Breadness Buzz - Health & Happiness...

NOTE: If this is your first Breadness Buzz, or you've been part of our tribe but missed earlier posts, visit the Breadness Buzz Archive here and catch up on some Breaducation written especially for you. It's a great way to be part of this journey I started back in 2016. And now for this week's Buzz...

Health & Happiness...

CYNDIE & CHEF RANDALL — BRINGING A BIT OF HAPPINESS TO BURBANK SINCE 2021

I think it's safe to say that we all want to be happy. And we want others to be happy, too. It's also a good bet that you'd like to be healthy (and stay healthy) and would like others to be healthy as well.

Health and Happiness: a state of body and a state of mind. Two concepts that are inextricably linked. When you're healthy, you feel alive, active; ready to take on the challenges of life. When you're happy, everyone and everything looks better, possibly because when we're happy we see the joy we feel, in others.

THE BREAD COUNTER IN OUR KITCHEN, WHERE IT ALL BEGAN IN 2016.

Happiness...

I started making sourdough bread about 9 years ago; November 2016. It was just an idea:

"I wonder if I can make sourdough bread?" (I'd never attempted to make bread before.)

I was thinking ahead to the holidays and have always preferred to give gifts I created rather than store-bought stuff. Little did I know I was about to be taken on a journey unlike anything I'd ever experienced!

It took several weeks but just before Christmas 2016, I had done it. The organic artisan sourdough bread I took from the oven turned out really good; certainly good enough to give a few as presents.

ONE OF THE FIRST LOAVES READY TO WRAP UP FOR CHRISTMAS!

CYNDIE'S HOLIDAY WRAPPING: A WORK OF ART SURROUNDING "ART YOU CAN EAT" WITHIN.

Cyndie and I went to Ojai for a few days leading up to Christmas (a tradition we would continue for many years). We took the 4 gift loaves of sourdough bread with us as we would be returning on Christmas Day and driving directly to the homes of those on the receiving end of those gifts. It was very cold (in the high 30s) and rainy for that trip so we kept the wrapped loaves in the trunk of the car. They were in that "refrigerator" for a couple of days!

First stop: Cyndie and I arrived at my sister Francie's place on Christmas Day. After presenting her and my sister Robin with their bread gifts, we watched as they both opened their presents, cut the first slice, spread some butter and then took their first bites.

Time stood still. They froze. I asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing's wrong," they said, adding, "This is the best bread I've ever had!"

I wasn't expecting that reaction; it caught me off-guard. This "random act of breadness" had brought them HAPPINESS! And even more rewarding: it made me happy, too. Even more so than enjoying the bread myself, it was the giving and the joy it brought my sisters that made it extra special.

TERRY & WALLY AUGUST WITH A BREADNESS GIFT (CIRCA 2017)

Our second and final stop on Christmas Day was at the home of our long-time friends Wally & Terry August. Wally and I made lots of music together back in the 80s, both in club bands and recording projects. And Terry founded and ran a gift basket business located near Paramount Studios for over 30 years.

Also on the gift list were Susie & Duane Stroh. Susie is a writer / editor / memoirist and Duane is an artist and potter. I've done several typesetting and graphic design projects for Susie and her memoir clients.

After they opened their gifts, the result was the same. "Nothing's wrong." "This is the best bread ever!"

My fate was sealed. I would soon be delivering "random acts of breadness" gifts (designed by Cyndie) to unsuspecting friends, extended family members and clients.

PHOTO WALL AT OUR MICRO-BAKERY FEATURING EARLY RECIPIENTS OF RANDOM ACTS OF BREADNESS!

Health...

I didn't realize it in the beginning, but eventually I heard from some of my "giftees" who had gluten sensitivities. They were excited to report that unlike other breads, they had no negative reactions to my sourdough. This was a most interesting development.

I'd heard that people could go to Italy or France and eat all the bread and pasta they wanted, and not get sick or gain weight. Apparently, I was making our sourdough using ingredients and techniques not unlike like the European bread bakers: organic, non-GMO flours; no bran or germ; Alpine Spring Water; Real Salt (from Utah); our organic San Francisco Starter; and 3 days of dough work to allow the starter to break down the gluten, hence, Gluten-Neutral.

I learned how to make the best bread I could, and it turned out to be healthy, too! What an unexpected bonus!

When we opened our shop in August of 2021, our mission was to uplift the spirits of our community. In other words, make people happy! Also part of our mission was to help people live longer, healthier lives.

Over the past 4+ years, I've learned much more about health and happiness, and how to create and curate foods that contribute positively to both. And I love sharing what I've learned with our customers, many of whom have never connected food with health and longevity.

Thank you for being part of our journey. I hope you've experienced more happiness and health in your life because of Random Acts of Breadness...

FOUR SUGAR-FREE TREATS AT THE BAKERY THIS WEEK:

SOURDOUGH SHORTBREAD, BLUEBERRY MUFFIN, CREME BRULEE MUFFIN and CHOCO-CHIP CHOOKIES!

Here's what we have at the bakery for you this week...

— Organic Artisan Sourdough Country Loaf (Batard, Boule, Petite, Slider Buns/Rolls)

— Organic Artisan Cinnamon Raisin Maple Pecan Sourdough (Boule, Batard, Petite, Buns/Rolls)

— Organic Artisan Sourdough Flatbread Crisps (Naked, Herb, Smoked, Cinnamon Raisin)

— Organic/non-GMO Breadness Brûlée Muffins (Sugar-free)

— Organic/non-GMO Breadness Blueberry Muffins (Grain-free, Sugar-free)

— Organic Sourdough Choco-Chip Chookies (Grain-free, Sugar-free)

— Organic/non-GMO Sourdough Shortbread (Sugar-free)

— Organic Blueberry Sorbet (Gluten-free, No Added Sugar, Vegan)

— Organic Pineapple Sorbet (Gluten-free, No Added Sugar, Vegan)

— Organic Strawberry Sorbet (Gluten-free, No Added Sugar, Vegan)

— Organic Strawberry-Coconut Popsicles (Gluten-free, No Added Sugar, Vegan)

— Amazing Fresh Coffee, Holland Process (Cup or Demitasse)

— Chocolate Chill (Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Keto, Vegan)

And our awesome lineup of Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, along with our Butters, Garlic Bread Spreadness, Cheese, Tapenades, Nut Butters, Fruit Spreads/Jams and Sourdough Pasta and Tomato Products from Italy!

Random Acts of Breadness is located at 2214 West Magnolia Blvd in Burbank, 2-1/2 blocks east of Buena Vista on the south side of the street. Order at breadness.com/#shop, or via DoorDash. We also ship locally and nationwide.

We're open Thursday, Friday & Saturday 12 to 6pm, and Sunday 11am to 4pm.

CHEF RANDALL and CYNDIE

From our hands to yours...

Randall Michael Tobin
Artisan Baker/Chef
Breadness.com

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2214 West Magnolia Blvd.
Unit A
Burbank, CA 91506
USA

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