I’ve been experimenting with sprouted wheat for a number of years. So when I met Douglas Michael, founder of Columbia Country Bread and Granola, at the Maine Artisan Bread Fair earlier this month, his breads caught my attention. They are made completely with sprouted grains, leavened with natural leaven and include no flour.
Although I’ve made loaves with sprouted wheat and no added flour, all of mine were leavened with dry yeast. I was curious about the texture and flavor of these naturally leavened sprouted breads. I sampled his sprouted pita bread and contemplated getting some of the other breads to take home, but I wasn’t sure if they would survive the drive back to Georgia.
When Doug learned I was a blogger, he offered to ship some bread for me to sample and review. That sounded like a great idea and we exchanged business cards. This was my first glimpse into Columbia County Bread and Granola Company’s wonderful customer service. It gets better so read on.
Fast forward a week. I had barely gotten back into my routine from the long drive back to Georgia, when Doug contacted me to let me know they would be shipping the breads out the next week.
Then he provided an overview of their sprouting and baking process which I found very interesting. The timing of sprouted grains is something I get a lot of questions about on my blog. He did indicate that these times are approximations so keep that in mind.
Here is their high-level sprouting process:
- They begin the process on Saturday – rinsing then soaking the wheat.
- It takes about twenty four hours to soak then they drain and another twenty four hours to sprout.
- On Tuesday, they do the grind and the mix (adding in the starter).
- Tuesday night they measure, shape, proof and bake.
- They ship out the breads on Wednesday for 2nd day delivery.
- They monitor the process all the way through. Some wheats absorb water better than others and sprout quicker. Some take more time.
- They’ve learned that it’s not a set matter, but this has been their general rule for awhile now.
Doug contacted me again on Wednesday to let me know the breads were scheduled to arrive on Friday and to please keep an eye out and keep the breads out of the sun. So I waited patiently (sort of) for the breads to arrive and when they did, I was not disappointed.
I opened the package right away and found lot’s of goodies wrapped in green tissue paper. It was a delightful presentation. There was pita bread, country wheat bread, orange poppy seed flatbread and granola (which he said he added at the last minute because it fit). I loved that!
As I checked the contents of the box further, I found some extra niceties. Along with the pita bread, there was a cute instruction manual on the best way to eat the pita bread and a bamboo toaster tong that allows you to remove the pita bread from the toaster without getting burned. How cool is that! I’ve since learned that Doug was a cartoonist in a former life which explains the cartoon characters on the instruction card.
I opened the orange poppyseed flatbread right away. I had sampled it at the festival so I already knew what it was like. It was superb! I think this is my favorite bread in the package. It’s crispy and light with a hit of orange goodness. I could’ve eaten the whole package by myself, but I didn’t. I shared some with my son. He enjoyed it as well.
We enjoyed the pita bread toasted with hummus. Yum! I’m still enjoying the wheat bread. I sliced it and froze it so that it would keep. I just take out a slice when I want a snack.
And the granola. I am so glad he included this in the package. I had never tasted flaxseed granola. I really like it. Come to find out, so do a lot of other folks. In fact, it was featured on Dr. Oz a couple of years ago.
C.C. B&G’s Fruit & Berry Flax Granola, which is the version I tried, is nut free, all-vegan, paleo-safe, GM-free, gluten free, AND, and is made without adding refined sugars of any kind, NO salt and absolutely NO oats. It is lightly seasoned with cinnamon and baked at a low temperature to preserve the integrity of flax’s rich core of omega3 fatty acids. No wonder so many people like this granola.
You would think that the box of edible goodies would be enough, right? No so. When I opened the “Who we are” note inside the envelope, things got really interesting. Not only are C.C. B&G’s breads delicious and good for you, but they have a wonderful story as well.
Do you know the story behind Columbia? I didn’t. It’s a neat bit of history, but I won’t give it away because I don’t want to spoil the experience for you. I encourage you to order some of their breads so you can find out their story and taste their breads for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.
It gets better. The story included with the breads is interesting, but if you go to their website www.ColumbiaCountyBread.com, you’ll find even more information as well as some funny videos. I don’t necessarily agree with everything, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the read and the videos.
Here is the motto on their about us page.
Columbia County Bread & Granola is a group of bakers, designers, packers and administrators who continually ask ourselves, how can we do it better and, by doing so, we have innovated some amazing, unique products.
We have reinvented bread and granola and we will continue to break new ground.
Doug’s story and his reasons for creating Columbia Country Bread and Granola are very inspiring. I’m glad he persevered over the years and perfected the sprouting method (along with the other bakers) so he could share these healthy and delicious breads and granola with others.
I want to thank Doug for allowing me the opportunity to review C.C. B&G’s breads. I enjoyed all of the breads in the package.
If you like sprouted wheat or have heard about the benefits of sprouted bread, you should give these breads a try. My photos don’t do the breads justice, but I assure you, you won’t be disappointed. Order directly from C.C. B&G. They ship all over the U.S and their customer service is awesome!
Please note that the opinions of C.C. B&G are not necessarily my opinions – i.e. I don’t hate flour, but their story is a great story and it speaks to the resolve of the American entrepreneurial spirit which I do agree with.
That’s the great thing about bread. It brings people from all walks of life together for a common purpose – enjoying good bread.
Disclaimer: I received a package of breads and other goodies from Columbia Country Bread Company to sample for this review. It was a wonderful treat and I appreciate it. Thank you!
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