August is our quietest month, what that means though is we have time for more development and trying new things out. We have been thinking of new ways of getting our bread to more people. While we are unable to join any of the local markets for now we are trying to think out of the box, so stay tuned for what we’ve been able to come up with!
Without further adieu here is our August special – Organic Spelt & Sesame Summer Special.
What is spelt?
Spelt is a close relative to wheat and one the so called ‘ancient wheats’. It has been cultivated since app 5000 BC. It fell out of favour with farmers and was replaced with modern wheat varieties largely because of higher yields but also because it doesn’t thresh easily (threshing is the process of removing the grain from the straw).
What makes it special?
For this loaf we have combined organic wholemeal stoneground spelt from Hodmedod with organic black sesame seeds and some organic white flour from Shipton Mill. The resulting loaf is neither white nor what you might call wholemeal. It has a wonderful milky colour, speckled with black sesame seeds and an overall nutty flavour thanks to the combination of spelt and sesame. It’s great for a sandwich and makes amazing toast when spread with honey and almond butter.
Black sesame
Black sesame seeds contain many important trace and macrominerals, as well as healthy fats that may help lower the risk of heart disease, support healthy bone development and bone health. In addition to containing more nutrients, black sesame seeds have a stronger flavor and more crunch than white sesame seeds that have had their outer hull removed. There is some research showing that regularly eating black sesame seeds could reduce oxidation in the body, improve blood pressure, and provide antioxidants and other plant chemicals that help fight cancer.
Provenance
Food provenance is understanding and knowing about our food supply chain. By buying from small producers, close to home we know we continue to support local and ethically grown crops. We invest your money back into our local community and protect ourselves and you from the uncertainty of the larger food supply chains.
Environment
Change is not something that happens overnight, it is small incremental changes each of us can do every day. We want to be part of that change locally – one less car on the road, a transparent business you know personally and not a faceless corporation, money reinvested back into our community.
What else is happening at Flour & Soul?
We took delivery of an exciting new machine a couple of weeks ago! We now have a retarder/prover which is essentially a cooling and warming cabinet in one which means we are now able to make (almost) unlimited amounts of pastry every week!
We have now also added almond croissants and fruit danishes to our well loved line up of croissants and pain au chocolat. All of these are available to pre-order and collect every Saturdays from our home near Trafford General Hospital. Pre-order before Thursday 6pm and collection is any time after 8 am on Saturday. We will update our website soon but for now, please, use email to pre-order.
