Breads
Passion lies at the center of our bread making, with a huge dose of proficiency thrown in for good measure. If it's the delicate flavour we require or the exact timing we usually get it right, and are proud of every member of our team that is trained to appreciate a good loaf.
Sourdoughs
Dark & White
Sourdough
An open-textured sourdough with a beautiful, flavoursome crust and a pleasant nutty flavour. The Dark & White is a 75% hydration loaf that ferments for 18 hours. The dough is mixed by the Head Baker or Senior Artisan Bakers. After bulk fermentation, weighing and shaping by the bakery team they have their final prove in wood pulp proving baskets before being hearth-baked on fire bricks at 240 degrees for 35 to 55 minutes depending on weight. It's then cooled and packed into trays then distributed by our Delivery Drivers.
What is in it?
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Organic WHEAT flour
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Water
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Organic DARK RYE flour
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Organic rye leaven
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Organic sea salt
"At home, Alex likes to chargrill slices of the Dark & White and make a bruschetta with extra virgin olive oil, ripe, in-season tomatoes and fresh basil."
100% Rye
Sourdough
All of our rye breads are sourdoughs as rye flour is always at it's best when made this way. We make a range of different, 100% Rye Sourdough loaves including a Seven Seed Rye, Raisin Rye, Currant & Coriander Rye and Apple Rye. Rye Sourdough is a 100% hydration. It's mixed into a batter (rather than a dough) then it's placed in tins for a long, slow ferment. Rye bread needs to be a very loose batter otherwise you cannot achieve a good texture. The lack of gluten in the grain means you can't stretch and fold it so there's nothing to be gained by doing that. From feeding of the leaven to end produce it ferments for 16 to 20 hours before baking. It's then baked for about an hour before being cooled ready for dispatch.
What is in it?
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Organic RYE flour
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Water
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Organic RYE leaven
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Organic chopped RYE grains
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Organic black treacle
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Organic sea salt
"This is a great, all-purpose loaf for those who enjoy rye or are simply avoiding wheat. It's beautiful on its own or toasted with peanut butter and miso."
Gooch Heritage
Sourdough
This is an 85% to 90% hydration loaf containing 100% heritage grain. A superb sourdough with bags of flavour and amazing keeping qualities - it has a die-hard following amongst our customers! This is a 24 hour fermented loaf using British heritage grains. Heritage grains incorporate biodiversity, they are generally more pest resistant (naturally) and varieties are grown according to the climate and soil available to the farmer in their area. They are lower yielding but often produce grains that give more interesting flavours and textures. Bulk fermentation, intermittent stretching and folding is followed by weighing and shaping before a final, long, retarded prove in wood pulp proving baskets. The loaves are then hearth baked.
What is in it?
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Organic Heritage Flour (mix of older grain varieties, containing GLUTEN)
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Water
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Leaven
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Organic sea salt
"This flavoursome, wholesome loaf makes fantastic open sandwiches."
Yeasted Loaves
Ciabatta & Focaccia
Our Ciabatta and Focaccia loaves are open-textured flat breads from Italy. They are 85% hydration and baked for a relatively short amount of time at a very high temperature, which helps to form the characteristic large air bubbles and give a dark, flavoursome crust. Once you have an excellent recipe you can then start to elaborate with complimentary ingredients such as slow-roasted tomatoes, olives, fresh herbs, garlic and onions. Ciabatta and Focaccia loaves always work best with simple ingredients. Our favourite Ciabatta recipe is slow-roasted tomato, olive and marjoram - this recipe won the Baker Industry Awards Speciality Bread Product of the Year, 2018.
What is in it?
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Organic WHEAT flour
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Water
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Organic RYE leaven
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Organic extra virgin Italian olive oil
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Organic sea salt
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Baker’s yeast
"Alex's favourite combination for focaccia is roasted onion, nigella seeds and pickled chilli. Eat on it's own or with a curry!"
Seven Seed
Malthouse
A great all rounder and one of our most popular lines. A malted wheat loaf with a bit of black treacle, which adds an interesting contrast of flavour and nutritional value. It's made with a yeasted sponge to add flavour and character. This loaf is bulk-fermented, weighed, shaped and rolled in seeds before its final prove. The seeds toast during baking, giving the loaf its wonderful nutty flavour.
What is in it?
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Organic MALTED WHEAT flour
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Water
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Organic white WHEAT flour
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Organic WHEAT sponge
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Organic black treacle
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Organic seeds (oat flakes, polenta, SESAME, flax, millet, sunflower, chopped RYE)
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Organic sea salt
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Baker’s yeast
"This loaf makes excellent sandwiches and is delicious toasted with smashed avocado, lime juice, chilli, basil, mint and coriander."
Rustic White
A very popular, traditional loaf with a lovely, toasted crust. This is 72% hydration, yeasted, white bread. It is bulk-fermented, weighed and shaped then placed in wood pulp proving baskets for a final prove before being baked direct on the stone.
What is in it?
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Organic WHEAT flour
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Water
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Organic WHEAT sponge
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Organic sea salt
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Baker’s yeast
"Beautiful fresh on the day or toasted a couple of days in. It makes a great panzanella!"
100% Spelt
Made using 100% Gilchesters Organics' spelt grown in Northumberland. An enjoyable loaf with a distinctive flavour. Bulk- fermented, weighed, shaped and final proved in a wood pulp proving basket before being hearth baked. Another great every day loaf thats very versatile and popular with our customers.
What is in it?
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Organic SPELT flour
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Water
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Organic sea salt
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Baker’s yeast
"We love it pan fried in garlic, olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, then used as a crouton."
Fruit Loaf & Buns
Fruit Loaf,
Cinnamon Buns &
Caramelised Buns
Our fruit loaf dough also makes our Cinnamon Buns and Caramelised Buns. It's a wonderful tea loaf, delicious toasted with nut butter or jam. A top seller in Waitrose stores! The dough is bulk-fermented then laid flat, covered in cinnamon sugar and rolled up to give its characteristic 'cinnamon swirl' effect. The dough is cut, weighed and placed in tins for a final prove before baking. For cinnamon buns, we simply cut the dough smaller and place them on trays for their final prove. Once they are baked, they are finished with our treacle glaze and sugar. Caramelised buns are placed in a tray full of caramel for their final prove. Once baked they are served upside-down with the caramel on top!
What is in it?
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Organic WHEAT flour
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Water
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Organic RYE leaven
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Organic Californian raisins
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Organic sugar
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Organic cinnamon
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Organic black treacle
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Organic sea salt
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Baker’s yeast
"We think buns can be enjoyed at any time of day - with a cuppa, coffee or even something a little stronger!"
Challah Bun
We spent a long time perfecting the Challah Buns, which are perfect for burgers. They're an enriched dough using cold pressed, organic sunflower oil and mashed, organic potatoes to produce a flavoursome bun that is soft but holds its own when filled with ingredients. The buns are bulk-fermented, weighed and shaped, final proved and baked for a short period of time at a high temperature. This gives the buns their characteristic, caramelised crust with a soft interior.
"A real favourite is a hot and spicy burger, layered with sauerkraut coleslaw and fresh leaves."
What is in it?
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Organic WHEAT flour
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Water
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Organic WHEAT sponge
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Organic, cold-pressed sunflower oil
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Organic potatoes
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Organic barley malt extract
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Organic unrefined sugar
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Organic sea salt
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Baker's yeast
Take a closer look at the pastries we offer and the baking process we lovingly complete daily to bring you fresh delicious pastries and bread.
Find our Bread & Pastries
Buy Alex's Bread & Pastries
Looking to buy Alexs bread or pastries and enjoy at home, on the move or simply right at that moment? Then you will find his baked goods in a wide range of places from farm shops, delis and wholefood shops to selected Waitrose stores.
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Buy your fresh bread and pastries from a number of stockists now.
Contact Alex and his team to find out more about becoming a stockist. If possible please include information about where you are based, your company name, the type of business you run and what you are interested in stocking.
Become a stockist