What You Knead To Know

We take our time to bake bread at ‘Organic Foods and Café’, and it takes a long time to make a good traditional loaf of bread, especially when you don’t put artificial rising agents into the dough. Nor does organic bread have preservatives, stabilizers or artificial colouring. We craft our breads by hand, using centuries old techniques to produce authentic artisan breads that are superior in taste and nutrition. It takes about twenty-four hours to achieve loaves that have a full texture, a good crust and a hearty nutty flavour.

All our breads are made from 100% organic ingredients. The flour is milled in a small, family run mill in the north of Germany, which adheres strictly to organic methods and modern standards of cleanliness. The organic grains are a mix of modern and ancient grains. These ancient grains such as spelt, kamut, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat, would have been used as far back as by the Romans and Vikings.

Our bread dough would have been familiar to them as well, as our dough is made without artificial additives, emulsifiers, enhancers or preservatives. For example, artificial emulsifiers such as mono-diglyceride are replaced by natural ones such as egg yolks. The bread is hearth baked on a stone slab on the bottom shelf without using trays or molds to get maximum crust for maximum flavor. The end result is authentic, organic bread which has outstanding flavor and excellent nutrition.



A Grain of Truth

Grains are an important part of a healthy diet, as they are high in complex carbohydrates and are a rich source of fibre. This insoluble fibre helps prevent constipation, guards against colon and rectal cancer and helps reduce and control blood sugar. Whole grains are high in B-vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium. When eaten with complementary foods they are a good source of protein. However, modern flour milling and mechanized manufacturing of breads strip out these important nutrients, which is why so many breads are “fortified.” The breads at the Organic Foods & Cafe do not need vitamins and minerals to be added back as our methods keep the nutritional goodness of the grains.



The Organic Ancient Grains We Use

Spelt (Dinkel)
Spelt is an ancient relative of modern common wheat, and was widely grown by the Romans. It had been popular in Europe for centuries until modern wheat took its place at the table because of its easy cultivation. It has a complex, nutty flavor and is extremely nutritious as it is an outstanding source of fiber as well as many vitamins and minerals.


Buckwheat
Buckwheat has no relationship with wheat, but is actuallythe seed of the flowering thistle plant and is naturally gluten free. Buckwheat is a traditional food in many parts of Russia and China where it is made into pancakes and noodles. The whole grain, sometimes known as “kasha” produces a sweet and speckled flour.


Amaranth
Amaranth is an 8,000 year old crop called “super food” by the ancient Aztecs. It has a reputation for providing large bursts of energy and improving athletic ability. Amaranth contains large amounts of dietary calcium as well as many other vitamins and minerals. It is also a natural source of lysine, methionine and cysteine and other essential amino acids. It is an excellent source of protein and contains no saturated fat.


Millet
Millet has been used for centuries by the Nepalese for energy at high altitudes. It has been valued for its mildly sweet flavour as well as its digestibility and high amount of protein. It not only contains 15% protein but also many other beneficial nutrients including niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin E, the minerals iron, phosphorous and potassium, and the essential amino acid lecithin.


Einkorn
Einkorn is the oldest known cereal; it is traced back to the Fertile Crescent. It fell out of favour as it is delicate and less hardy than other grains such as wheat and barley but is making a modern comeback because of its high protein content, its digestibility, and its delicate taste. Einkorn packs a huge vitamin punch. It is rich in amino acids that are important in nerve function, methionin and isoleucin, rich in carotene, a potent anti-oxidant, and has 50% more protein than wheat.


Wheat
Wheat is the most cultivated crop in the world. Yet through modern cultivation, milling and manufacturing processes it has lost much of its nutritional value. Most of the fibre, vitamin and protein content are in the wheat-germ and husk of the grain. To keep the goodness, the husk and wheat germ should be milled together with the grain, giving wholewheat flour. However due to this being more difficult to produce and store, most breads are made in the easiest and cheapest way and thus have less than 90% of their original nutritional value. Modern wheat is a high gluten and low fibre food, which is moreefficient than white sugar at increasing blood sugar levels. Wheatcan however be used as a healthy part of a diet if it is grown,harvested, milled and manufactured the old fashioned wayas we do at ‘Organic Foods and Café’. It must be organic,come from a variety grown for its nutritional value, harvested carefully to keep the precious wheat germ intact, stone ground or whole grain and then baked without additives, preservatives, enhancers or emulsifiers.



Things to look for in good organic bread

- ‘Wholegrain’ is always better

- Check for a full crust to get a good flavour.

- When buying organic breads ensure they are 100% organic and not just a percentage of organic grains added.

- When buying specialist grain breads such as spelt, make sure that you are getting 100% organic spelt, and not just an added percentage of spelt flour as is common practice.

- Make sure all of the ingredients such as salt etc. are also organic.



Meet the Baker

Dennis Otten from Bremen, Germany belongs to a family of bakers. A third generation artisan baker to use the old world, hand crafted traditions to produce hearty, nutritious breads and delicious cakes and cookies. He uses old family recipes handed down through the generations as well as modern interpretations and inventions to bake products for the modern consumer who likes food with a rustic, hearty and authentic taste.

Dennis’s mission is to produce delicious, organic breads, cakes and cookies, and to introduce more of these exotic grains to Dubai. Dennis will be pleased to discuss any specific requests or special dietary issues.