The composition of the bread |
 100 parts of flour
Flour is not the fruit of a single type of wheat, but the result of a mixture of varieties. One harvest follows another, each with different yields, with an exceptional harvest followed by a terrible one. The art of milling is to be able to provide consistent flours despite the all the variables.
Working with 100% wheat flours means having the highest standards. Each year, the Boulanger de Monge reviews its specifications, to maintain the taste balance and consistency of its most important raw material.
The fruit of a clever blend of wheat varieties, of different millings, these made-to-measure flours will deliver the rich aroma of the harvest mixed with other smells as soon as you break the bread, and with the first bite, you will savor multiple and intense tastes. This moment becomes magical when the bread is still warm.
68 parts water
This isn’t a mistake! Lots of water goes into bread-making.
2 parts salt
Salt is crucial to bread-making: it enhances the taste, improves the elasticity of the dough, and ensures good coloration and long conservation of the bread.
Le Boulanger de Monge uses unrefined coarse sea salt (with no additives).
1 to 2 parts sourdough
goes into the breads in Le Boulanger de Monge’s breads in the French tradition
 or 50 parts
for his 100% organic levain bread.
Bread needs a fermentation agent, but which one to chose? Sourdough, made from a mixture of flour and water, is natural and alive. The baker must regenerate it every day by feeding it water and flour: the sourdough develops over the years, and can last an entire lifetime. It is unique and bears the mark of its creator. This is so true that in the 17th century, before industrial yeasts, young brides would bring their own sourdough with them into their new homes.
Le Boulanger de Monge, through his own sourdough, seeks to harmoniously combine acidity, smells and flavors.
A culture with a base of honey and spices (cinnamon, start anise, licorice, clove) allows him to develop an organic sourdough with sweet aromas. Maintaining its subtle balance and the tender flavor of spice bread and citrus requires daily work.
and/or very little yeast
Le Boulanger de Monge uses fresh yeast in the same way as sourdough. He lets it ferment for more than 12 hours with water and some organic flour.
This yeast, used in very small quantities, gives the Boulanger de Monge’s breads in the French tradition a harmonious and flavorful “chew” resulting from the combination of soft crumb and crunchy crust.
Less yeast also means the bread will last longer.
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