Bread bakers create sustenance out of life. Wild yeasts improbably survive on grains that have felt the full force of nature, man, and the milling process. Life in the form of a natural starter awakens with just a bit of water.
THE PROCESS is unpredictable. The baker needs intuition, flexibility and patience to work with a live culture and it’s reactions to conditions that change with every batch. Figuring out day by day the ratio (an ever-evolving puzzle) of flour to water to leavening to salt is a learn-as-you-go proposition. Time becomes the most important ingredient of all. Red Bird breads ferment and develop their flavor over the course of eleven hours.
OUR STARTER, a mix of organic rye and wheat flours with water, connects one day’s bread to the next, creating volume, lift and the trademark taste of a Red Bird loaf. Once risen, hand-shaped, slashed velvety loaves brave the intense heat of the Red Bird ovens. Out come those same bundles, as crispy/crackly crusty pillows with tender, middles, the craggy air holes inside perfect for catching any filling or spread. Or, rip in and enjoy as is.
