BREADSMITH: Just Like Home

I remember the wonderful aroma of fresh bread and rolls coming out of my mom’s oven once or twice a week throughout my childhood. I agree with James Beard when he writes in his book, “Beard on Bread,” about how satisfying good bread can be:

“However, unless we bake it ourselves, it is hard to come by a loaf of bread these days delicious enough to stir the senses. We are offered spongy, plasticized, tasteless breads, pre-sliced, doctored with nutrients and preservatives, and with about as much gastronomic importance as cotton wool.”

Paul Gruchow, a Minnesota writer, wrote about life on the farm and his mother’s home baked bread in “Grass Roots.” “The slicing of the first loaf in a new batch, still steaming, its sweet, nutty aroma filling the kitchen, was one of the sacred rituals of our household.”

He goes on to lament how he and his sisters later wanted to fit into the consolidated school system and city life. They “coveted boughten bread, contrived from flour so denuded of its essence that its only nutrients came from artificial additives” until their mother gave up baking bread and purchased “a factory substitute.”

Fortunately, we don’t have to bake our own to enjoy really great bread. Rob Roberts and his staff at Breadsmith bake fresh bread Monday through Saturday. And for vegans, they’re a godsend.

It’s difficult to find bread that meets the requirements for vegans: no dairy products such as milk, whey, butter, cream, and no honey.

Vegans also cannot have the common dough conditioner L-cysteine. I haven’t had much luck finding bread in grocery stores that is suitable (although Breadsmith sells some of their breads at Hornbacher’s).

But at Breadsmith, they usually offer four different vegan breads daily, as well as pizza dough and hamburger buns. There are different varieties available each day, ranging from French peasant with cracked wheat to Icelandic brown bread, marathon multigrain, and tomato basil…the list could go on and on.

However, their desserts, sweetbreads, and cornbread are not vegan. I’m hoping that in the future Breadsmith will offer a vegan cookie.

Their website and the store both provide a list of ingredients so you know which breads are vegan, but you can also ask. The staff is friendly and will help with your selection.

They also sell gourmet olive oil, vinegar, marinades, jam and other tasty treats. Not all of these are vegan, but you will find some interesting additions to your bread purchases.

If you are looking for holiday presents or stocking stuffers, consider a gift certificate, a bottle of basil infused olive oil, or perhaps a bottle of lemon extract.