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The smell, the crackle, the taste
of fresh bread: Crumb Brothers takes time to do it right
Editor's note: This is the first
in an occasional series on Cache Valley bakeries.
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By C. Ann Jensen
February 26, 2008 | Bread is the staff of life,
eaten by mankind since the biblical ages, sustaining
the life of the Israelites as they sojourned through
the desert to Canaan.
Bread has not lost its charm, becoming a staple
globally and mass produced worldwide. But what
is it that sets one loaf of bread apart from another?
The answer lies in where and how the bread is
made.
When walking down the bread aisle at any grocery
store, one has a choice of homogenized bread loafs
in their seemingly perfect plastic bags -- cold,
white and bland.
Walk into a bakery and the scene changes, The
smell of freshly baked bread -- instead of cleaning
fluid -- fills one's nostrils, loaves of bread
call out from shelves almost asking to be tasted,
and a friendly worker will most likely guide one
through their tour de taste of bread,
recommending a loaf that would go well with a
pot roast or soup.
Living in Cache Valley, the most fertile in
all of Utah, we benefit from the wheat grown regionally
and so do the local bread shops. As part of a
series, The Hard News Café will spot light local
bread shops around the valley to show that low-carb
diets haven't killed Americans' staple food and
give our readers a reason to get out and eat well.
* * *
On the corner of 300 West and 300 South stands
a unique structure that one wouldn't guess is
a bread shop is dedicated to great bread and a
green environment.
But on the back of any bread bag from Crumb Brothers
Artisan Bread Bakery is the story of three friends
passionate about hand-crafted, artisan bread and
creating an environmentally and socially responsible
business in Northern Utah. |
HOW IT WORKS: Bread
is prepared, above, at Crumb Brothers,
then is scored by head mixer Andrew Jensen
and baked to a golden brown. / Photos courtesy
of Crumb Brothers.
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Sounds like a lot of responsibility
for bread, but Crumb Brothers isn't worried. Being a
green business and having great bread is what this bakery
is all about.
Opened by Bill Oblock, Josh Archibald and John Reichert
five year years ago, Crumb Brothers is still as dedicated
to good bread as it was from day one.
Head chef and owner and Bill Oblock said, "Artisan
bread is a new thing, but it's what bread was from the
start." Artisan bread, unlike other bread, has no preservatives
and is made to be eaten the same day it was made for
the best freshness, much like the bread found in Europe.
Using natural starters, Crumb Brothers have created
unique bread in flavor, texture and aesthetics. But
creating the perfect loaf of bread isn' t easy; it requires
time and a process that includes three teams of workers
in shifts throughout the day.
The day at Crumb Brothers is much like the British
Empire: the sun never seems to set on all the work.
Starting at 4 a.m. the pastry chefs come in to begin
making tarts, cookies, danishes and scones for the day.
At 8 the bread mixers come in to begin mixing. Bread
is mixed in industrial-sized mixers that simulate hand
mixing, which is gentle on the dough.
Then the dough is set in tubs for its "floor time,"
where it sits, allowing the dough to rise. At noon the
formers come in to form the dough, placing each loaf
in a wicker-type basket to rise for the second time.
Forming the dough in the baskets gives the bread a unique
look, tiger-striping it with flour as it rises.
In the evening the bread is baked in stone oven imported
from Italy. Bakers work through the night to meet their
tight deadline. All bread must be ready to go by 3 a.m.
when the trucks leave for the Salt Lake area. where
a majority of Crumb Brother Bread is sold.
The end result of an eight-hour day for a loaf of
bread is what Oblock describes as being "crusty and
good if you bake it right. It makes you say, 'This is
what I had in Paris or on my mission in Argentina.'"
Crumb Brothers' dedication to good bread and keeping
their business green has set them apart from other bakeries
in the valley, as well as their use of natural starters,
organic flour and a refusal to cut corners with their
baking process.
"When you cut corners, you sacrifice flavors," said
Dave Oblock, Bill's brother and sales manager for Crumb
Brothers. "We aren't just making bread, we are honoring
the tradition of what man has done for hundreds of years."
Although organic flour is rising in price because
of the recent demand for organic foods Crumb Brothers
refuses to sacrifice taste and quality as a lot of places
do after they have been open awhile, said Dave.
With great bread and the environment in mind, Crumb
Brothers offer a unique bread experience, which is why
they encourage people to buy their bread.
"Buy our bread because of our philosophy," said Dave.
Crumb Brothers is open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through
Saturdays.
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