C a m b r i d g e H o m e B a k e r y 'L O A F f o r L I F E ' i s o n e o f t h e f i r s t f i f t y b a k e r i e s a r o u n d B r i t a i n t o a d o p t T h e R e a l B r e a d L o a f M a r k s i n c e i t w a s l a u n c h e d i n S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 1 b y R e a l B r e a d C a m p a i g n a m b a s s a d o r s , a n d r e n o w n e d R e a l B r e a d b a k e r s , T o m H e r b e r t a n d A n d r e w W h i t l e y .
T h e L o a f M a r k o f f e r s a n a t - a - g l a n c e a s s u r a n c e f r o m a b a k e r t h a t a l o a f w a s m a d e w i t h o u t t h e u s e o f a n y p r o c e s s i n g a i d s o r o t h e r a r t i f i c i a l a d d i t i v e s .
D r . P e t e r V o s h o l s a i d : " s t a r t e d t o b a k e S o u r d o u g h b r e a d s f o r f u n a n d h o b b y . A f t e r m a n y e n t h u s i a s t i c r e s p o n s e s a n d m y o w n e n j o y m e n t I a p p l i e d f o r H o m e - B a k e r y s t a t u s . A l l o f t h e l o a v e s I b a k e a r e w h a t t h e C a m p a i g n c a l l s R e a l B r e a d . T h e L o a f M a r k m a k e s i t e a s y f o r p e o p l e t o s e e t h a t I a m b a k i n g a n h o n e s t c r u s t . "
R e a l B r e a d C a m p a i g n c o - o r d i n a t o r C h r i s Y o u n g a d d e d : "I t 's g r e a t t h a t L O A F f o r L I F E i s o n e o f t h e f i r s t ( h o m e ) b a k e r i e s i n t h e c o u n t r y t o s i g n u p t o t h e s c h e m e . W e s t i l l c a l l f o r a n H o n e s t C r u s t A c t t h a t r e q u i r e s a l l b a k e r s t o d e c l a r e e v e r y t h i n g t h a t g o e s i n t o a l o a f , b u t f o r n o w T h e L o a f M a r k i s a q u i c k g u i d e t o a d d i t i v e - f r e e l o a v e s . "
A s u r v e y c a r r i e d o u t b y T o l u n a f o r t h e C a m p a i g n f o u n d t h a t m o r e t h a n 7 0 % o f B r i t o n s b e l i e v e i t 's u n a c c e p t a b l e t h a t a n i n g r e d i e n t / a d d i t i v e s l i s t d o e s n 't h a v e t o b e d i s p l a y e d f o r u n w r a p p e d l o a v e s , a n d t h a t p r o c e s s i n g a i d s d o n't h a v e t o a p p e a r o n a n y i n g r e d i e n t s l i s t . I t a l s o f o u n d t h a t 8 5 % o f p e o p l e s a i d t h e y t h o u g h t a m a r k t o s h o w a l o a f w a s a d d i t i v e - f r e e w o u l d b e u s e f u l .
A n y b a k e r c a n u s e T h e R e a l B r e a d L o a f M a r k b y s i g n i n g a n a n n u a l a g r e e m e n t t h a t h e / s h e w i l l o n l y u s e i t t o p r o m o t e l o a v e s m a d e w i t h o u t t h e u s e o f a n y p r o c e s s i n g a i d s o r o t h e r a r t i f i c i a l a d d i t i v e s . T h e a n n u a l f e e v a r i e s d e p e n d i n g o n t h e s c a l e o f t h e b u s i n e s s , b u t f o r e x a m p l e i t i s o n l y £1 0 f o r C a m p a i g n m e m b e r s r u n n i n g t h e s m a l l e s t h o m e b a k e r i e s ; a n d f o r o t h e r s i t i s i n c l u d e d i n t h e C a m p a i g n m e m b e r s h i p f e e . T h e s c h e m e i s a l s o o p e n t o n o n - m e m b e r s . F u l l d e t a i l s o f T h e L o a f M a r k s c h e m e c a n b e f o u n d a t www.realbreadcampain.org
H o m e B a k e r y 'L O A F f o r L IFE ' s t a r t e d F e b r u a r y 1 s t 2 0 1 2 b a k i n g R e a l B r e a d a n d s p e c i a l i z e s i n s o u r d o u g h b r e a d s t o s e l l l o c a l l y . P e t e r u s e s o r g a n i c c e r t i f i e d f l o u r f r o m t h e l o c a l F o s t e r 's W i n d m i l l i n S w a f f h a m P r i o r .
T h e R e a l B r e a d C a m p a i g n i s P a r t o f t h e c h a r i t y S u s t a i n : t h e a l l i a n c e f o r b e t t e r f o o d a n d f a r m i n g , a n d i s f u n d e d b y t h e B i g L o t t e r y F u n d 's L o c a l F o o d p r o g r a m m e . M e m b e r s h i p o f t h e R e a l B r e a d C a m p a i g n i s o p e n t o e v e r y o n e w h o c a r e s a b o u t t h e s t a t e o f b r e a d i n B r i t a i n , a n d a n y b a k e r y c a n a d d a d d i t i v e - f r e e l o a v e s t o t h e C a m p a i g n 's o n l i n e R e a l B r e a d F i n d e r d i r e c t o r y .
Better Bread
All loaves contain flour from Fosters Organic Mill in Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire. The other ingredients are water, salt and sourdough starter containing natural 'wild' yeasts. Finally real handwork for the kneading and forming these beautiful tasteful loaves is used. While the rest is time to prove the dough before the final bake. Loaves for Life Bakery loaves are low in GI with a great taste.
What Is Sourdough?
Sourdough is a name for a mixture (dough or batter) of water and cereal flour containing a culture of naturally occurring yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. It is often also used to name breads and pancakes made using such a culture.
Yeasts and bacteria are present all around us - for example in the air, soil and water. Those well suited to bread production are found in relatively high populations on the surface of cereal grains, such as wheat. By grinding the grains into flour and providing a suitable environment for these microorganisms to thrive (basically by adding water, maintaining an appropriate temperature, and providing food in the form of more flour) these populations can be increased in size and concentration, where they co-exist in a symbiotic relationship.
Eventually there will be enough yeast cells giving off carbon dioxide as a byproduct of their respiration to make bread rise. The interaction of the yeast and the natural enzymes they secrete will have a beneficial effect on the flavour, texture and aroma of the baked bread.
At the same time, the populations of bacteria will increase. The interaction of these bacteria and the products of their respiration (including lactic and acetic acids) also contribute to the flavour, texture and aroma of the bread. Additional benefits in a genuine sourdough include slowing the staling of the loaf.
Why Stoneground?
The simple grinding of the whole grain in a single pass through and between two horizontal, round millstones is at the heart of traditional milling. It is designed to produce wholemeal flours with excellent flavour and nutritional value. Unlike roller milling, which removes the outer layers of the grain, stone milling crushes the grain and all parts are mixed in together. Even when finely sifted to produce lighter coloured flours, they will still contain fine particles of the fibrous and most nutritious parts - the germ and bran. There has also been research to suggest that the heat generated by roller milling destroys greater percentages of nutrients in comparison to stone ground flours of equivalent extraction rates.
Loaf for Life Bakery's Better Bread
- Longer, slower fermentation
- Being fermented using sourdough culture
- Made using local flour, preferably produced by a traditional mill, using locally-grown grain
- Made using stoneground flour
- With a salt content of 1% (by final loaf weight) or less
- Made with certified organic ingredients
In many indigenous traditions Nature is central in the whole. This reflects how they as Being are part of a living world surrounding them and therefore influencing them as they themselves are part of that same living whole. Upon several occasions this has been filtered to a concept of Natural Laws. 
