instore - November 2016 - COM2

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"Bringing the farm-to-table movement
to our breads is not without its challenges," says Davis. "Simply from a supply
chain perspective, our Fortuna supply
is subject to weather and vintage conditions, where most of that specificity on
a year-to-year basis in traditional baking is blended away. Although it does
provide some variation, it also creates
some interesting and subtle variances in
the finished loaves."
Another challenge is increasing the
level of production for such a high-end
type of bread. "Producing this level of
bread in our bakeries is another challenge," Davis says. "We have been making world-class breads in our bakeries
for years and are used to extended levels of proofing and fermentation, but
we took it even a step further on La
Brea Bakery Reserve."
That means, for the first time, La Brea
has introduced basket proofing to
help support the breads during the
important step of production. "It also
gives our La Brea Bakery Reserve
breads their signature look," Davis
says, noting the rustic attractiveness
of the loaves.

"Using ancient grains is certainly not the
easiest or most cost-eﬀective way, but it
produces the best bread possible."
Jonathan Davis, La Brea Bakery

After the single-heirloom wheat is
shipped to La Brea's facilities - the
company has a Los Angeles bakery
and two larger bakeries in Van Nuys,
CA, and Swedesboro, NJ - Davis and
Matt McDonald (La Brea's director of
culinary innovation) immediately begin
working with unique and patented starters to create true farm-to-table bread.
Each of the three breads in the line -
Pain de Campagne, Struan, and Fortuna
Wheat Loaf - uses a different grain mix
and flavor profile.
While La Brea declined to comment on
which suppliers are used in their facilities, Davis pointed out that the company
is continuously looking for new relationships. "The technology to make our La
Brea Bakery Reserve breads has been
implemented in multiple bakeries," he
says. "Our equipment decisions are driven by the visions we have for our breads

and not the other way around. We work
with a variety of suppliers to imitate a
true artisan baking technique - gentle
handling, long fermentations and our
original starter.
"We are always looking to new suppliers and equipment to raise the quality of
our breads. Being the best and striving
for even better is what drives us every
single day."
One area that has not presented any
new challenges is logistics, where past
experience has seamlessly found its
way into the new line. "The logistics of
bread distribution and anything perishable are always difficult, but it is something we have perfected over the last
25 years," Davis says. "We are fortunate
to have great partners across the US.
We are excited to bring a new level of
transparency and quality to bread in
the in-store bakery."

Reaping the rewards
To put it simply, producing a nationally
available, farm-to-table, single-origin
bread isn't exactly a breeze.
"Using ancient grains is certainly not
the easiest or most cost effective way,
but it produces the best bread possible,
and that's why we're using it for La Brea
Bakery Reserve," says Davis.
In other words, it's well worth the effort. With Fortuna wheat's classification
of "vintage" or "heirloom," Davis says it
has the capability to set La Brea Bakery
reserve apart from other breads. Not
only does it result in the most flavorful
bread possible, he says, but the vintage

PHOTO: LA BREA BAKERY

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2 * NOVEMBER 2016

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