Want to buy our bread in Cranbrook? Then head down to Nutters on Baker Street.
Nutters Cranbrook will now be the exclusive stockist in Cranbrook of our bread, with a delivery every Thursday morning.
After just over one week of demolition it’s pretty amazing how the space is just opening up.
The ceilings have extended up to around 16-17 feet and we’ve been rescuing the original tin ceiling tiles which will be be re-used as a decorative feature in the finished interior.
There is a lot of exposed brick work that seems to be the original too, so we hope to keep some areas of this exposed in the finished interior.
We hope to be into our new home by the end of June 2012.
Our Fernie bakers hand-make more than 20 varieties of bread fresh every day.
This is Loaf Bakery’s guide to the top 10 loaves sold at our retail store and café in the first quarter of 2012.
1. Grainary Tin Loaf
The Grainary Tinned Loaf has consistently been our best-selling bread thanks to its combination of a tasty crust and a wholegrain topping.
Before we put our classic dough in the tin to bake, we fill the bottom of the tin with a selection of wholegrains – barley flakes, cracked wheat, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and millet.
The result is a crusty loaf that is easy to slice, with a soft doughy middle and a crunchy, wholesome topping.
If you like this you’ll love: Multigrain Rye, Sunflower Barley Bread, Seeded split.
2. Sourdough Tin
3. Sourdough Cob
4. Sourdough 400
No wonder our sourdough range is so popular – Loaf’s sourdough bread is made the traditional way – using natural leavening processes from a starter made from flour and water.
The natural Lactobacillus cultures in the starter produce lactic acid, which is what gives the sourdough its tangy taste.
Our number 2 best-selling Sourdough Tin loaf is the right size and shape for delicious sandwiches, with a great crust.
The Sourdough Cob is handmoulded and baked on the bottom of our stone oven to create a crispy, beautifully coloured crust.
Sourdough 400 is the 400g version of our Sourdough tin, which is 800g – perfect for small households.
If you like these you’ll love: Multigrain Rye, Wholewheat Sourdough, Sourdough Baguette
5. Wholewheat Tin Loaf
6. Everyday Wholewheat 680g Loaf
Like all Loaf’s products, the wholewheat tinned loaf is made with wholewheat flour, yeast, water, salt and olive oil – none of the nasty additives and preservatives that you find on the label of commercially-produced bread.
We introduced the smaller Everyday 680g loaf last year after a number of people told us they don’t eat enough bread to buy the full-sized loaf, and it has been popular ever since.
If you like these you’ll love: Wholewheat Sourdough tinned, Wholewheat Split, Wholewheat Cob, Wholewheat rolls.
7. Tinned White Loaf
Our classic white loaf – great for sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese, or thickly sliced with butter and jam.
Like all our loaves, this is fresh, handmade bread with no additives – just unbleached white flour, yeast, salt and water.
If you like this you’ll love: Fernie Bloomer, White split tin, White Crown, White dinner rolls.
8. Sunflower Barley Bread
This loaf really became popular after we featured it as our Loaf of the Week – the unique flavour of this bread comes from molasses, cooked barley, sunflower, poppy, caraway and fennel seeds, and a blend of white, rye and wholewheat flour.
If you like this you’ll love: NY Deli Rye Loaf, Seeded Split Bread, Carrot and Herb Bread.
9. Sourdough Baguette Loaf
10. French Baguette Loaf
It’s no surprise our baguettes are in our top 10 list – the French would never dream of eating baguettes any more than a few hours after they were baked, so why should you put up with hard bread packed with preservatives so it can be shipped from a factory in Calgary, or limp baguettes made from frozen dough?
Our bakers work overnight at our kitchen in the Annex, Fernie, to make sure the handmade, hand-moulded bread hits the shelves as quickly as possible after it leaves the oven.
Is there any better taste than butter and jam or cheese on freshly cut baguette?
If you like these you’ll love: Ciabatta, Foccacia, Grainary Cob
Hot cross buns are a familiar sight at Easter time but do you know their origins or that they are seen as bringing good luck?
Christians see the hot cross buns as representing the crucifixion.
Traditionally in Christian countries bread was marked with the sign of the cross with a knife, as a blessing. One theory is that the pastry or icing cross on the hot cross bun is an extension of that.
Another theory is that the cross dates from Ancient Greek offerings to the four moon gods. Others say the buns marked with a cross were eaten by Saxons in honour of the goddess Eostre and representing the four quarters of the moon.
Hot Cross Buns baked on Good Friday were believed to bring good luck to a home if hung on the kitchen wall, protecting it from fire and ensuring that all breads turn out well. The bun should be replaced each year.
Folklore also says that a bun from each batch should be kept to bring good health – sections of it should be given to a sick person to make them healthy.
Sailors believed that taking hot cross buns to sea would protect them from shipwreck.
Farmers in certain regions of England believed they would protect the granary against rats.
They are first mentioned by name as “hot cross buns” in Poor Robin’s Amanack in 1773 but are believed to have predated this.
During Elizabeth I’s time, English bakers were only permitted to produce them at Christmas and Easter by law.
Loaf’s handmade, all-natural hot cross buns are now available in the bakery.
Bored of the same old sandwiches? Try Use Your Loaf’s top five ways of making lunch easier to prepare and more fun to eat.
Try a different style or flavour bread
Instead of the plain white loaf, try Loaf’s Chili bread, Focaccia with cherry tomatoes, cheese and olive bread or potato and bacon bread.
If you prefer wholewheat, try the Apricot, fruit and nut loaf, , Cheese and Walnut bread, Sunflower and Barley, Cinnamon and Raisin, Rye breads or Grainery.
We also have different styles of loaf – why not try Loaf’s Foccacia, Ciabatta, Bear’s Paw or White and Sourdough Baguette, or our flavoured bagels?
Switch up your condiments
Transform your regular sandwich flavours by reaching for a different sauce.
Flavoured cream cheese, pesto, sweet chili sauce, salsa or guacamole make a great variation from mayo, mustard and pickles.
Cookie cutter fun
Kids will love sandwiches cut into fun shapes using cookie cutters. No more uneaten lunches at the bottom of the school bag!
Use leftovers from last night’s dinner
Leftover cooked meats and vegetables are great in sandwiches – and make life easy for whoever is making tomorrow’s lunches.
Try slices of cold sausage with cheese and salad or roast beef and potatoes with tomatoes – great with one of Loaf’s handmade, all-natural breads.
Transform your sandwiches into pizza
Spread a slice of Loaf bread with crushed tomatoes, add your favourite sandwich toppings chopped up finely, sprinkle with cheese, then broil until the cheese is melted. Leave to cool before packing into a plastic tub.
Kids will love the treat of eating pizza for lunch – and they won’t realize how many vegetables you sneaked into the finely-chopped topping!
We compared the ingredients from two whole wheat loaves sold in Fernie grocery stores with the ingredients from Loaf whole wheat bread.
Information on the ingredients comes from the Real Bread Campaign
Loaf bread
Loaf’s real, honest bread is made fresh every day, using traditional hand baking techniques, so we don’t need to add any additives or preservatives.
We do use an electric mixer to mix batches of dough, but every loaf is hand kneaded and hand-shaped by our experienced bakers before being left to rise and bake.
They can produce several hundred loaves in one overnight shift at our commercial bakery in the Annex, Fernie.
Loaf whole wheat bread ingredients
Wholewheat flour
Water
Yeast
Olive oil
Salt
Factory bread
To speed up factory breadmaking, additives are used to imitate the structure, taste and texture that form naturally during Loaf’s traditional breadmaking.
This means that it takes less than two hours for a loaf to be mixed, baked, cooled and packaged ready for shipping.
Chemicals are also added to inhibit the growth of mould so that mass-produced bread can be shipped across Canada and sit on the grocery store shelf for several days before it even makes it into your kitchen.
Wholewheat loaf from Fernie grocery store bakery
Stone ground whole wheat flour
Unbleached white flour
Water
Yeast
Sugar
Salt
Canola oil
Gluten
Calcium sulphate
The chemical name for Gypsum, used to make dry wall.
Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate
Emulsifier, stabiliser, thickener
The stearic acid and/or the lactic acid from which Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate is produced could be of animal origin.
Diacetyl Tartaric Acid esters of mono diglycerides
Emulsifiers, stabilisers,thickeners
The fatty acids on which these are based could be of animal origin.
Tricalcium phosphate
Also known as bone ash – a raising agent
Ascorbic acid
Vitamin C – inhibits the growth of mould
Enzymes
Shorten the proving process
Country Harvest 100% wholewheat loaf
Wholegrain stone ground whole wheat flour including the germ
Water
Wholegrain ground flaxseeds
Wheat gluten
Sugar/glucose-fructose
Yeast
Raisin concentrate
Vinegar
Salt
Vegetable Oil (soy bean and canola)
Diacetyl Tartaric Acid esters of mono and diglycerides
Emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickener
The fatty acids on which these are based could be of animal origin.
Calcium Propionate
Inhibits the growth of mould.
Propionates can lead to a risk of migraine, or eczema and calcium propionate is reported to cause skin irritations in bakery workers.
The Food Intolerance Network claims propionates can cause:
Migraine and headaches; gastro-intestinal symptoms including stomach aches, irritable bowel, diarrhoea, urinary urgency, bedwetting; eczema and other itchy skin rashes; nasal congestion (stuffy or runny nose); depression, unexplained tiredness, impairment of memory and concentration, speech delay; tachycardia (fast heart beat); growing pains, loud voice (no volume control); irritability, restlessness, inattention, difficulty settling to sleep, night waking and night terrors.”
Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate
Emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners etc.
The stearic acid and/or the lactic acid from which Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate is produced could be of animal origin.
Vegetable Monoglycerides
Emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners etc.
Sorbic Acid
Inhibits the growth of mould.
For more information see the Real Bread Campaign www.sustainweb.org/realbread
Where else do you eat bread?
Does the owner or head chef at your favourite restaurant or lunch spot know what ingredients are in the bread they supply to customers?
Why not tell them if all-natural, chemical-free bread is something that is important to you.
The girls had loads of fun this week making ‘gingerbread cookies’ to decorate the Christmas tree (the easy-peasy way). We took some pumpkin bread and sliced it, then used cookie cutters to cut out little gingerbread people and stars. Then I put them on a tray lined with parchment paper and baked them for about ten minutes in the oven (at 200C). We then used a skewer to put holes through the tops and threaded them onto red ribbon.
And, Voila! Instant home made tree decs. We did eat a few too because they smell lovely!
This was the girls at Fernie Blueprint reaction to our yummy Christmas Mince Pies…
Hayley and Annie eating Mince Pies
Thanks Phil, you are right they are stunning…. The best I’ve tasted and I’ve tasted a few in my time!!!!
Cheers,
Hayley and Annie
You might have noticed the facial fuzz taking over down at the Loaf this last month…. well we’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all of our lovely customers who donated money to Loaf’s Movember fundraiser. The Loaf boys raised an excellent $175 stash for their ‘taches.
All money donated in the month formerly known as November will be put towards prostrate cancer awareness initiatives – a mighty fine cause.
Rod’s parents flew out to Fernie a few weeks ago to meet their first and only granddaughter and to help out around the house. It was really nice to have them around even though we didn’t get to do too much with them due to a fiery little dragon…but in the end we drove them to Alberta for a 50th Anniversary of Roelie’s older brother and these are a few photos I took along the way. It was Phoenix’s first time in Alberta (she was stoked) and our first time as Executive Members at Costco (we are stoked.)
She slept the whole way there and back! Mostly.
We brought the amazing Pumpkin Loaf from Loaf Bakery to snack on. You gotta have road trip snacks.
I just liked this photo. That’s all.
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