Traditional Bread-Making Techniques: Slow Fermentation

At Stone Mill Bakery, we keep traditional European style bread-making practices on the rise like yeast itself by using as little machinery as possible and putting into place a slow fermentation process. This allows our breads – available for wholesale purposes – to rise naturally overnight.

Fermenting dough over an extended period of time allows carbohydrates to convert flour and sugar to alcohol, carbon dioxide, and acids through the action of the yeast. The gluten produced in kneading the dough traps the gases that are formed from the yeast and released during fermentation, enhancing the dough’s exposure time to essential acids. The longer a bread’s dough is left to ferment, the more time the acids have to go to work on it, conditioning the dough to enrich the taste and shelf-life of the final product.

The result of patiently letting bread dough undergo chemical breakdowns during fermentation? Crispy crust that crumbles into hundreds of shards when it’s bitten or cut into, with a moist, light, and soft interior. It’s worth the wait – trust us, or stop by our café in Timonium to test this proven theory for yourself.

About Stone Mill Bakery

Stone Mill Bakery has always been a small, family business with hands-on participation by several generations of the Himmelrich family. Originally started over 20 years ago as a wholesale bakery operation dedicated to bringing handmade European style breads to Baltimore, Stone Mill has evolved into both a wholesale and retail bakery as well as a vibrant café serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and a full service on and off premise catering business. Stone Mill Bakery is committed to sourcing the finest quality ingredients, and uses as little machinery as possible, relying instead on well trained, experienced hands and preserving the true craft of artisanal baking.

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* From The Overnight Ferment Method

Source: Stone Mill Bakery