There has been a lot in the news recently about so called “fresh” supermarket bread and it’s starting to be very difficult to de-code what they actually mean by the term “fresh”. For example, Tesco’s advertisements of “bread baked fresh in store” have been judged as misleading, and who can blame that judge when it can be mean “bread re-heated in store after being cooked days or weeks before in a factory many miles away”!

Yesterday, the Daily Mail claimed that some of supermarket bread’s hidden ingredients can include biological catalysts, which can be composed of such delights as animal guts. Delicious! I think I’ll be staying well clear of the supermarket bread aisle for a very long time.

Never fear bread lovers, to help you through the minefield of additives and processes, we’ve come up with our simple fresh bread guide…

How long should my bread stay fresh?

This depends on the sugar content but a freshly baked baguette should only stay fresh for a day or two. A sweeter dough can stay fresh for several days.

Sourdough bread, such as Poilane, can stay fresh for longer. They make it using a traditional method which requires no yeast, using sea salt instead as a natural starter. This particular flour-water mixture has stable cultures which are harder to penetrate by yeasts and bacteria – meaning resistance to mould and spoilage – it should last just under a week. It is also really easy to freeze if you can’t eat it straight away.

TIP: If your fresh bread has gone rock hard, wrap it in a damp cloth for 10 minutes, then cook in the oven for 10 minutes to get a nice crispy bread – perfect for dunking in soup.

Supermarket bread can stay “fresh” for an unnatural length. Read on to find out how…

What should be in my fresh loaf?

The basic ingredients are:
Wheat flour
Water
Yeast
Vegetable Oil
A pinch of salt

Hidden Extras – bread hell for sensitive tummies

You might find more in your supermarket bread than flour, water and yeast. Watch out for these very nasty hidden treats…

Calcium Propionate: This is used to stop mould growth in bread. Great for supermarkets – they can stock bread without it going off. Bad for tummies, heads and skin though because it can cause stomach upsets, rashes, tiredness and headaches!

Hydrogenated fats vs. Fractionated fats: Recent studies have shown hydrogenated fats as a major contributor to heart disease. Hard fat such as this is an important part of the Chorleywood Process (a speedy method of producing lots of bread, quickly, with long shelf lives). Beacause of the bad press surrounding hydrogenated fat, producers have been switching to fractionated fats. They don’t have the same bad press…yet. But they have the same properties of hydrogenated fats and could cause the same health problems.

Vegetarians beware: Some supermarket breads contain E471 which is an emulsifier with 2 sources – one being animal fats. They can also contain E920 which is made of animal fat and human hair. Lovely!

Intolerances: The Chorleywood process uses two or three times the normal amount of yeast than that used to traditionally make bread. This could be a cause of the growth of yeast and gluten intolerances, irritable bowel syndrome and thrush. Anyone else feeling a bit queasy?

Bread Heaven

Never fear sensitive guts out there, and frankly anyone who doesn’t want to risk eating human hair and animal guts in their toast, there is an alternative…

1)      Bake your own delicious fresh bread – it’s VERY satisfying to get flour all over yourself and the kitchen and believe me, it’s worth it!

2)      Buy from a ‘real’ bakery! At Natoora, we have the amazing sourdough breads from Poilane. They make all their bread the traditional way, handmade, with no preservatives. For deliveries in London you can also choose from Boulangerie de Paris’ range – all freshly baked the morning of your delivery. And when we say freshly baked, we really mean it!

How to make wholemeal bread

25g fresh yeast
400ml warm water
675g strong plain wholemeal flour
2 tsp salt
15 g butter

Blend the fresh yeast with a little warm water taken from your 400ml. Add a more water to thin the paste to a milky consistency. Cover and leave in a warm place until frothy.

Mix the flour with the salt. Rub in the butter, then add the yeast mixture. Mix to form a firm dough. If it is too sticky, add a little extra flour.

Knead thoroughly until smooth and elastic.

Shape the dough into a ball and place inside a large, oiled bowl. Leave to rise until doubled in size. Knock back and shape into loaves or rolls. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise once more.

Bake in a preheated oven at gas 6 (200C) for about 40 minutes for large loaf, 30 minutes for small loaves or 15 minutes for rolls.