Gail’s Bakery is rolling out a quartet of new or improved loaves packed with a variety of healthy grains and flours sourced from regenerative farms.
As with its previous bread reformulations from earlier this year that were aimed at improving flavour and nutrition, the brand has updated two of its traditional recipes by increasing the number of grains to include emmer, spelt, rye, and barley in addition to wheat flour.
The San Francisco Sourdough and the Focaccia have both been redeveloped, while The Brown Slab (Dark Sourdough) and the Hazelnut & Walnut Sourdough are newcomers to Gail’s artisanal bread offering.
These will be available from Wednesday (11 September) at all 143 Gail’s outlets, which includes its new in-store takeaway bakery at Waitrose Canary Wharf, as well as in its branded fixtures at 64 Waitrose stores. Gail’s is targeting 35 new locations across the UK this year, whilst trying to forever stay a “neighbourhood bakery business”.
Gail’s confirmed the removal of yoghurt and milk from its San Francisco Sourdough recipe and the addition of semolina, rye, spelt, and emmer flour. It described the new loaf as a reimagined homage to the iconic San Francisco sourdough bread culture, referencing traditional attributes with modern baking focus.
The Brown Slab (see top image) is said to be inspired by the old-world loaves of French and German bakers which are designed to utilise the entirety of a farmer’s yield. With a rustic appearance, the new loaf is mildly open crumbed with earth and soil scents.
The Hazelnut & Walnut Sourdough draws inspiration from the French Pain au Noix while representing the natural variety of nuts growing in the UK. Studded with hazelnuts and walnuts, the hand-twisted loaf combines chestnut flour, a pinch of rosemary, and the soaking water of the nuts to create a deep purple crumb.
Lastly, the country-style Focaccia takes queues from the Genovese and Sicilian food traditions. Gail’s has increased the number of grains to include emmer, spelt, and buckwheat, joining wheat flour, rice flour, and rapeseed oil in the dough as well as a combination of sourdough and yeast. It’s a spongy, slightly darker in colour, and more complex flavoured focaccia, said Gail’s.
The company highlighted that its new loaves baked with a variety of whole grains are more nutritionally-complete and contain more fibre, which improves gut health and aids digestion. It pointed to Government reports claiming that 90% of UK adults do not consume enough fibre (something the Fibre February campaign looks to address each year).
Gail’s master baker Anomarel Ogen also noted the health benefits of sourdough. “Fermentation is a form of ‘external digestion’ which takes things that are hard for our bodies to break down and makes them a lot more digestible while reducing toxicity,” he explained.
“There is nothing that can make grain have more available nutrients for humans while making it taste better than sourdough baking. So, the fact that a multi-grain sourdough loaf made from a diverse starter has greater flavour complexity than a commercial white loaf is inextricably tied to its nutritional value,” Ogen added.
Moreover, the inclusion of regenerative grains, ie. those produced via farming methods which promote biodiversity and soil health, helps Gail’s continue its efforts to make more sustainable bread available at scale.
“At Gail’s we think the food system should and can change, and we have an idea about what role we can play in that,” commented co-founder and CEO Tom Molnar.
“We’re not leading that evolution – we’re helping to lead. We’re in a complex system that needs good people across the board, and there needs to be examples of how things can be better. This is one of those.”
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