Breadness Buzz - BTO Begins, The Holey Bread Dilemma, Sourdough Shortbread...

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 meet like-minded artisan sourdough aficionados and be part of this journey I started back in 2016. And now for this week's Buzz...

The Beginning of the Beyond...

11 NEW EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS (top) and 10 NEW VINEGARS (below) from BEYOND THE OLIVE

This week begins a new chapter for Random Acts of Breadness as we introduce our new line of Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars and one Red Wine Vinegar from Beyond the Olive in Pasadena.

BTO is the creation of Lisa Grabow, and if you've tasted and purchased any of our tapenades, you are familiar with the brand. Her products are fresh and flavorful: two requirements of any artisan products we offer to our customers at the bakery.

When I was notified last month that Ojai Olive Oil Company would no longer be supplying their products to shops outside of the Ojai Valley area, I had the daunting task of finding Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars that could step in and match the quality, freshness and flavors that we and our customers have enjoyed for the past 3-1/2 years.

Very fortunately, I knew that Lisa's main business was Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, so it was just a matter of having her come to the bakery so I could sample as many of her products as possible. After tasting about 16 extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) and a dozen or so balsamic vinegars (BVs) and one red wine vinegar, I settled on 11 EVOOs, 9 BVs and that 1 RWV!

A couple of notes to help orient you to BTO compared to our previous EVOO and BV products: Although BTO is based in Pasadena, the EVOOs are grown, milled and pressed in northern and central California (locations listed on each product page). They are generally more buttery and smoother than our previous line. All Balsamic Vinegars are produced in Modena, Italy, but the flavor infusions are blended in California. These BVs are thicker and sweeter than their Ojai counterparts. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the quality and variety of these vinegars. And the lone Lambrusco Red Wine Vinegar is definitely worth tasting.

10 NEW VINEGARS from BEYOND THE OLIVE and 2 ORGANIC BVs from RITROVO SELECTIONS

All of these BTO products are now live on our website at breadness.com; just click/tap the link and explore these 21 products from the comfort of your home or office. Make a list of the products that interest you and bring it when you come to Random Acts of Breadness. It's going to be an exciting weekend!

And to cap things off, Lisa herself will be at the bakery this Sunday from 12 to 2pm! It's not often you get to talk with a purveyor of olive oils and vinegars who knows what it takes to make exceptional products in this space. I encourage you to take advantage of her presence and learn from her experience and knowledge.

The Holey Bread Dilemma...

I have a feeling that this breaducative brief is going to be somewhat controversial but it's been "proofing" for quite a while and it's about time I transfer it to the dough bench and stretch and fold it to develop proper strength and structure.

For the past few months I've been told that there have been some larger-than-usual holes in our traditional Country Sourdough bread. After seeing these holes, my first inclination was to do some research as to how to control these holes, to reign them in, get those microbes to behave in a more civilized manner. I scoured bread forums and discussion groups, and tried to pinpoint the problem with our time-honored process.

As a matter of course, we always pop any bubbles we see on the surface of the loaves as we are shaping them on the bench. But detecting holes inside the loaves is not really possible.

After some months, I remembered something... there are 2 distinct categories of sourdough bread: Artisan Bread and Sandwich Bread. Artisan Bread is a work of art; the Crust and the Crumb. I have a poster of this very statement mounted high up on the wall that faces our front counter and has done so since before we opened.

Artisan Bread is the star of the show; the staff of life; paired with butter or olive oil/balsamic vinegar or avocado or cheese, it's a meal in itself. It makes an awesome French Toast or Garlic Bread, holes and all!

Artisan Bread can be ripped apart or gently sliced. It can be flatbread thin or Texas Toast Thick! Sure, it can be used for sandwiches, but that's not what it was designed for. In the artisan sourdough world, these kinds of holes are what bakers strive for, and talk about, and admire when they see them.

And then there's Sandwich Bread. Sandwich Bread is designed to have a fine crumb with little to no big holes whatsoever. It's designed for sandwiches. The recipes and techniques (adding butter and/or sugar; kneading and taking less time to proof) are different than traditional artisan bread. A bread pan used for baking rather than a freestanding boule or batard mound baking on an oven stone, also differentiates the two breads.

In the end, I realized that we should be celebrating our holey bread, not trying to change its innate beauty that the starter organisms bring to the party. They've been doing an amazing job for us since 2016.

And although one can certainly use the less holey slices of our bread to make sandwiches, Artisan Bread is much more deserving of a starring role than than a supporting part.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this topic...

Sourdough Shortbread is coming...

After tasting some Trader Joe's Shortbread cookies, I wondered if I could make an Artisan Sourdough Shortbread that would taste wonderful and be sugar-free. The basic recipe seemed simple enough: 6 ingredients (substituting our awesome Allulose blend for the sugar), 48 hours in the fridge to proof, then slicing into cookies for baking. The first batch (above) turned out very well. But I'm going to make a couple of small adjustments to the technique, oven temperature and time that should produce what I hope will be our next "hit single."

As of Wednesday I've got a new dough slab proofing in the fridge that will be sliced and baked on Friday. It's quite possible we'll have some available this weekend...

Here's what we have for you this week...

— Organic Artisan Sourdough Country Loaf (Batard, Boule, Petite)

— Organic Artisan Cinnamon Raisin Maple Pecan Sourdough Loaf (Boule, Petite)

— Organic Artisan Cinnamon Raisin Maple Pecan Sourdough Rolls

— Organic Chocolate Artisan Sourdough Loaf (Petite)

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

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

— Organic Choco-Chip Chookies (Gluten-free, Grain-free, Sugar-free, Keto/Low-carb)

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

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

— Popsicles (Strawberry Coconut)

And our awesome NEW lineup of Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, along with our Butters, 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.

See you this weekend for our Sourdough Celebration!

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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