We believe that good bread is wholesome, handcrafted, and rich in flavor. Good bread is our passion, our mission, our promise.
Bread that's better
From selectively sourced flours that are specific per product, to techniques inspired from old world practice, we at pHlour have developed our own baking method - slower, healthier, non-industrialized. We might be a family business, but the mother of our process is a sourdough starter that is fed daily to maintain her health and that of our bread. Almost all of pHlour's bread is made with this cared-for living organism. We call it a "pet" more often than a mother, although, the cycle of life is something we've grown to implement in our bakery to better grasp the craft of making good bread. Understanding the evolution of this sourdough starter is a key to baking bread that is free of fortification, bleaching and unnecessary stripping of organic nutritional content. Typically what you find on the shelves stocked with today's mass-produced breads are products consisting of all these additional steps, but good bread is not dependent on complex industrialized machinery. It is dependent on time, knowledge, and passion.
There are three simple ingredients in bread; flour, water, and salt but the fermentation process of this mix is what creates yeast and flavor. We all know yeast as the "thing that makes bread rise," but it all depends on the treatment of the grain from harvest to incorporation. Years ago, dough was left out in the open air to ferment and rise. It wasn't the air alone that caused the changes in the dough, but the reaction of the grain to the water, salt, and the air. This method of baking, from a simpler and more natural time, has been studied in labs and been found to be good for you. It has even been shown that bread from a natural starter is more easily digested by the human body. Through fermentation, bread attains its rightful nutritional value and life-giving properties. It also tastes better. Thanks to research from microbiologists, chemists, and dedicated bakers, there is a deep understanding of this method and its benefits.
That's where we begin; better care, better bread.
