 |
| Baguettes waiting to be sold at &Grain in Garwood, N.J. Photo credit: Craig Donofrio | Grapevine Studios |
By Nicholas Andre
When you bite into a sandwich, what do you notice? For very few people, it’s the bread. But at &Grain, an artisanal bread bakery and café in Garwood, N.J., the mission is to showcase the bread.
Owner John Ropelski knew he wanted to open a café and bakery. He wanted to bake his own bread, and thought that a two-day course would teach him all he needed to know. But after studying at the French Culinary Institute, Ropelski gained a newfound love and respect for bread. And he notes a big difference between Wonder Bread and artisanal bread.
Bread has just four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. Ropelski will tell you the first step in understanding bread is to treat the bread as a living thing, because it is. The yeast in bread reacts differently depending on factors such as climate and altitude.
One problem Ropelski faces in selling artisanal bread is that most people aren’t used to it. Many people are accustomed to light, doughy, chewy bread. Artisanal bread is much darker, and combines the doughy crumb on the inside, with a harder crunch of a crust on the outside. Ropelski has found that most people are hesitant to accept this change in their bread.
The difference in quality between Ropelski’s bread and the kind you could buy at a supermarket is due to the mass production. According to Ropelski, human hands don’t touch Wonder Bread until it is removed from the truck at each supermarket. Artisanal bread gets individual attention from start to finish. &Grain produces hundreds of loaves a day, but each loaf is made by hand.
“It’s a myth, he says, that the minerals in water change how bread rises, and ultimately, how it tastes.”
The way to notice mass produced bread is to simply flip over the loaf. Tiny holes will be present on any highly manufactured bagel or bread, because dozens are placed on perforated sheets, and then thrown in the oven. Ropelski bread-making process is entirely different, clearly visible in a side-by-side comparison. Another key difference in bread is holes. Properly proofed bread, meaning bread that has been mixed correctly and is made to rise uniformly, will have a variety of holes in shape and size. Mass produced breads are overly mixed and kneaded, which creates a uniform size and shape to the holes in the bread.
One factor that doesn’t affect Ropelski’s bread is water. It’s a myth, he says, that the minerals in water change how bread rises, and ultimately, how it tastes. Any skilled breadmaker knows how to change the composition of the dough to deal with hard or soft water and varying mineral content. Ropelski says that he could make one loaf with water from California and another loaf with water from New York, and, if each loaf has been properly proofed, the difference would be near impossible to spot.
Ropelski acknowledges that if he cut corners he could make more money, but he is unwilling to do that. People are learning to appreciate artisanal bread, and he sees more repeat customers. “Without actually telling me, people are telling me I’m doing a good job. That’s how I know I’m successful.”
Nicholas Andre is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers, pursuing a double major in journalism and theater arts.
Editor's Note: The stories covering &Grain were written by students in Teresa Politano's food journalism course following a class visit to &Grain on Feb. 12, 2014.
