Puratos Archives | Eat Bread 90

May 23, 2017June 28, 2017 by Lin Carson

Bread-heads, Bread-heads Everywhere: Day 50 and 51

It is the bread-lovers dream! This week Peter Reinhart from Johnson and Wales University hosted the first ever International Symposium on Bread. I was honored to be invited to this event and hang out with crazy bread-heads like myself. Peter is true to his vision in bringing together so many bakers, and lovers of the bread trade. It’s a great event that gathered bread experts, milers, agriculturists, bread historians bakers, and more.

The speakers were amazing!

Stefan Cappelle gave a talk, “The Future of Bread Lies in its Past,” about how we are re-discovering sourdoughs as a solution to more than just flavors by having a sourdough library.

Bread Heads pack the lecture hall at the first ever International Symposium on Bread

A whole host of other topics were touched on like Dr. Ann Madden’s talk on microorganisms, “New Microorganisms from Strange Places for Better Breads,” Tom Gumple’s presentation “Innovation, Compromise and Real Life—Finding the proper Balance in a Multi -Unit, Growing Company, or Francisco Migoya’s “Insights from Modernist Bread—Shaping the Future of Bread through Science. The days were packed full of speakers, socials and Q&A Panel.

Peter Reinhart, Executive Director, International Symposium on Bread

Puratos was the main sponsor of this event. So of course we got to taste phenomenal sourdough breads from them. I even got to tour their Sensobus!

Hats off to Eric and Tom from Panera bread. I was not expecting such push back from bread heads on me consuming so much bread. Eric questioned the philosophy behind me eating so much bread and was concerned that I was sending the wrong message to people who have diabetes. Again, to concur with Eric, this is not a diet meant for diabetics.

Though, I do think diabetics shouldn’t give up on eating bread. They should look for options like the Alvarado St. Bakery Diabetic Bread. In addition, Tom said what I’m doing is not anything new; it’s an exclusion diet. I agree with this too because what I have been doing is following the information that science has given me.

Here’s what I ate on Days 50 and 51 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Day 50
Whole Grain Bread	6 slices (40g)	500
Whole Grain Baguette	250g	300
Bread from King’s Kitchen	6 slices	400
Butter	2 Tbsp	200
Honey Butter	2 Tbsp	200
Chicken Salad	1 C	105
Salad	1 C	120
Fruit Salad	1C	150
Macaroon	2	200
Walk		-200

Total		1975

Day 51
King’s Kitchen Rye Bread	4 slices	300
King’s Kitchen Ciabatta	4 slices	400
King’s Kitchen Egg Challah	3 slices	400
Puratos Whole grain roll	1 roll	150
Pesto	1 Tbsp	80
Mrs T’s Bloody Mary Mix	1/2 Can	35
Greek Salad	1 C	150
Dry Airline Pretzels	2 bags	160
Chicken skewer	1	200
Baklava		200
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam	1 Tbsp	20
Nutella	1 tbsp	100
Justin’s Almond Honey Nut Butter	1 Tbsp	190
Calcium Supp
Total		2385

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May 18, 2017August 7, 2017 by Lin Carson

Eating Lots of Bread Can’t be Healthy: Day 45 and 46

Here I am at the halfway point. It feels like I’ve been doing it forever because I’m so used to this diet now. A friend of mine, Derek, caught up with me and we talked about me eating lots of bread. “Surely, you’re not showing this diet you’re on is a healthy diet, eating this much bread can’t be healthy, and you can’t promote eating so much bread.”

Really? I can’t? It was time to tell Derek that he’s not getting the correct information from the correct source.

This is exactly why I went on this diet challenge, without this journey, I can’t prove my point: EATING BREAD DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT OR UNHEALTHY. To further prove my point, I’m eating as much bread as a woman my age can humanly do. I believe Derek was trying to do an expose on my journey, and I wasn’t going to crumble under his questions. He is a strong believer in a low carb diet, which was the reason for his recent weight loss. We had a strong discussion on calories in and calories out, and I asked him to check out the calorie math that I have logged so far on my journey. I consume about 14,000 calories per week in total. After exercising an average of 35 mins every day, I was able to target about 2,000 almost every day.

There is no magic to this. I’m able to keep to my target weight, even after eating lots of bread every day because the math is right.

This is no secret. Nutritionists have practiced this method for ages. I’m not doing anything new, but try to fight the wrong keto and low carb information out there about bread.

Softgrain Sprouted Rye_eating lots of bread

Softgrain Sprouted Rye bread from Puratos.

Is eating lots of bread healthy?

“You can’t recommend this diet to anyone, it’s dangerous,” he said. Well firstly, I don’t recommend eating this much bread, because it takes a lot of effort to eat that much bread in a day and to maintain your weight. Secondly, I doubt if anyone is going to follow my steps to eat bread at every hour, it’s too troublesome, and definitely not a catchy diet to sell. I asked Derek why he thought it was unhealthy, and he said it was too high in carbs and so much gluten is not good for my health.

And there you have it, my friends. This information is roaming freely around the internet, yet there is no one to challenge it but on this blog.

While I’m trying to fight all this information about bread and healthy eating habits, I’m supported by the folks at Puratos, who sent me delicious crusty softgrain sprouted rye Artisan bread. It took me 2 days to finish a loaf each. I love eating crusty artisan style bread. Thank goodness, this journey has it rewards, or I would have given up some time ago.

At a reception with so many food choices. It’s easy to go wrong without my bread diet.

A healthy sprouted grain artisan loaf by Puratos.

Luckily, I brought my sprouted grain artisan loaf. Here, I ate it with about 1/2 Cup of Ceviche.

Here’s what I ate on Days 44 and 46 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Day 45
Sprouted Grain Bread	1 loaf	1100
Smoked Ham	4 Slices	60
Ricotta Cheese	1/4 C	100
Ceviche	1/2 C	100
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam	2 Tbsp	40
Ricotta Cheese	1/4 C	100
Butter	2 Tbsp	200
Orange	1 orange	45
Justin’s Nut Butter	2 Tbsp	190
Bike		-100
Coconut water	1 L	180
Calcium Supp
Total		2015
Day 46
Artisan sourdough	1 loaf	1100
Salami	6 Slices	180
Ricotta Cheese	1/4 C	100
Butter	4 Tbsp	400
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam	2 Tbsp	40
Ricotta Cheese	1/4 C	100
Butter	2 Tbsp	200
Orange	1 orange	45
Papaya	1C	67
Steamed Brocolli	1C	30
Apple	1	95
Run		-300
Calcium Supp
Total		2057

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May 6, 2017June 28, 2017 by Lin Carson

Bread from Across the World: Day 34

My family and I went to a Vietnamese restaurant today because I knew they would be happy with a hot bowl of Pho, while I could eat Bánh Mì. In Vietnamese, Bánh means bread, and mì means wheat. It was introduced by the French during their colonial period in Vietnam.

Bánh mì sold on the streets of Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Chris Conway, Hilleary Osheroff.

Bánh mì is shorter than the French baguette, airier and has a very thin crispy crust. I ordered Bánh mì Bo Kho, a slow cooked beef stew served with two Bánh mì. I finished up the delicious stew, but I could only stomach one Bánh mì.

Bo Kho is a delicious Vietnamese beef stew with carrots.

Therefore, I brought the other one home with me. I compared the Bánh mì and the Baguette from Puratos side to side. The former had a uniform lighter crumb, and a very thin and crispy crust. Meanwhile latter is heavier and moister with an irregular crumb and a thick crunchy crust.

I believe the main difference between these two bread is the quantity of protein and hydration, with the Bánh mì requiring a lower protein flour and lower hydration levels. I am thinking I should go visit a Bánh mì bakery one of these days. Anyway, I had a great time eating crusty white breads today.

Here’s what I ate on Day 34 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Bánh mì	200g	600
Puratos® O-tentic Baguette	285g	750
Bo Kho	2 C	400
Coconut water	2 C	100
Grilled Pork	2 oz	150
Coconut Cardamon Almond Cashew Butter	1 Tbsp	95
Brussel sprouts		38
Orange	1 orange	81
Lemon Curd	2 Tbsp	120
Siggi’s® Skyr Vanilla	1/2 C	60
Calcium Supp
Total		2394

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May 4, 2017June 28, 2017 by Lin Carson

It’s a Sweet Day: Day 32

Puratos fired up their ovens for me again this week. They used their best quality Belgium white chocolate (Belcolade), cranberries, pecans and O-tentic Durum. This combination resulted in a sweet and luxurious fruit and nut bread.

White chocolate cranberry pecan from Puratos.

White chocolate cranberry pecan bread from Puratos.

By now you should have figured that I am a sucker for sweet bread, especially the chocolate and fruit kind. I am very peculiar about my chocolate. Especially with white chocolate, I get irritated when bakers use the cheap kind. How would I know? With white chocolate, like Belcolade Blanc, it gave a rich cocoa butter taste and a smooth mouthfeel.

With many baker’s white chocolate out there, it tastes milky and leaves a waxy mouthfeel. So I was pleased that this bread was made with high quality stuff, and that really made a difference in the bread tasting experience. Yes, I indulged in this bread all day.

Here’s what I ate on Day 32 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Puratos White Chocolate Pecan Bread	9 slices (40g)	990
Alvarado St. Bakery Onion Poppy Seed Bagel	1 Bagel (95g)	250
Lox	2oz	120
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam	2 Tbsp	40
Ricotta Cheese	1/4 C	100
Philadelphia cream cheese spread	1 Tbsp	40
Nutella	2 tbsp	200
Apple	1	95
Orange	1 orange	81
Artichoke Bruschetta spread	2 Tbsp	67
Capers		5
Roasted chicken dinner w green beans		400
Run		-340
Total		2048

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April 14, 2017May 9, 2017 by Lin Carson

The Queen of Sweet Bread: Day 12

Craquelin, you must be the queen of sweet breads! I received an awesome tasting bread called Craquelin, made by the bakers at Puratos® using Tegral Soft’r Sweet Bread and pearl sugar.

Craquelin is a sweet and moist brioche from Belgian. Chunks of pearl sugar bits are added to the dough. As the dough bakes, the sugar melts, creating little pockets of sweetness throughout the brioche. And because real butter and eggs are used in this recipe, it’s a velvety and rich bread. It was a great bread by itself. Unfortunately, I couldn’t eat a whole loaf of it in a day (calorie overload). I needed to mix it up with other bread like the Oroweat® Whole Grain and Birotes.

Grilled chicken, squash, potatoes with a slice of Birote.

Birotes, originally from Mexico, look like small pointed baguettes. This unique loaf is made with eggs, lime and beer, giving it a distinctive flavor. The recipe dates back to mid-19th Century when Belgium baker Camille Pirotte was tasked with promoting French bread in Mexico under Maxmillian. After the war, he stayed and opened his own bakery, developing the “pan de Birote.”

These Birotes have a thick and crunchy crust with a chewy and salty interior. Made using O-tentic Durum and Sapore Fidelio, this bread had a great fermented aroma. It paired well my roasted chicken dinner tonight. A wonderful savory bread without any sugar, these Birotes had a resilient and chewy crumb, making it similar to the texture of sourdough.

Birotes

I have been feeling under the weather with a head cold these couple of days. Therefore, I’ve toned down on the exercise significantly. My expenditure of calories has suffered because of this. Well, I’m not concerned because I lost weight last week, and if everything goes as planned, I’ll be the same weight this week as last week’s weigh in.

Here’s what I ate on Day 12 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Oroweat® Whole Grain	2 slices (38g)	160
Puratos® Craquelin	200g	800
Puratos® Birotes	200g	600
Kroger® Whipped Greek Cheese Spread	1 Tbsp	22.5
Siggi’s® Skyr Vanilla	1/2 C	60
Mango	1	200
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam	2 Tbsp	40
Boar’s Head Smoked Ham	2 oz	60
Tilamook Butter (Salted)	2 Tbsp	200
Roasted chicken dinner		400
Walk		-150
Total		2392.5

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April 10, 2017May 9, 2017 by Lin Carson

Bagels, Baguette and Coffee Flour Bread: Day 8

I love bakers. Have I said that lately? Today I had the honor to try bread made for me by three companies. The first one was a bagel from Bagels on Bartow, a family-owned business dedicated to the art of perfecting and preserving the tradition of New York old-fashioned, hand-rolled bagels. I was so excited to get bagels shipped to me from the Bronx. I made a cream cheese, lox and capers sandwich with this delicious bagel. It was heavenly!!!

Hand rolled bagels delivered fresh from the Bronx, New York City.

Look at that gorgeous shine on this kettle boiled bagel! Awesome with cream cheese, lox and capers.

The delicious baguette came from the O-tentic line of Puratos. They used a dried sourdough ferment that gave this baguette a crispy and aromatic bite to it. It was just wonderful toasted and eaten with butter.

Last but not least was the Sprouted Wheat and Coffee Pumpkin Berry bread, a truly outstanding loaf from Alvarado St Bakery. I expected a dark roasted coffee aroma and taste, but was surprised with the light texture and fruity aroma. Like any fruit bread, it paired well with jams and jellies. It is also heavenly eaten toasted with butter.

Sprouted Wheat and Coffee Pumpkin Berry bread with butter.

I will buy this bread any day to support coffee flour farmers. Did you know that the fruit that produces the coffee bean is discarded? Yes, every year, millions of tons of coffee fruit is discarded because we have no use for it. Well, the Coffee Flour Company patented a process at the farm level to harvest these fruits and make them into coffee flour. It allows farmers an extra income stream and benefits the local farm economy. Coffee flour is a sustainable food ingredient, and it clearly tastes great in this bread.

Here’s what I ate on Day 8 of EB90:

Food

Portion

Calories

O-Tentic Baguette	2 slices (64g)	370
Bagels on Bartow	130g	318
Alvarado St Bakery® Sprouted wheat coffee pumpkin cranberry bread	6 slices (32g)	600
World of Chia® Blackberry Fruit Spread	1 Tbsp	30
Biscoff® Cookie Butter	1 tbsp	85
Lox	2oz	120
Siggi’s® Skyr Vanilla	1 C	120
Orange	1 orange	45
Sauteed Spinach	1 C	48
Peach spread	2 Tbsp	100
Capers	1 tsp	5
Walk	45 min	48
Total		1884

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