Speaker.

Andrew Whitley

Author of ‘Bread Matters’

Andrew Whitley Photo

Profile:

Andrew left a career as a producer in the BBC Russian Service in 1976 to found "The Village Bakery Melmerby", which became one of the country’s leading organic bakeries.

He stepped down from The Village Bakery in 2002 to concentrate on teaching, writing and campaigning on food and health. He is chair of the Soil Association’s Processing Standards Committee. His book 'Bread Matters – the state of modern bread and a definitive guide to baking your own' won the André Simon 2006 Food Book Award.

Andrew thinks that changes in the way bread is produced have compromised its integrity. He’s going to tell us why – and what we might do to make it better.

He is currently helping to start a national Real Bread Campaign to bring bread back to life.

What I'm talking about:

Bring bread back to life - it's about time! 

I will reveal what goes into your factory loaf (and what doesn't) and how fast-made bread may be enough to turn your stomach. I call for a Real Bread Campaign to expose the adulteration of our staple food and to encourage people to take matters into their own hands by making their own bread.

Comments:

Posted by: Neill Edwards on 3rd October 2009 04:25:23

Well! What a surprise! I was toying with Google and suddenly your name flashed in my mind - so I looked.. and there you were! I didn't know you had done Russian though. What have you been doing with yourself? E-mail me back if you have time... Great to see you are still here and DOING! Neill.

Posted by: Hannah on 10th June 2009 23:59:44

I watched this with interest having experienced Andrew\'s bread course myself. It changed my life. I now own and operate a bakery in the US albeit many years after my original training. I now am growing enough to hire a helper. I sent her the link so she could get a feel for the type of bread and issues surrounding the \"real bread\" that produce on a weekly basis to a growing market. Last weekend I had some Europeans come to the bakery. When I gave them a sample, the comment, \"Best bread since leaving Europe!\". And yes, I do produce Real Bread.

Posted by: paul nolan on 3rd November 2008 22:21:07

I randomly chose to watch this lecture via the web. It held my attention with fascinating facts and terrible disclosures in equal measure. How on earth did we let things get this bad with our bread? Now I understand why after eating a big dose of \\\'free bread\\\' at some work based event I feel nauseous all afternoon. Our small local bakery is being threatened by the arrival in the village of a big Tesco\\\'s store that no-one wanted. This lecture wants me to learn how to make bread and share it with friends and strangers alike in a political act of defiance. Thank you Andrew Whitley - history will surely judge you to be a wise and generous man.

Posted by: Ollie on 18th September 2008 15:45:26

I found this on the New York times and thought you may be interested. A recipe for no knead bread. Even though kneading is the funest bit its a makes a mighty tasty loaf in a rather unique way. Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting ¼ teaspoon instant yeast 1¼ teaspoons salt Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. 3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1½-pound loaf. Enjoy....

Posted by: Jon Moss on 20th August 2008 20:24:10

Hmm. My bread tasting is probably better than my punctuation!

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My Brainfood

Websites

Soil Association
Seminars, conferences, farm walks, shows and talks about organic food, farming and living sustainably
Sustain
The alliance for better food and farming
The Real Bread Campaign
The Real Bread Campaign aims to increase the enjoyment, production and consumption of bread
Bread Matters
Because what we eat affects the way we feel and act
Bread Bakers Guild of America
Shaping the knowledge and skills of the artisan baking community

Books

In Defence of Food
Author: Michael Pollan
Description: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
ISBN: 184614096X
Unto This Last
Author: John Ruskin
Description: Ruskin argues that economics, art and science must have a foundation in morality.
ISBN: 1420925962
Food Wars
Author: Tim Lang & Michael Heasman
Description: A book for anyone that cares about the way our food has been produced and its affects on our own health.
ISBN: 1853837024
English Bread & Yeast Cookery
Author: Elizabeth David
Description: This book looks into all aspects dealing with bread – flour milling, yeast and bread ovens.
ISBN: 0140299742
The Bread Builders
Author: Daniel Wing and Alan Scott
Description: Bakers are finding new ways to link traditions with a sophisticated new understating of natural leavens, baking science and over construction
ISBN: 1890132055

Organisations

The Caroline Walker Trust
Improve public health through good food
The Soil Association
UK's leading environmental charity promoting sustainable and organic farming
Sustain
The alliance for better food and farming
UK Food Group
UK network for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working on global food and agriculture issues. Our vision is a world in which hunger has been banished by food security
The Organic Research Centre
Its purpose is to develop and support sustainable land-use, agriculture and food systems
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