((PKG)) BREAD MAKING
((Banner: Traditional Bread))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Mike Burke))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((NATS))
((JONATHAN BETHONY, BAKER & CO-OWNER, SEYLOU))
I really like the freshness that milling your own grains brings to the aroma and the flavor of the bread. I also am very particular on how the flour is milled. It’s an art onto itself. It’s very ambitious to be a miller and a baker at the same time, and it’s very difficult. But, I also know exactly what kind of flour I want to use, so when I’m milling, I am able to control that in a way that is currently better than I can source.
((NATS))
((SAM FROMARTZ, FOOD WRITER & CRITIC))
So, Jonathan is, in a sense, is adjusting to each batch of grain that he mills. One type of flour from a particular grain might ferment really quickly. Another may take much longer, you know. One might be really appropriate for, say, you know, a baguette like this, and another type of flour might not be appropriate for that. So, he's kind of mixing and matching and playing with his ingredients. So, it adds another layer to the process.
((NATS))
((JONATHAN BETHONY, BAKER & CO-OWNER, SEYLOU))
We use about 20 different varieties of grains. We use several varieties of wheat alone. So, within the wheat family, you have, you have hard wheat, soft wheat, white wheat, red wheat.
((NATS))
((SAM FROMARTZ, FOOD WRITER & CRITIC))
It’s a very challenging craft. So, it’s not as if you can open up, you know, a bakery and go into business. You really have to learn the craft and it takes a lot of time to master. That’s why there were bread baker guilds in the old days where people would train as apprentices, because it’s a craft that needs to be learned.
((NATS))
((JESSICA AZEEZ, CO-OWNER, SEYLOU))
It's a very rewarding opportunity for me to get to meet all kinds of great people walking in through the door and working with our staff, and working with the farmers that we work with on a regular basis.
((NOONI REATIG, CUSTOMER, SEYLOU))
It has so many things going on at once, like especially the bread. When you bite in, the crust is crispy but the inside has kind of, it has a bounce and a texture.
((JONATHAN BETHONY, BAKER & CO-OWNER, SEYLOU))
I actually would love it if people came and got to feel that excitement, and at the same time, get something that’s very nourishing for them.
((NATS))
