To Be, Or Not To Be…Preservative Free?
How is it that my very popular brand of organic soft wheat sandwich bread can sit at room temperature for so long before expiring into a dark green, fuzzy mass of mold?
One major part of the processed food supply (for both industrialized organic and conventional food) chain includes something most of us are familiar with – the addition of preservatives and other additives to both lengthen the shelf life of most food items found in the center isles of our grocery stores and/or make it taste ‘better’ (a relative term). The idea of the preservation of food has been around for centuries, but it really wasn’t until the 20th century that human beings started adding synthetic chemicals to our food, making our lives far more efficient and convenient.
To be very honest, I didn’t realize there were synthetic chemicals in my food. All I knew is that the food tasted good. By default, I also didn’t have a problem eating synthetic chemicals.
That is, until I started looking at the ingredients list on all my packaged foods. Ignorance really is bliss (sometimes).
Sometimes, I buy my chicken stock, pasta sauce and bread, ready made, from the local grocery store. It’s just easier. Out of sheer curiosity, I started reviewing the ingredients list on my favorite ready-made food items, thinking that I could maybe save myself some extra bucks by recreating the same flavors at home – from scratch. But…how do you make xanthum gum in your kitchen? Or lactic acid? Or soy lecithin?
Hummm….very strange, indeed. At least to me. While I now make most things from scratch, I have one more thing I’d like to make from scratch. And that brings us back to the earlier reference to sandwich bread.
In a sad attempt to make my family some whole-wheat sandwich bread, I instead made two light brown bricks, appropriate for building a home and less appropriate for making grilled cheese sandwiches. While I continue my efforts to make a less dense/sandy sandwich bread, I’ve done a bit of research and found a local bakery that makes deliciously soft, organic, preservative-free bread. Now, I don’t’ have to obtain a PhD in chemistry to decipher my ingredients list and I get to still eat sandwich bread. Fantastic.
Category: Featured Articles: Health & Nutrition, Health & Nutrition
Ugh! been there when I produced my own bricks! Keep working on it, I’m sure you’ll get there!
What did your recipe comprise of? (what was the recipe you used?) I make bread at home all the time, even organic bread and it never comes out “brick like”. Though, most “recipes” don’t tell you the proper way to mix bread. They tell you to add the salt with the rest of teh flour. SALT IS A YEAST KILLER!! You add salt in the VERY last stage of mixing… Send me the recipe and I’d be happy to help!!
Foodbuzz friend,
Jill
Who knew construction material can be easily composed in the home kitchen.
I’m sorry your bricks weren’t edible! I don’t have a breadmaker and am too lazy to wait for it to rise & punch and do again. I end up buying Earthgrains 100% whole wheat- the ingredients are pretty simple. We don’t have a local bakery that makes anything close or I may go that route too!
I’m too scared to even try making my own bread, luckily our store Wegmans has all kinds of healthy options!
Poor Patty, don’t worry! Keep on trying untill you get the right one. Be brave…be very very brave!
I’m sure you’ll be able to make nice, soft whole wheat bread soon. Even with the brick loaf, you are already one step ahead of me.
Your hammer picture is great! I’ve been there, too. It’s been a long process, but I’m finally to the point where my bread making is pretty consistent. Don’t give up! Homemade bread is definitely worth the investment of time and patience, in my opinion.
i’ve been there tons of times! every time i just tried to tell myself, oh, it’s not that bad afterall! after you simply couldn’t hide from your husband distorted face with his first bite!