Baking & Snack - February 2020 - 162

NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

the

for

KNEAD W
ACTION

Zingerman's Bakehouse rolls out
State St. Wheat under Bread Lab
Collective's sandwich bread program.
State St. Wheat
contains locally
sourced flour
and honey
from Michigan.
Zingerman's Bakehouse

162 Baking & Snack February 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

While Zingerman's Bakehouse cranks out a range of
specialty and European breads every day at its bakery
in Ann Arbor, MI, it took a swift departure from the
lineup with its latest product, State St. Wheat. The sliced
whole wheat bread was inspired by an initiative from
Washington State University's Bread Lab Collective,
which brings together bakers, millers, teachers, students and wheat breeders to create whole wheat sandwich breads.
Under the collective's guidelines, bakeries are asked
to develop breads using long fermentation methods and
to include fewer than seven ingredients in the formulas, which must contain at least 50% whole grain flour.
Ingredients such as dough conditioners, vital wheat gluten, flavorings, colors and preservatives are excluded from
the products.
"By returning to artisan techniques and intentional
ingredient choices and including freshly milled whole
grains, we're able to connect to our communities, our
land and our traditions in a meaningful, nourishing
way," said Amy Emberling, co-managing partner of
Zingerman's.
To create State St. Wheat, the bakery uses high-extraction wheat, organic soft white wheat, organic whole rye,
honey, olive oil, sea salt and water. According to Hazim
Tugun, the bakery's quality and innovation specialist,
Zingerman's mills the locally grown wheat used in its
bread. In addition, some of the soft white flour is scalded
for added sweetness and moisture. "All of that goes into
a naturally leavened dough with a touch of Michigan
honey and olive oil for a same-day fermentation to keep
the flavors mild," he said. "The loaves get a gentle bake in
our convection ovens to achieve a thin, relatively lightcolored crust. The result is a flavorful sandwich loaf
where you can taste the grain, with the added bonus of a
tender and moist crumb and a relatively long shelf-life."
In addition to Zingerman's, more than a dozen bakeries across the US are part of the Bread Lab Collective's
program and have made their own sliced breads using
local ingredients and processes. For every loaf of State
St. Wheat sold, Zingerman's will donate 10¢ to the Bread
Lab to make other projects like this possible.
"We hope the launch of State St. Wheat inspires
other artisan bakers to join us, so Bread Lab Collective
sandwich bread will become available in every state,"
Ms. Emberling said.
Editor's note: Tune into Since Sliced Bread, a new podcast from Baking & Snack. In its first season, the series
examines declining bread sales and solutions to this growing challenge.
- Anna Wiber

http://www.bakingbusiness.com

Baking & Snack - February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - February 2020