the "War on Want" bread&cheese lunches! Very cheap, and incredibly popular
DeleteI was impressed with the huge variety of breads available in Austria. I sometimes think that a slice of really good homemade bread beats chocolate cake for sheer indulgence and that is coming from a chocoholic!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteIf I could buy a baguette here, I'd eat more bread! Enjoy all that bread!
ReplyDeleteBaguettes are great
DeleteOur favourite bread here in France is the baguette ordinaire from the bread machine in the village. You put your 1€ coin in the slot and out pings a beautiful fresh baguette.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, the brown walnut loaf from Lidl which is delicious and utterly divine when toasted!
Oh I'd love to try a baguette machine!
Delete