Why Bread Camp Part 3 of 3

By Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread

Lighting the Oven

Day two of camp begins early. We light a fire in our brick ovens, then help with the morning’s harvest of squash blossoms and lambs quarter. We hear from a representative from the Illinois Stewardship Alliance about farm policy and how to get involved in changing a system that is often geared towards supporting factory farming. Once our ovens are heated, we bake and Meg Galus, Executive Pastry Chef of the Boka Restaurant Group in Chicago, talks about incorporating whole grains into pastry production. This year, she made madeleines with oat flour. Meg does not dub them “oat madeleines,” because that’s not quite the point for her. She says that the oat flour creates a more dynamic flavor profile in the product and that for her, these are now just “her madeleines” because the point isn’t to flaunt that they are whole grain, the point is to make the best product she can.

Photo: Jankun Studios

Fresh from the Hearth

Our loaves come out of the oven and we analyze. Baking on a farm is quite different than baking in a bakery. There are many variables we can’t control, but this year, the breads we made over the two-day camp turned out quite well. Campers have already been convinced of the health and flavor benefits of the farm grains but as we try our farm flour products side by side with the commodity grains, eyes again light up. They are forever committed to quality sourcing, knowing their farmers, and building this growing community. I love being part of this culture of baking, where we support each other and share knowledge, which seems to come naturally to us. Bakers here are invited to spread that sense of community to include their farmers, then to their neighbors and then the newcomers to their stores. Together we can build something better, but it takes all of us working together towards this common goal to make it happen and Bread Camp is working to tie all of these pieces together.

See more posts from this series:
Why Bread Camp Part 1 of 3
Why Bread Camp Part 2 of 3

Regenerate is a regional collaboration between charities, not for profits, culinary educators, restaurants and businesses that seek to build a better food system to serve consumers in South Western Ontario.

What is Bread Camp?

Bread Camp is a 2-day experience educating and connecting growers, millers, bakers and chefs who are creating a rise in demand for local grains. This program will increase a baker’s capacity to procure and utilize regionally grown whole grains to build and develop the regional foodshed.