Baking & Snack - June 2019 - 154

NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

La Brea Bakery celebrates 30 years in business with new Founders bread line.
All three breads in the
Founders line were
made using Nancy
Silverton's original
sourdough starter.
La Brea Bakery

When opening Los Angeles-based La Brea Bakery in
1989, the company had one simple goal: to make delicious and simple bread. Since then, the bakery has
thrived as consumers embrace artisan concepts that use
humble ingredients and Old-World processes.
To celebrate its 30-year growth from humble bakery to leading artisan manufacturer, La Brea's founder
Nancy Silverton alongside her longtime baking partner
Jonathan Davis, senior vice-president of innovation, La
Brea Bakery, have joined forces to create a bread line
that they believe pays homage to the company's past,
while looking ahead to its future.
"It used to be that whole wheat bread was sitting on
shelves and unpopular with most consumers, but in
recent years, we've heard from our customers that they
want their breads to be made with whole wheat and
healthier ingredients," Mr. Davis said. "Additionally,
we've always wanted to work with seeds and alternative
flours like sprouted grains, so when it came to the development of these breads, we kept all of this in mind."
After months of testing, the duo settled on three
breads to include in the Founders portfolio: Pain
Levain, Sprouted Multigrain & Seed, and Country
Wheat Batard. The line was made using Ms. Silverton's
original sourdough starter, which is used in all the
company's breads. "Having a great starter is the basis
for any great-tasting bread, so incorporating this into
the Founders breads, along with our fermentation process of allowing 24 hours to let the dough rise, really

154 Baking & Snack June 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

enhanced the flavor and texture," Mr. Davis noted.
Although each product hits different flavor notes, the
line remains approachable to everyday consumers. The
Pain Levain is a classic slow-fermented sourdough that
is slightly acidic while the Country Wheat Batard is a
mild wheat sourdough made with whole wheat flour and
wheat bran. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds add nutty
flavors to the Sprouted Multigrain & Seed, which is a
mild sourdough.
La Brea used its flagship bakery and café in Los
Angeles for a soft launch and included the breads on its
menu for several days. "We received a lot of feedback
around the Country Wheat Batard specifically, as many
consumers have found whole wheat to be dry and overpowering," Mr. Davis said. "But with this loaf, customers
were surprised with the subtle taste and moistness. It's a
really versatile bread that we see resonating across multiple markets."
The bakery plans on rolling out the full line nationwide this fall. And while there is more competition in
the artisan space than 30 years ago, La Brea believes
the new line will be a notable addition to retail shelves.
"The market is getting flooded with whole wheat
breads, and we're seeing more bakeries starting to incorporate seeded varieties and dusted loaves to their
portfolios, but it's our baking process and core ingredients that I think really make these Founders loaves
stand out," Mr. Davis said.
- Anna Wiber

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - June 2019

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