bake - May/June 2022 - 39

nature starter in every La Brea Bakery
loaf. La Brea Bakery's sourdough has
been a delicious staple on tables for
more than 30 years.
Davis speaks of the recent growth
in sourdough's popularity, the bread's
health benefits and how La Brea Bakery
ensures their sourdough is one of
the top artisan breads available in local
grocery stores.
He recalls the early challenge.
" How do we get this great sourdough bread out to everyone? We
were able to build this bakery that can do par-baked sourdough in
larger quantities - and make it accessible to many more people.
That was the landmark. We were the first to bring it to everyone. "
Suddenly, many more people throughout the country could
enjoy delicious sourdough bread without having to travel to
Southern California or the San Francisco Bay area, where many
of the early sourdough innovations were happening.
" We only had a handful of ingredients. Access was kind of
limited, " Davis recalls. " Nowadays there are incredible amounts
of variety of flours. I love the fact there is an appreciation of
ARDENT MILLS
OPENS NEW FLOUR MILL
Ardent Mills has opened a new flour
mill in the metropolitan Tampa area
of Florida. The mill, with 17,500 cwts
of daily milling capacity, replaces one
the company has sold within the city
of Tampa. Built at a cost of over $100
million, the mill is in Port Redwing,
adjacent to the community of Gibsonton.
Situated on a CSX rail line
and at a port, the mill will be able to
receive wheat by rail and ocean vessel.
Outbound flour will be shipped
by truck, generally within a 2-hour
radius of the mill.
The facility is set on a 10-acre
property and features interconnected
buildings, including a grain
elevator, cleaning house and mill; a
warehouse, mill mix bins; office and
storage.
With two milling units, the Port
Redwing mill produces all-purpose,
whole-wheat, high-gluten, cake and
bread flours. The building has space
to accommodate the later addition of
a third milling unit.
Equipped by Buhler, Inc., Plymouth,
Minn., Ardent Mills said the
mill features several technological
advances, including:
Real-time data analysis and automation
including near-infrared grain
analysis and automatic, high-speed
packaging lines and rapid line intervention
and issue management,
which allows for the production
line to be stopped, assessed and,
if needed, corrected with minimal
downtime.
Grain storage capacity constructed
alongside the mill totals 4.1 million
bushels, making it one of the largest
grain elevators of any US mill. The
company said extra storage capacity
is critically needed when managing
sudden supply chain shifts.
" For five decades, Ardent Mills has
enjoyed the privilege of being a part
of the Tampa community and it's
been amazing to see the city grow
and change, " says Dan Dye, chief
executive officer of Ardent Mills. " We
look forward to continuing to serve
our customers. "
great sourdough. It's good for you, it's easily digestible. "
Not to mention the convenience factor. Innovative products
like La Brea Bakery's Take & Bake Ancient Grain Twin Pack Baguette
offer a blend of 9 grains and seeds along with the slow
fermentation of La Brea's signature sourdough, resulting in a
multi-textured eating experience.
And with the restrictions of the Covid pandemic starting to
loosen, the business of sourdough bread is on the rise.
" Manage our core. That's what I see everybody doing now, "
Davis says. " I see positive things. Communication is a lot better -
being as transparent as possible. That's a positive. "
bakemag.com | MAY-JUN 2022 > 39
LA BREA BAKERY
http://www.bakemag.com
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