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Sourdough September and Real Bread

This Desem Bread has only whole wheat flour, water and salt.

Fall is upon us. Last week summer was still here, but starting Wednesday, there were two days of cooler temperatures then, boom! the first storm of the season, including a South Pender power outage for most of the day. Just like that, Summer’s done! 

Sourdough September is nearly over, too! It started a few weeks back, and we only have a week left. It’s more of a phenomenon in the United Kingdom. Still, it’s evolved into an international celebration of genuine sourdough and the people who make it. The U.K.-based Real Bread Campaign and the charity, Sustain, encourage people to buy genuine sourdough bread and make their own.

Bread-like products

Sourdough bread may seem like a slam dunk to many of us, but there are vast segments of the population unaware of it or unmoved by it. Large baking operations continue to churn out millions of homogenous loaves a day and people buy them. However, these loaves shouldn’t really be called bread, but rather “bread-like products.”

Sourdough September is a reaction to significant baking interests that try to co-opt the word “sourdough,” among other things. These companies can (falsely) claim their own products are sourdough, even though they’re leavened with 100% commercial baking yeast.

Their bread-like products can be flavoured by “sourdough” additives like acetic acid that produce a sour flavour but contain no leavening action. 1 Look at the ingredients label on these plastic bread products. Many of them are barely pronounceable and possibly a little worrying.

A good plate mop

I’m being strident here. I was raised on this stuff, and when I do indulge in one of these loaves, it’s OK! As a vehicle for condiments, like creamy butter and luscious preserves, a slice of toasted plastic bread really works! The crumb is little more than mushy cotton, not as chewy as a good sourdough’s. It might also make a good plate mop for something decadent, like a sauce or egg, but it needs some help to make it palatable.

Sourdough September is meant to draw attention to the glories of genuine sourdough, made on a more human scale. Like flour, water and salt, leavened with naturally occurring yeast. Plastic bagged bread includes many more ingredients like calcium propionate (a mould inhibitor), wheat gluten, soybean lecithin, sorbic acid or fungal alpha-amylase. Some components may be undeclared because there is no legal requirement to do so.

Through programs like Sourdough September, the Real Bread Campaign is lobbying the UK to adopt something called the Honest Crust Act. The plan would be to have measures passed into law, such as legal definitions for words like “freshly baked,” “whole grain bread,” and “sourdough bread.”

The Honest Crust Act

According to stipulations laid out in the act, bread products containing ingredients like dried gluten and soy flour would not be allowed to be called bread.

There is much more to the UK’s Real Bread Campaign and no real equivalent organization in Canada, aside from passionate bakers raising awareness.

 You already know that Happy Monk bread is leavened with sourdough. Happy Monk bread also uses essential ingredients (flour, water, salt, yeast) and a handful of things like seeds, spices, sweeteners (molasses, honey and malt syrup) and occasional enrichers (eggs, oil, beer or cider).

The real bread seal of approval

 Our bread would qualify as real bread, according to the Real Bread Campaign. We do need to do a better job of detailing all our ingredients and where they come from.

We’re passionate about real bread. We look forward to connecting with more organizations like the Real Bread Campaign to spread the word.

It’s been a good September so far! We’re happy to be back from the holidays, and we look forward to making more real bread for the rest of the year.


HAPPY MONK BLOG: An Approachable Manifesto: A loaf designed for the grocery shelf, but with honest-to-goodness artisan credentials. (May 24, 2023) [ See LinkTree in Proifile ]

HAPPY MONK BLOG: An Approachable Manifesto: A loaf designed for the grocery shelf, but with honest-to-goodness artisan credentials. (May 24, 2023) [ See LinkTree in Proifile ] ...

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Morning coffee ritual, Saturday morning. Drinking Moving Coffee, eating Happy Monk Sprouted Einkorn Sourdough bread, and spending a lot of time setting up this photo. Thanks for the coffee tip, @jomosenpai, it’s really good!
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#coffeelover #coffee #pourovercoffee #pourover #coffeetime #coffeelover  #coffeecoffeecoffee #ceramiccoffeecup #ceramiccoffeemug #coffeeaddict #einkornsourdough #einkornbread #einkornsourdoughbread #einkornbaking

Morning coffee ritual, Saturday morning. Drinking Moving Coffee, eating Happy Monk Sprouted Einkorn Sourdough bread, and spending a lot of time setting up this photo. Thanks for the coffee tip, @jomosenpai, it’s really good!
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#coffeelover #coffee #pourovercoffee #pourover #coffeetime #coffeelover #coffeecoffeecoffee #ceramiccoffeecup #ceramiccoffeemug #coffeeaddict #einkornsourdough #einkornbread #einkornsourdoughbread #einkornbaking
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It’s been a long time since I baked with Einkorn flour, the most ancient of the ancient grains. It’s called “Farro Piccolo” in Italian, or ‘little farro’. A later variety of Einkorn is called “Farro Grande” (large farro)… otherwise known as Spelt. (Einkorn left, Spelt right) Here endeth the lesson. 
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#einkorn #einkorngrain #einkornbread #einkornbaking #tasteofeinkorn #spelt #speltgrain #speltflour #ancientgrain #ancientgrains #ancientgrainbaking #ancientgrainflours

It’s been a long time since I baked with Einkorn flour, the most ancient of the ancient grains. It’s called “Farro Piccolo” in Italian, or ‘little farro’. A later variety of Einkorn is called “Farro Grande” (large farro)… otherwise known as Spelt. (Einkorn left, Spelt right) Here endeth the lesson.

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#einkorn #einkorngrain #einkornbread #einkornbaking #tasteofeinkorn #spelt #speltgrain #speltflour #ancientgrain #ancientgrains #ancientgrainbaking #ancientgrainflours
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Happy Monk Tidings - April 5, 2023 🍞 - BAKER'S CHOICE: Hot Cross Buns; BLOG: Falling in Love With Bread; ANNOUNCEMENT: Next Week Bread Day is on Wednesday, April 12; ALSO: Come see the Happy Monk Bread Oven this coming Sunday, April 9; [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Happy Monk Tidings - March 22, 2023 🍞 - BAKER'S CHOICE: Birdseed Bread; BLOG: Couldn't We Enjoy Winter a Little Longer? EXTRA: "Haulout" A film about walruses on brink. [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Happy Monk Tidings - March 15, 2023 🍞 - Greetings! This week's BAKER'S CHOICE: Anadama Bread; BLOG: The Enduring Promise of Bread Machines ~ [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Happy Monk Tidings - February 22, 2023 🍞 - BAKER'S CHOICE: Sprouted Rye and Seed Bread; BLOG: The Shipping Forecast on BBC 4; SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: No bread next week! https://mailchi.mp/4ea4d30316bb/happy_monk_tidings_feb22_2023

Happy Monk Tidings - February 22, 2023 🍞 - BAKER`S CHOICE: Sprouted Rye and Seed Bread; BLOG: The Shipping Forecast on BBC 4; SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: No bread next week! https://mailchi.mp/4ea4d30316bb/happy_monk_tidings_feb22_2023 ...

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Happy Monk Tidings - February 15, 2023 🍞 - BAKER'S CHOICE: Cinnamon-Raisin Sourdough; BLOG: The Magic of the Grouse; VIDEO: How Bread Was Made in 1962; FINAL REMINDER: New Delivery Times/Prices - [Campaign URL]

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Luminous bannetons.
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven  #woodfiredbaking #woodfiredbakery #woodfiredbread #earthoven #earthenoven #bannetons #banneton

Luminous bannetons.
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredbaking #woodfiredbakery #woodfiredbread #earthoven #earthenoven #bannetons #banneton
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Sesame Sourdough bowling alley. 
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #coboven #Mildrith #Mildriththeoven #woodfiredovenbread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #bread #realbread #sesamesourdough #sesame #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderislands #southerngulfislandsbakers #southerngulfislandsbakeries #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany

Sesame Sourdough bowling alley.
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #coboven #Mildrith #Mildriththeoven #woodfiredovenbread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #bread #realbread #sesamesourdough #sesame #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderislands #southerngulfislandsbakers #southerngulfislandsbakeries #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
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Happy Monk Tidings - February 8, 2023 🍞 - Baker's Special: Spelt-Honey Sourdough; Happy Monk Blog: Into the Murk; REMINDER: New delivery hours and prices; [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Happy Monk Tidings - February 3, 2023 🍞 - HAPPY MONK BLOG: Save Something From The Time Where We Will Never Be Again; BAKER'S CHOICE: Sesame Sourdough; NOTE: New Delivery Times and New Prices [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Happy Monk Tidings - December 14, 2022 🍞 - Baker's Choice: Fruit Sourdough Pan Loaf; Happy Monk Blog: The Year in Bread ... and Gratitude! [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Happy Monk Tidings - December 7, 2022 🍞 - Baker's Choices: Fig and Fennel and Rye-Currants; BLOG: The Noble French Baguette; Last Bake next week! [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Happy Monk Tidings - November 30, 2022 🍞 - Bakers Choice: Cranberry-Pecan Sourdough; BLOG: Tassajara Wisdom/Perfect Loaf Mastery; REMINDER: Happy Monk holidays fast approaching! [ See LinkTree in Profile ]
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#theperfectloaf #perfectloaf #perfectloaf #maurizioleo #tassajarabreadbook #tassajarabread #tassajaracookbook

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#theperfectloaf #perfectloaf #perfectloaf #maurizioleo #tassajarabreadbook #tassajarabread #tassajaracookbook
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Happy Monk Tidings - November 16, 2022 🍞 - BAKER'S CHOICE: Spelt & Toasted Buckwheat Sourdough; BLOG: Mysticism and Bob Dylan; Extra: Happy Monk Search [ See LinkTree in Profile ]

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Just rockin’ the Olive Sourdough at 4:30 a.m. in the morning. Into Mildrith’s fire they go!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bakerslife #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #breadmaking #breadmaking🍞 #sourdough #sourdoughbread #coboven #earthoven #earthenoven #olives #olivebread #olivesourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany #southerngulfislands #southerngulfislandsbakers #southerngulfislandsbakeries #penderisland

Just rockin’ the Olive Sourdough at 4:30 a.m. in the morning. Into Mildrith’s fire they go!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bakerslife #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #breadmaking #breadmaking🍞 #sourdough #sourdoughbread #coboven #earthoven #earthenoven #olives #olivebread #olivesourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany #southerngulfislands #southerngulfislandsbakers #southerngulfislandsbakeries #penderisland
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  1. See this video that explains how sourdough flavour can be added to dough to make the bread taste like sourdough.

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