Funny enough, during these supply disruptions we get many requests for bread that we usually don't prepare. Store-bought-sugar-flour-blends. I don't like to call it bread, but many people like it. Our answer is always the same: "No, but we can make something better using our own dough."
It's not easy to maintain the balance between my personal preferences and what I find healthy based on what I know, and what many people want. I've compromised a lot throughout the years, but there's always a point that I rather lose business than lowering the quality. There are so many other bakeries that prepare that stuff that can be bought in supermarkets.
A lot of times, people want exactly the same that they're used to, but just with the "sourdough" stamp on it, or the "artisan" promise. I talked about that with a baker buddy from Ibarra, who runs a chain of "normal" bakeries there. They were asked a lot for sourdough, so I helped him setting it up. He did a great job, delicious sourdough - but his clients didn't want it. They asked for the same bread, but sourdough.
Because the doctor told them so. "Bread without yeast, sourdough" they tell their patients - those who make bread start laughing now. Sourdough contains yeast. Quite a bit of it, actually. It's wild yeasts, but it's yeast. Most doctors have no background in nutrition, and especially here they generally repeat the stereotypes that their moms have told them.
I just leave people to their believes. It doesn't really matter to me. The important part for me is to be coherent, not to lie about what we make and how we make it. If they decide to buy, great. If not, no biggie.
It's sad to see how little people know about nutrition these days. And how much they think they know, following the stupidity of the TikTok vultures. And no, I don't claim to know everything. I like staying up to date, but it's hard these days. Most of my knowledge is based on what I learned when I went vegan and had to start knowing stuff, and I think that the bigger part of that is still true.
I do listen to Dr. Greger's podcasts and videos, though, as he always explains everything based on published studies, and not mom's aunt's dog's walker's instagram channel, because, you know, she's really hot and fit, so she must know what she's talking about. Or the 70 year old optometrist with a BMI of 30 who swears it's only because he has heavy bones, but lectures you about your carbohydrate intake and how a meal without meat is not a real meal, showing you his dentes canini as undeniable proof for his statement.
But I digress.
Coherence also means being true to our brand. We do artisan bread, yes, and we have a wide choice of high quality and healthy bread. We do make white bread as well - but nothing like others. It's a 20h process from first fermentation (yeast fermentation, sorry, doc) to baking on most of them. Just like sourdough, that degrades most of the hard-to-digest sugars that wheat contains - something that a lot of people confuse with a gluten intolerance.
These days, it's hard to get the flour we usually use. We stocked up a lot on whole wheat and rye, as those come from a friends of mine who run a farm and mill a few villages over - but they can't come into town now. The white flour is running low, too - we had to buy a few of a different brand, that is not the same quality.
But people understand. I apologized the other day for the bread not being the best, as we have many orders and have to be extremely careful with our gas. That means that we can't respect the resting times for the dough 100%, sometimes it's a little too long - but until now, never too short.
Our clients don't mind. They know the situation, they're happy that we're able to produce for them, and are also happy to support us. Community stuff. And they know that we're doing our best, always. And that includes trying our best to meet the wants of those clients who prefer spongy and sweet bread - our best, but without changing what we are and do.
What are your thoughts about this topic? Please feel free to engage in any original way, including dropping links to your posts on similar topics. I'm happy to read (and curate) any quality content that is not created by LLM/AI, as well as read your own experience and point of view, I love to learn!