What is Artisan Bread?

If you’ve ever picked up fresh, homemade bread from a bakery and compared it to the pre-sliced stuff from the supermarket, you know the truth: not all bread is created equal. This may be obvious when comparing bread of vastly different quality, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Let’s Talk Quality

The term “artisan” may appear before or after foods in the same way that you see vaguely descriptive words like “fresh,” “craft,” or “real.” Each one is meant to represent the fact that a certain level of care or quality has gone into the product. This may be the case, however there are no restrictions or limitation on who can use these labels or how they are used. That means it is up to you as the consumer to dig a little deeper into what these labels mean for each product.

The word “artisan” means, to us, that we go above and beyond when supervising and assuring the quality of our bread products. From start to finish, we monitor our bread making to create the perfect quality and flavour. It takes a lot of attention to create quality products and “artisan” is the way we explain our dedication to this process.

The best method in the world won’t mean anything if you come out with a less-than-superior taste. You never want your food preparation to be all bark and no bite! This is why we double-down on flavour and make it an essential part of the process.

Artisanal techniques are just one way to achieve the best tasting bread. Like many crafts, what it comes down to is patience. If you want tons and tons of very “meh”-tasting bread, the Chorleywood Process uses plenty of chemicals and high-energy mixers to cater to quantity over quality. This is a very common method of mass-produced bread products.

On the other hand, a long fermentation development process allows for the bread to rise for up to 24 hours, which means that the enzymes react with the flour slowly and naturally, creating a robust texture and flavour.

Let’s Talk About Health

Artisan bread is actually much easier to digest because the gluten in the flour has already begun breaking down while exposed to the enzymes. Plus, bread that takes longer to produce will often have a longer shelf life, meaning you can take your time and savour it because it won’t go bad as quickly. Good bread, like many great things, is truly worth the wait.

Where To Get Artisan Bread

A Bread Affair is Vancouver’s favourite non-GMO, organic, artisan bakery located on Granville Island.  We have over 18 different bread flavours and are known for our superior quality and attention to wholesome, healthy baking techniques.  Customers come to us from all over the world to try our breads.  We have loaves, sandwiches and baked goods and are always creating new flavour combinations.  Visit our bakery and let us what you think!