One of my personal goals this year is not only to push my own understanding of what bread baking can be beyond just water, flour and salt, but also to introduce a different aesthetic of bread to the people around me.

This goal led me to the Bread and Candles concept: a fine-dining-style event with several courses of bread and butter, combined with wine pairings and candlelight. For the first venue, I chose the greenhouse of the Prugerka city garden.

To be honest, I expected the evening to be beautiful, but it turned out to be one of the most beautiful events not only for me, but also for the guests, judging by the feedback I received afterwards.

What made me even happier was that this minimalist concept, built around the holy trinity of sourdough bread, butter and wine, worked amazingly well. Beautiful handmade candles by November Collective helped create the atmosphere throughout the evening.

The bread and butter menu consisted of:

Cheddar baguette with Parmesan butter

Miso seeded rye bread with smoked salmon and chive butter

Potato bread with rosemary, served with butter and bryndza from Farm(a) pod Vtáčnikom

The Almond Crown, a dark malt bread with almonds and figs, served with crunchy roasted almond butter

Chocolate and cherry panettone with whipped butter and mascarpone, served with edible flowers

The butter and dairy products were prepared by our friends from Farma pod Vtáčnikom, while our friends from Tajna Winery selected the wine pairing for each course.

I’m absolutely thrilled and excited, and I’m already planning the second part. It was simply too good to remain a one-time show.

Enjoy some pictures.

Today’s story is about what’s known as the sacred trio of nutrition: prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics and their connection to sourdough bread.

This topic makes me super excited as it once again shows how meaningful sourdough baking can be, and uncovers new horizons that were not known before. Sourdough bread can be discussed in the context of all three of these parts, as it contains prebiotics and postbiotics–and probiotics play an important role in the natural fermentation as wel

Let’s start with prebiotics. These are the fibers or non-digestible food components in bread that feed beneficial gut bacteria. Whole grain breads, in particular, are rich in prebiotics like inulin and resistant starch. Prebiotics play an important role as they function as a food source for bacteria living in our guts. The amount of fiber intake is a subject of debate, but generally speaking, most of the people living in the western world have lower fiber intake in comparison to their ancestors. 

Also, a fiber-Rich Diet is the most important factor when it comes to promoting microbial diversity, as gut microbes feed on fiber to produce beneficial byproducts (like short-chain fatty acids, which support gut health). Considering that the standard recommendation is to consume at least 30 different plant-based foods per week for maximum diversity of gut microbes, sourdough bread is a simple and delicious option. 

White flour contains less fiber, but you can easily increase the fiber by adding whole grain flour or a mix of flours, seeds, wild herbs, spices and dried fruits and vegetables.

Although these fibers are not digestible, they can be fermented by gut bacteria, which is good news since the diversity of gut bacteria is often associated with stable health., For example, using fermented butter or eating a kimchi sandwich is a perfect combo of probiotics and prebiotics that would make any nutritionist happy.  

Let’s now move to probiotics. Like kimchi and sauerkraut, Sourdough bread is a product of natural fermentation and unbaked bread is full of living bacteria. However, baked bread comes out of the oven with an internal temperature of around 100 degrees Celsius  which means that almost none of these bacteria survive. But despite this nearly sterile condition, naturally fermented dough is still easier to digest simply due to the work done by bacteria.

 I am waiting for the day when scientists create thermoresistant probiotics that can survive high temperatures inside an oven, so bakers can add them to bread dough. Another potential technique is   something called encapsulation, where probiotics are coated with protective substances like fats or proteins. This coating protects the bacteria from heat during the baking process, allowing them to stay alive until they are consumed. In this way, sourdough bread could contain all three parts of the sacred trio.

Let’s move along to postbiotics. What are they and how do they influence our health when it comes to eating bread? Well, Postbiotics are bioactive compounds that are produced when probiotics break down. In other words, they are non-living byproducts of probiotic activity and include metabolites like short-chain fatty acids, peptides, enzymes, cell wall fragments, and other microbial compounds that exert health benefits. 

While probiotics are live microorganisms, postbiotics are their byproducts or metabolites produced by probiotics during fermentation–or while they’re alive. These byproducts have their own unique biological activity that’s independent of whether the probiotics (or, the live bacteria) survive or not.

Within the context of bread, postbiotics are the result of microbial fermentation—primarily from the lactic acid bacteria present in sourdough starters. In comparison to regular bread, sourdough bread wins again, because most conventional breads are made with commercial yeast, which speeds up the fermentation process and doesn’t allow for the development of the same rich, diverse microbes found in sourdough starters. As a result regular bread simply lacks the same postbiotic content because its fermentation process is too fast to allow for the same degree of microbial activity.

Unlike probiotics, which require living organisms to work, postbiotics are stable and can survive high temperatures. This is great news, because it means you can still benefit from these compounds well after the bread is baked. This brings us to the key benefits to eating sourdough bread:

First, it promotes digestive Health.
Sourdough bread is often easier to digest than regular bread, partly thanks to the postbiotics. The fermentation process breaks down some of the complex sugars and gluten in the dough, making it gentler on the human digestive system. This is why some people with mild gluten sensitivities can manage to enjoy sourdough more easily than regular bread.

Second, it improves Nutrient Absorption by promoting a healthier gut lining.

Third, sourdough bread has anti-inflammatory Properties. More specifically, some postbiotics have anti-inflammatory effects, which have the potential to help reduce gut inflammation.

And fourth, sourdough bread contains plenty of antimicrobial Activity.
Postbiotics can have antimicrobial properties, helping to keep harmful pathogens in check. For instance, some postbiotics produced by lactic acid bacteria can inhibit the growth of undesirable microbes in the gut.

Well, if you are listening to this podcast, you probably already love sourdough bread, and I hope I gave you a reason to love it even more.

This episode was recorded in the beautiful downtown of Bratislava Slovakia.

You can find the text version on my website mykolanevrev.com 

Many thanks to Mandy Jones and Pilota Creative for producing this podcast.

I’m looking forward to sharing another story in two weeks. Until then, please don’t make kimchi and kefir sourdough bread as the result might be a bit wilder than expected.

Hello and welcome to Sourdough and stories beyond

I am your host Mykola Nevrev, sourdough expert, cookbook author and owner of The Midnight bakery, soon to be Bloom bakery in Bratislava, Slovakia 

In each episode of this podcast, I am going to share a story from the wonderful, and sometimes strange world of sourdough baking and beyond.

Today’s story is about the mystery behind world-famous Manitoba flour and its hidden, but important ancestor.

If you know what Italian Panettone is or if you’ve ever tried to bake one by yourself, you’ve probably come across very strong wheat flour called Manitoba flour. Originating from the Canadian province of Manitoba, the name of this flour is now used worldwide as a synonym for high gluten flour, which is suitable for long fermentation and enriched doughs. that’s why it is so popular among bakers who bake challenging products like Panettone.

But then, why is the name of a Canadian province that  originates from the language of local Indian tribes now used as the name of a wheat variety and what’s the story behind it?

In my honest opinion, the story I am going to share is worthy of a feature film.

It all started in 1842 when Canadian farmer David Fife received a handful of wheat grains from his friend in Glasgow, Scotland. The wheat was obtained from a cargo ship direct from Gdansk, Poland and originated somewhere in Central or Eastern Europe. The grains were seeded in the late spring and as it turned out, this yet unnamed wheat was a fall variety that never ripened, except for three stalks, each bearing only a single grain. So if you’ve ever wondered if a single grain can make a deep impact on history, now you know that it most definitely can. This singular grain started the entire history of the wheat variety called Red Fife as the colour of the mature grains was reddish.

Red Fife soon became one the most popular wheat varieties in both Canada and the United States. The yields were high, and the wheat had a good winter hardiness, early maturation, and it was resistant to fungal infections. what is also important, was that it was popular among bakers due to its excellent baking qualities.

However, the origin of Red Fife was still a subject of debate. The answer to this question came 63 years later.

In 1905, William Saunders, Canadian agriculturist who, along with his sons, played a big role in the development of Canadian wheat varieties, received samples of a Ukrainian wheat called Halychanka, which was named after Halychina, a historical part of Western Ukraine). Grains were sown in an experimental field along Red Fife and were closely monitored at all stages of growth and milling after the harvest was collected. As you can imagine, both varieties were identical and the mystery was solved more than half a century after the first grain of Halychanka changed the history of Canadian agriculture: 

This meant that Red Fife had Ukrainian origins.

Interestingly, the very first record of this grain variety can be found in old Galician chronicles from the 12^th century.

A year before this discovery, another major event in Canadian wheat growing history took place. Charles Saunders, the son of William Saunders, discovered a new variety on the fields of the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa. This variety, named Marquis, was a cross between Red Fife (also known as Halychanka) and the Indian wheat variety Hard Red Calcutta.

Fun fact: during the winter of 1904, Charles Saunders didn’t have a proper laboratory for testing the results of his experiments, no mill or oven, so he chewed the grain to assess the potential quality of future flour and bread. As you can imagine, this simple method worked.

17 years later, Marquis dominated wheat fields in North America. Compared to its ancestors, this variety has shorter straw and does not lie flat, and it also ripens a bit faster than Red Fife which is important since Canadas Prairie provinces have a shorter vegetation period. In 1918 Marquis was sown on more than twenty million acres both in the United States and Canada, replacing some other spring and winter wheat varieties.

Let’s now return to Manitoba. As one of Canada’s top wheat-growing regions, it provided the name for a flour grade in 1912, when the Canadian grain act was created to regulate wheat trade and to set the standards for grading wheat. According to the act, to be graded as Number One Manitoba Hard, the wheat must be sound and very clean, the bushel must weigh no less than 60 pounds and must consist of at least 75% Hard Red Fife or Marquis.

 Red Fife, or Halychanka made a major contribution not only to Canada’s title as the Granary of the Empire, but also to the expansion of numerous towns and the industrial development of entire regions.

High-yielding Canadian wheat can be considered one of the reasons for the Allies’ victory in World War I, and it was also crucial during World War II. As the British High Commissioner to Canada stated, ‘Without the help of Canadian farmers, Britain would have lost the war in less than two years.'”

Manitoba wheat was introduced to Italy shortly after the war as a part of the Marshall plan and since then, its name has become synonymous with strong wheat flour with high gluten content. Today, when baking panettone, Italian bakers use flour named with a word from the Algonquian Native American language that refers to a Ukrainian wheat variety that originated in the 12^th century.

After being replaced by Marquis and other hybrids, Halychanka reappeared in 1998 as a part of The Heritage Wheat Project. By 2007, 450 tonnes of Halychanka were harvested.

Now, for a little plot twist.

My research on Manitoba, Red Fife and Halychanka was intended to share information about Ukraine’s grain heritage by posting this story on the Instagram account of Bake for Ukraine, an NGO I am proud to have cofounded. The post was scheduled for August, 24^th, Ukrainian Independence Day.

The same week Bake for Ukraine received support from the amazing project Bakers for Bakers, where almost one hundred bakeries mostly from US and Canada baked Palyanytsya, Darnitsky and other iconic Ukrainian breads and pastries to raise donations for the reconstruction of 2 mobile bakery vehicles. Listen to the second episode of this podcast to learn more about them. The baking marathon was a huge success and on behalf of the Bake for Ukraine team I would like to say a big thank you to all the participants.

Dave Bauer owner of Farm and Sparrow mill in North Carolina and founder of Bakers for Bakers initiative commented on the Manitoba post to my surprise, he works with Red Fife in his mill and he also has baking experience with this wheat. So here is Dave with a short take on baking with Red Fife.

Thank you, Dave!

Well, I think it’s safe to say, the mystery of Manitoba is successfully solved and I hope you’ll remember this story the next time you eat panettone.

This episode was recorded in the beautiful down-town of Bratislava Slovakia.

You can find the text version on my website mykolanevrev.com 

Many thanks to Mandy Jones and Pilota Creative for producing this podcast.

I’m looking forward to sharing another story in two weeks. Until then, please don’t sew just one grain in attempt to create world changing wheat variety.

Sources
http://www.careerchem.com/NAMED/Patents/SSymko-wheat.pdf