• Is it the Vital Wheat Gluten that is now being added to almost every bread on the grocery store shelves?
• Is it the hidden GMOs in the ingredients? 
• Is it the breeding methods that have taken place over time that has changed the genetic makeup of wheat that has led to tenfold increases in yields from that of only a century ago?
• Is it the rancidity that takes place in freshly ground whole grain flour that is stored unrefrigerated - or the chemical preservatives used to keep it from quickly turning rancid?
• Is it the dough conditioners and additives and artificial colors that are used to help create the illusion of a big bold healthy/hearty/whole grain loaf of bread?
• Is it the synthetic vitamins that are added to replace the ones destroyed in the refinement and milling process?
• Is it the hormone-like substance or “plant growth regulators” that are being applied to the wheat?
• Is it the collection bins sprayed with insecticides and or perhaps it’s the fumigation method (a toxic concentration of gas) used to remove any pests from the grain bins?
• Is it poor soil preparation or a lack of a good crop rotation plan?
• Is it the use of herbicides and pesticides?
• Is it the disappearance of the old fashioned stone grinding method that has been replaced by high speed steel roller mills?
• Is it the lack of using a cooled air drying system to dry the grain that causes the protein in the grain to become damaged?
• Is it the preservatives that are added to bread to increase shelf life?

So what is the answer? In reading through all of the above issues - we could make a case for any one of them but we suspect that the answer lies in the whole picture and not just in its individual components.

We find it amazing how people will simply pick one of the categories above and create an entire crusade based on that while completely discounting other major contributors. For example - GLUTEN is the big bad wolf hiding in everything you can find on a grocery store shelf and it is being portrayed as the ultimate villain against health. We are not so sure we agree with that but then, we know that not all gluten is created equal.

So over the next few months we are going to share with you everything we have learned about bread  - from how grain is grown, to added ingredients, to pesticides and herbicides to hidden GMOs and more. We're going to go through each question above, one by one to hopefully challenge your thinking and to create an open. honest dialog in the baking industry. We aim to educate and to help bring about some much needed change.

We will be sending these blogs out weekly so keep a look out for our emails or simply check out our blog at www.berlinnaturalbakery.com/blog/bnb. On Monday you will be getting our first installment featuring Vital Wheat Gluten - why it's frequently added to bread and why you should keep an eye out for it.

Let the journey begin!