The Trouble with Bread
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Michael Pollan (author of 'Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation') told the filmmaker, Maggie Beidelman, that her gluten intolerance could all be in her head. She half agreed with him, because the number of Americans buying into the $10.5 billion 'gluten-free' industry is disturbing. There is so much more to learn about wheat - and how it has changed in just the last couple of generations - before we completely sign it off.
In this film, Ms Beidelman journeys from farm to mill to table on a quest for answers about gluten intolerance and a hunt for the perfect loaf, one she can eat without getting sick. Along the way, she makes some unexpected discoveries about crucial changes to the wheat itself and how it is processed and fermented. Let's just say that bread as you know it, is not what you think.
'The Trouble With Bread provides a very engaging approach to a seriously complex and important subject. I believe it will initiate valuable discussions and generate ongoing enquiry for its viewers. The real trouble with bread, as the film reveals, begins when we discover that something so beloved and intrinsic to our being can also be so deeply problematic, both personally and socially.' Peter Reinhart, Instructor of Culinary Arts, Johnson and Wales University, Co-founder, Brother Juniper's Bakery, Author, The Bread Baker's Apprentice and Bread Revolution (forthcoming)
'Beidelman isn't afraid to tackle the difficult questions...It is a great length for showing in a 50-minute high school or college course with time for discussion. It could also be shown to community groups, especially those interested in producing locally grown and milled flour, or those thinking about advocacy on public policies such as food labeling.' Cherice Bock, Whole Terrain Journal
'Appropriate for students in a range of classes, including survey or introductory-level courses and courses focusing on body, illness, or the culture of food...Relevant and contemporary...Engaging and invites critical thinking.' Leslie Elrod, University of Cincinnati, Teaching Sociology
'An engaging film that provides a good introduction to the complex issue of gluten sensitivity and an excellent example of how the industrialization of food can create new problems for human health and nutrition.' Dr. Ellen Mallory, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Maine, Co-Director of the Local Bread Wheat Project
'A charming, informative exploration of why an increasing number of people experience health problems when they eat bread...A fascinating look at twentieth century changes in agriculture, milling and breadmaking technology. Although convinced by her own experience of the reality of gluten sensitivity, the filmmaker skillfully challenges the often heated anti-gluten rhetoric that's become increasingly common. Instead, Ms. Beidelman makes an important contribution by shedding light on this important issue by weaving together new and archival footage to tell a fascinating story of how bread's role as 'The Staff of Life' may be in trouble.' Dr. Gary Gomer, 'Professor Bread', Founder and Director of Learning Works and the Breadmaking-in-the-Schools Project in NYC
'The Trouble With Bread is true to its title. Today's bread is often a highly processed product made of refined wheat that has been bred to be higher in gluten. Most people are familiar with celiac disease, which is an immunological reaction to gluten, but are less likely to be acquainted with gluten sensitivity. This film does an excellent job of describing a condition that may affect as much as 6-7% of the population...The film also explores why the condition is increasing...This film has high production values and provides an insight into non-celiac gluten sensitivity without being overly alarmist.' Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director, Office for Science and Society, McGill University
'Fascinating video...A highly professional and engaging program...It is appropriate for health and biology classes and will be especially interesting to students for whom gluten intolerance is a personal or family issue. The DVD also includes an 11-page pdf Teacher's Guide that can be accessed on a computer and printed out if desired. It includes a program synopsis, pre- and post-film discussion questions, a chart of wheat grain structure, discussions of wheat milling, fermentation, and the importance of gluten, and hot links to web resources and related films.' Richard Lord, NSTA Recommends
'A very thought-provoking look at one of the staples of American life...This short film is very informative and raises many questions for consumers of all ages.' Linda Hummel Fitzharris, College of Charleston, Science Books and Films
'Offers a cautionary warning about the harmful side effects of increased industrialization of food. Highly recommended, especially for public library DVD shelves.' The Midwest Book Review
'Beautifully shot...informative...High-quality production that is as engaging as it is informative.' Constance Dickerson, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, School Library Journal
'Strikes a balance on the issues around gluten, acknowledging the genuine difficulty some people will have along with the costs associated with remedying the situation...This is a solid resource for use in classroom instruction and discussion. Recommended for academic collections with an emphasis on nutrition and health.' Peter Hepburn, College of the Canyons, Library Journal
Citation
Main credits
Beidelman, Maggie (filmmaker)
Beidelman, Maggie (cinematographer)
Other credits
Videography, Kate Elston, Mitzi Mock, Melanie Ruiz, Maggie Beidelman; music, Nick Benavides.
Distributor subjects
Agriculture; Environment; Food And Nutrition ; Health; Science, Technology, Society; Sociology; Sustainable AgricultureKeywords
WEBVTT
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(MUSIC PLAYING)
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- People have been
eating bread for 10,000
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years, as the staple,
as a cornerstone
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of every single meal.
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- Bread is the foundation
of our daily meals.
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It\'s the number one
food on the tables
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of people all over the world.
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At a good reason: It\'s
the most economical source
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of the elements needed...
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- I grew up eating
sandwiches, pizza, toast,
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all kinds of bread.
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And I had no problem eating it.
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- Calories from wheat makes
up about a fifth of our diet.
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It\'s not all in bread, I mean
wheat is in pastries and snacks
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and it\'s an additive
in lots of food.
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But it\'s a fifth.
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It\'s 20%.
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And it\'s a big player.
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- But for me something changed.
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This is me three years ago, back
when I was able to eat bread.
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These days, whenever I
eat wheat, I feel sick.
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Until recently, the idea of
not being able to eat bread
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was crazy.
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But the wheat products you
find in today\'s grocery stores
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are more difficult to digest.
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And it\'s all thanks to
this thing called gluten.
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- Gluten is essentially
these two kinds
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of proteins, gliadin and
glutenin, that, when wet,
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combine to form a mesh.
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And that mesh has
certain qualities
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that are remarkable,
chief among them the fact
00:02:01.667 --> 00:02:02.998
that it holds air.
00:02:02.999 --> 00:02:04.998
It forms little
pockets, balloons
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that will get bigger
and bigger and bigger,
00:02:06.834 --> 00:02:08.374
because gluten is very stretchy.
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And so it makes
really good bread.
00:02:10.876 --> 00:02:14.998
- But when I eat bread, it
feels like I have a hangover.
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I get a stomach ache,
nausea, exhaustion.
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It\'s like my body is trying
to fight off the bread.
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Since I live in the
breadbasket of America,
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I decided this is the best
place to look for options.
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And so I got started.
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- and we do a custom
blend for everything.
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Our cake mixes are a combination
of tapioca, potato, and rice
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flour.
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- This won our
National sofi Award.
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So for 2012, best snack food
in the organic, gluten-free
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category.
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- It seems strange
to me that wheat
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has gone through, very
recently, a real fear of it,
00:03:00.542 --> 00:03:03.998
not just for calories
but for intolerance.
00:03:03.999 --> 00:03:07.625
Gluten intolerance has become
this enormous obsession.
00:03:07.626 --> 00:03:09.333
- Do you like chocolate?
00:03:09.334 --> 00:03:14.374
- Gluten-free advertisements
on a product is one of the most
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effective ways to sell
a product, apparently.
00:03:18.999 --> 00:03:22.416
- When we see \"gluten-free\",
that connotes healthy
00:03:22.417 --> 00:03:23.458
in the grocery store.
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But it is not
necessarily the case,
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because there\'s a lot of really
cruddy gluten-free products.
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- Yes, absolutely.
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You gotta try it.
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- The place was packed.
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And the food was terrible.
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All the snacks there
were way too sugary.
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And I ended up with
a stomach ache.
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- This one\'s gluten-free,
grain-free, soy-free,
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vegetarian.
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- Is everyone complaining
of gluten intolerance really
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having a physiological
reaction to it?
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I kind of doubt it.
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I mean there are people who
really struggle with this.
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And I don\'t want to suggest
it\'s all in their head.
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It\'s not.
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- But it could
all be in my head?
00:04:01.292 --> 00:04:03.998
- It could all be
in your head, yes.
00:04:03.999 --> 00:04:05.374
It\'s a possibility.
00:04:05.375 --> 00:04:06.791
- OK, great.
00:04:06.792 --> 00:04:10.791
So I could be imagining this
whole gluten intolerance thing.
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But there\'s another possibility.
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What if I have celiac disease?
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- Celiac disease is
an autoimmune disease
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in which the lining of
the intestine, the villi,
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begin attacking themselves.
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And people lose the
ability to absorb nutrients
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and essentially starve.
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- 1 in 130 people
or so are thought
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to be at risk for
celiac disease.
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That\'s huge.
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1 out of 130 is incredible.
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- So I decided to get
tested for celiac.
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Celiac disease is
four times more common
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than it was in the 1950s.
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But allergies have
increased too.
00:04:53.292 --> 00:04:56.541
So maybe gluten intolerance
is part of a bigger story,
00:04:56.542 --> 00:04:58.998
about how our
immune systems just
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don\'t work like they used to.
00:05:03.375 --> 00:05:05.208
- Hi, Maggie, this
is Lynnanne Jacob.
00:05:05.209 --> 00:05:07.998
I\'m a nurse at the Tang
Center with Vicky Summer.
00:05:07.999 --> 00:05:10.625
You had some tests
done on the 25th.
00:05:10.626 --> 00:05:11.998
And you called for the results.
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And they\'re both negative.
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- So I didn\'t have celiac.
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Which means I probably have
this kind of gluten intolerance
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that nobody really understands.
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Apparently, my gut
gets inflamed when
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I eat gluten, which causes
my stomach aches, headaches,
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and other delightful symptoms.
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A friend suggested that if I
wanted to find a real wheat
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bread I could eat,
maybe I should just
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start at the beginning.
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- There are a lot of just-so
stories about the origin
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of bread.
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It\'s not like there\'s an
\"Aha!\" moment, where everyone\'s
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eating flat bread and
suddenly it poofs up
00:06:01.209 --> 00:06:03.958
and someone says, \"Oh, I
have risen bread!\", you know?
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There\'s a long...
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let\'s say, spectrum of degrees
until you get to a really
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poofy loaf like we have.
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The first bread is
from the Sumerians,
00:06:15.834 --> 00:06:20.041
in what\'s now Iraq,
probably somewhere
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around 10,000 years ago.
00:06:22.834 --> 00:06:25.374
The Egyptians and Sumerians
are definitely the first,
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because wheat is indigenous
to the Middle East.
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In the wild state, the ancestors
of wheat... monococcus...
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Has one grain per stalk.
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So we have 20, 30 now.
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- 1 grain to 30 per
stalk is a big change.
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I wanted to see it for myself.
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- Wheat.
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And to grow the wheat,
it takes a farmer.
00:06:55.792 --> 00:07:00.583
From New York to Michigan,
to Nebraska, to Oregon,
00:07:00.584 --> 00:07:03.291
and from the Dakotas down
through all the great grain
00:07:03.292 --> 00:07:08.750
belt, 1,000, 10,000, and
100,000 wheat farmers
00:07:08.751 --> 00:07:10.083
grow the finest of wheat.
00:07:15.167 --> 00:07:17.625
- In this country
almost all bread
00:07:17.626 --> 00:07:21.875
is made from this
hard, red winter wheat.
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There\'s some indication,
some anecdotal indication,
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that there is a link between
this hard wheat and people\'s
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gluten problems.
00:07:30.876 --> 00:07:35.750
But that could well
be circumstantial.
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- There\'s more gluten in wheat
now than there used to be.
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We breed specifically
for gluten.
00:07:42.709 --> 00:07:45.708
- Bakers prefer wheat with more
gluten, because it\'s easier
00:07:45.709 --> 00:07:47.875
to bake with.
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I didn\'t know if more gluten
meant more stomach aches,
00:07:51.042 --> 00:07:54.082
but maybe I could eat bread
made from older, heritage
00:07:54.083 --> 00:07:57.666
wheats that have less gluten.
00:07:57.667 --> 00:07:59.998
- The main reason that we
don\'t grow much variety
00:07:59.999 --> 00:08:02.416
and that we\'ve gotten to
a state of monoculture
00:08:02.417 --> 00:08:05.583
with wheat in this country has
everything to do with yield.
00:08:05.584 --> 00:08:08.998
The old heritage wheats,
the yields are just lower.
00:08:08.999 --> 00:08:11.374
A lot of these heritage
varieties are old.
00:08:11.375 --> 00:08:13.458
You know, maybe you
have a disease problem,
00:08:13.459 --> 00:08:15.124
maybe they grow tall
and they fall down,
00:08:15.125 --> 00:08:17.999
maybe they thrash
out in the wind.
00:08:21.167 --> 00:08:23.041
It\'s just obviously
more complicated.
00:08:23.042 --> 00:08:24.291
And it\'s a premium product.
00:08:24.292 --> 00:08:26.208
It\'s a specialty product.
00:08:26.209 --> 00:08:29.583
You know, it\'s like $100
bottle of wine or something.
00:08:29.584 --> 00:08:32.458
- A $100 bottle of wine?
00:08:32.459 --> 00:08:35.291
I could see the heritage
wheats were just too expensive.
00:08:35.292 --> 00:08:39.583
And that I was pretty much stuck
with hard, red winter wheat.
00:08:39.584 --> 00:08:42.666
I started to think maybe
it wasn\'t the plant itself,
00:08:42.667 --> 00:08:46.998
but the way we process
it that\'s changed.
00:08:46.999 --> 00:08:48.998
- This is a hand quern.
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It\'s pretty much
the same technology
00:08:51.751 --> 00:08:54.666
as you\'d find in 10,000 BC.
00:08:54.667 --> 00:08:57.124
The only difference is I\'ve got
a little plastic knob on mine,
00:08:57.125 --> 00:08:58.333
but otherwise it\'s the same.
00:08:58.334 --> 00:09:00.333
It just turns around.
00:09:00.334 --> 00:09:04.291
As you can see, the wheat will
come out right about there.
00:09:04.292 --> 00:09:05.876
You see it coming out there?
00:09:12.459 --> 00:09:15.082
So what I do next is sift it.
00:09:15.083 --> 00:09:18.249
And I\'m just going
to put it over this.
00:09:18.250 --> 00:09:20.124
It\'s basically just a screen.
00:09:20.125 --> 00:09:22.041
Fits on top of this bowl.
00:09:22.042 --> 00:09:25.584
And I\'m going to
pour it in this way.
00:09:28.999 --> 00:09:34.416
And that will remove
all of the larger bits.
00:09:34.417 --> 00:09:35.999
And I\'m just going
to go like that.
00:09:38.459 --> 00:09:43.998
And you see I\'ve got some
of the chaff in there.
00:09:43.999 --> 00:09:47.999
And I\'ve got a finer
wheat here, see?
00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:50.249
But the technology,
when you need
00:09:50.250 --> 00:09:52.833
to feed more and more
people, gets bigger.
00:09:52.834 --> 00:09:54.998
And you need to go to
different energy sources.
00:09:54.999 --> 00:09:57.583
So a huge millstone
makes a lot more sense.
00:09:57.584 --> 00:09:58.750
It\'s more efficient.
00:09:58.751 --> 00:10:01.708
And by ancient times,
to feed their armies,
00:10:01.709 --> 00:10:05.750
they would have had to grind
immense quantities of grain.
00:10:05.751 --> 00:10:08.583
A water wheel is another
1,000 years later.
00:10:08.584 --> 00:10:13.998
So that technology comes
in around 1,000 AD.
00:10:13.999 --> 00:10:19.541
By the early 19th century, there
was roller technology in place.
00:10:19.542 --> 00:10:22.998
- So if milling technology
has changed so much,
00:10:22.999 --> 00:10:25.998
I wonder what that means
for the wheat itself.
00:10:25.999 --> 00:10:30.458
- Well wheat is good for us if
we eat in its whole grain form.
00:10:30.459 --> 00:10:33.666
All parts of the seed have
everything a life needs.
00:10:33.667 --> 00:10:36.998
It has bran, which the
fiber is a very good food
00:10:36.999 --> 00:10:38.458
for the microbes in your body.
00:10:38.459 --> 00:10:40.875
It has energy in the endosperm.
00:10:40.876 --> 00:10:43.958
It has various oils in the germ.
00:10:43.959 --> 00:10:46.374
So it\'s an incredibly
nutritious food.
00:10:46.375 --> 00:10:49.249
But I hasten to add,
this is not how Americans
00:10:49.250 --> 00:10:50.999
eat bread or wheat anymore.
00:10:56.918 --> 00:11:01.917
95%, at least, of the wheat
that we eat has been refined.
00:11:01.918 --> 00:11:03.998
Which is to say the
bran and the germ...
00:11:03.999 --> 00:11:07.998
The two healthiest
parts... are discarded.
00:11:07.999 --> 00:11:10.626
And we pig out on
the white flour.
00:11:13.417 --> 00:11:15.998
- That bran and germ
helped us digest gluten
00:11:15.999 --> 00:11:18.041
in the first place.
00:11:18.042 --> 00:11:22.166
Without it, we\'re left with
this starchy, white flour.
00:11:22.167 --> 00:11:25.625
And it may be that the more of
it we eat, the more sensitive
00:11:25.626 --> 00:11:27.082
we get.
00:11:27.083 --> 00:11:28.708
- What happens to the good part?
00:11:28.709 --> 00:11:33.458
Well, ironically enough, we
feed it to animals on feed lots.
00:11:33.459 --> 00:11:35.750
And we sell it
back to people who
00:11:35.751 --> 00:11:38.041
are starved of nutrients
in the form of vitamins.
00:11:38.042 --> 00:11:39.124
It\'s brilliant.
00:11:39.125 --> 00:11:40.333
It\'s a great business model.
00:11:40.334 --> 00:11:42.998
It\'s terrible nutrition.
00:11:42.999 --> 00:11:44.998
- Originally, this
didn\'t happen.
00:11:44.999 --> 00:11:48.791
Originally, every little
town had its own mill there.
00:11:48.792 --> 00:11:50.208
It was usually a stone mill.
00:11:50.209 --> 00:11:53.041
And you\'d go down and
pick up a bag of flour...
00:11:53.042 --> 00:11:54.208
That would be whole ground.
00:11:54.209 --> 00:11:55.833
And so it had all the nutrition.
00:11:55.834 --> 00:11:59.998
The downside is it had
all the natural oils that
00:11:59.999 --> 00:12:02.958
are in the wheat germ itself.
00:12:02.959 --> 00:12:05.541
And those oils will
go bad over time.
00:12:05.542 --> 00:12:08.249
They become rancid.
00:12:08.250 --> 00:12:11.875
With the growth of our
nation, the food industry
00:12:11.876 --> 00:12:13.333
started shipping
products everywhere
00:12:13.334 --> 00:12:14.998
over the United States.
00:12:14.999 --> 00:12:15.999
That became untenable.
00:12:18.292 --> 00:12:20.166
- And then somebody
figured out how to do it.
00:12:20.167 --> 00:12:22.250
They invented these things
called roller mills.
00:12:25.792 --> 00:12:29.625
It breaks off the bran and the
germ, and that\'s thrown out.
00:12:29.626 --> 00:12:33.208
Now you had this
white flour that you
00:12:33.209 --> 00:12:34.958
could ship all over the world.
00:12:34.959 --> 00:12:36.458
It wouldn\'t go bad.
00:12:36.459 --> 00:12:38.917
It was one of the biggest
changes to the human diet
00:12:38.918 --> 00:12:40.998
since cooking was invented.
00:12:40.999 --> 00:12:44.998
- Except that white
flour is making me sick.
00:12:44.999 --> 00:12:46.998
What about whole wheat flour?
00:12:46.999 --> 00:12:49.333
If all the parts of the
wheat seed are still there,
00:12:49.334 --> 00:12:54.041
then shouldn\'t whole
wheat flour be OK for me?
00:12:54.042 --> 00:12:58.249
- There is another
shortcut that one can take.
00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:02.541
If you want to claim that
your product is whole grain,
00:13:02.542 --> 00:13:05.999
but you have to buy flour from
the commercial roller mill
00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.625
industry, you have
the capability
00:13:08.626 --> 00:13:12.458
to add back your own bran or
your own part of the germ.
00:13:12.459 --> 00:13:15.249
So that\'s done, to some degree.
00:13:15.250 --> 00:13:18.249
Some places add
just the bran back,
00:13:18.250 --> 00:13:21.875
so that they can then claim,
\"Oh, this is whole grain.\"
00:13:21.876 --> 00:13:22.998
But is it really whole grain?
00:13:22.999 --> 00:13:24.750
No, not really.
00:13:24.751 --> 00:13:28.833
- So whole wheat flour is
actually just white flour
00:13:28.834 --> 00:13:31.541
with some bran thrown back in.
00:13:31.542 --> 00:13:34.082
Then I found out that this
way of milling and marketing
00:13:34.083 --> 00:13:35.374
is very American.
00:13:35.375 --> 00:13:37.998
- and they don\'t
do that in Europe?
00:13:37.999 --> 00:13:39.082
- They don\'t do that in Europe.
00:13:39.083 --> 00:13:39.999
- What do they do?
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.998
- They take the whole grain,
and they mill it whole.
00:13:44.999 --> 00:13:47.166
- So they don\'t take the
bran out and the germ out?
00:13:47.167 --> 00:13:49.917
- They don\'t take the
bran or the germ out, no.
00:13:49.918 --> 00:13:52.833
What they do is
they mill it whole,
00:13:52.834 --> 00:13:56.249
and then if there\'s large
particles they sift it off.
00:13:56.250 --> 00:13:59.124
- This whole milling...
Or \"stone-ground milling\"
00:13:59.125 --> 00:14:01.998
as it\'s called... is basically
what we had been doing
00:14:01.999 --> 00:14:05.124
for centuries before
roller mills were invented.
00:14:05.125 --> 00:14:07.998
And in some places,
they still use it.
00:14:07.999 --> 00:14:12.833
- If you go to France and you
get your breads from a baker
00:14:12.834 --> 00:14:19.625
that uses whole milled flour
flour that\'s been processed
00:14:19.626 --> 00:14:23.998
through whole milling
than you can eat it.
00:14:23.999 --> 00:14:26.791
- This may sound crazy,
but what Mark was saying
00:14:26.792 --> 00:14:28.998
seemed to make sense.
00:14:28.999 --> 00:14:30.625
When I lived in France
three years ago,
00:14:30.626 --> 00:14:32.458
I had no problem eating bread.
00:14:32.459 --> 00:14:34.958
But as soon as I got
back to the States,
00:14:34.959 --> 00:14:36.875
I knew something was wrong.
00:14:36.876 --> 00:14:39.708
I couldn\'t be sure that this
was the cause of my intolerance,
00:14:39.709 --> 00:14:42.998
but what I did know was
that whole wheat wasn\'t
00:14:42.999 --> 00:14:44.249
as whole as I thought it was.
00:14:44.250 --> 00:14:46.458
In fact, I still
wasn\'t quite sure
00:14:46.459 --> 00:14:48.998
what the whole
wheat label meant.
00:14:48.999 --> 00:14:53.998
- The FDA allows for whole
wheat statements of health
00:14:53.999 --> 00:14:58.333
to be added to products
as long as 51% or more
00:14:58.334 --> 00:15:01.541
of the flour that\'s
used is whole grain.
00:15:01.542 --> 00:15:05.249
So you can have a bread
made from 51% whole wheat
00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:08.541
and 49% all purpose,
you\'re still
00:15:08.542 --> 00:15:10.291
losing a lot of those nutrients.
00:15:10.292 --> 00:15:13.082
So if you go to the store and
you buy a loaf of bread that
00:15:13.083 --> 00:15:15.792
says whole wheat, you\'re really
not sure what you\'re getting.
00:15:21.125 --> 00:15:24.791
- I used to buy white bread.
00:15:24.792 --> 00:15:32.792
Yeah, look, this one is wheat,
but it\'s not 100% whole wheat.
00:15:34.292 --> 00:15:41.998
Because my budget, I have to
go for the best but cheaper.
00:15:41.999 --> 00:15:43.708
- In this section,
you\'re going to find
00:15:43.709 --> 00:15:47.583
all the $0.99 loaf of breads.
00:15:47.584 --> 00:15:49.998
This one, that is the
better kind of bread,
00:15:49.999 --> 00:15:52.291
you know, with the
100% whole wheat on it.
00:15:52.292 --> 00:15:54.708
One of this, three of this.
00:15:54.709 --> 00:15:56.998
What do you think is
going to be your option?
00:15:56.999 --> 00:15:59.041
Even if you asked them
out on the street,
00:15:59.042 --> 00:16:00.998
do you want this or
do you want this?
00:16:00.999 --> 00:16:03.124
They\'re going to take this one.
00:16:03.125 --> 00:16:05.541
- What the label doesn\'t
say is how much of that
00:16:05.542 --> 00:16:07.998
bread is 100% whole wheat.
00:16:07.999 --> 00:16:11.998
The industry requires only that
the first ingredient has to be,
00:16:11.999 --> 00:16:14.208
which wouldn\'t be a big
deal if we were sticking
00:16:14.209 --> 00:16:16.333
to the traditional recipes.
00:16:16.334 --> 00:16:20.998
But today\'s bread is a
bit more complicated.
00:16:20.999 --> 00:16:25.875
- I don\'t like this ingredient:
high-fructose corn syrup,
00:16:25.876 --> 00:16:33.291
wheat gluten, soy beans and/or
cottonseed oils, salt, honey,
00:16:33.292 --> 00:16:37.291
DATEM, ascorbic acid.
00:16:37.292 --> 00:16:38.708
- The list went on.
00:16:38.709 --> 00:16:40.998
How had we gotten so
far away from just
00:16:40.999 --> 00:16:44.000
those three simple ingredients:
flour, water, and salt?
00:16:48.375 --> 00:16:50.458
- We\'d taken this
very healthy food
00:16:50.459 --> 00:16:53.875
and we processed it to the
point where it was not only
00:16:53.876 --> 00:16:55.999
less nutritious, but it
was actually bad for you.
00:16:58.667 --> 00:17:01.999
So the solution they hit on is
a classic capitalist solution.
00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.374
Rather than return to
whole grain milling
00:17:04.375 --> 00:17:08.041
and, say, work on improving
the quality of that,
00:17:08.042 --> 00:17:10.998
they figured out that they could
just add these missing vitamins
00:17:10.999 --> 00:17:12.208
back.
00:17:12.209 --> 00:17:12.999
And they did.
00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:14.998
They could boast about
the fact that they
00:17:14.999 --> 00:17:17.998
had extra nutrients in this
food, nutrients of course
00:17:17.999 --> 00:17:19.399
that they had taken
out themselves.
00:17:32.334 --> 00:17:36.625
- By the early 20th century,
most bread that people eat
00:17:36.626 --> 00:17:37.999
is mass produced.
00:17:42.999 --> 00:17:45.583
And I think by the middle
of the 20th century,
00:17:45.584 --> 00:17:48.124
when people think of bread,
they think baked in a loaf
00:17:48.125 --> 00:17:52.416
pan, white, sliced,
poofy, that\'s got
00:17:52.417 --> 00:17:56.958
conditioners and bromates to
make it whiter, and additives.
00:17:56.959 --> 00:17:58.833
- Because Wonder
Soft Whipped bread
00:17:58.834 --> 00:18:01.208
is made from batter not
dough, it has no holes.
00:18:01.209 --> 00:18:02.667
Get Wonder Soft Whipped.
00:18:05.542 --> 00:18:07.917
- White bread has always
been a marker of status
00:18:07.918 --> 00:18:11.791
because you\'re throwing away
a lot of the bread, everything
00:18:11.792 --> 00:18:14.166
that would make bread
brown and interesting.
00:18:14.167 --> 00:18:19.374
So whiteness always
equated with wealth.
00:18:19.375 --> 00:18:21.998
And I think that
that changes only
00:18:21.999 --> 00:18:24.998
when the technology is able to
make mass produced white bread,
00:18:24.999 --> 00:18:26.042
and then it becomes cheap.
00:18:34.876 --> 00:18:37.625
The industrial Wonder Bread...
Kind of sliced white bread...
00:18:37.626 --> 00:18:41.666
Then becomes a mark of being
low class, which is totally,
00:18:41.667 --> 00:18:42.334
totally opposite.
00:18:42.334 --> 00:18:43.334
Switches it entirely.
00:18:49.584 --> 00:18:52.416
- I found out about Chad
Robertson and his San Francisco
00:18:52.417 --> 00:18:53.417
bakery, Tartine.
00:18:56.918 --> 00:18:58.875
Chad wanted to make a
good loaf of wheat bread
00:18:58.876 --> 00:19:02.998
that was digestible because
his wife, Elizabeth, was
00:19:02.999 --> 00:19:05.333
gluten intolerant.
00:19:05.334 --> 00:19:08.666
I found out that the couple had
once spent a year in France,
00:19:08.667 --> 00:19:13.041
where Elizabeth had no problem
eating bread... just like me.
00:19:13.042 --> 00:19:15.998
I had to know how a women
with gluten intolerance
00:19:15.999 --> 00:19:19.583
was married to a man who made
his living working with bread.
00:19:19.584 --> 00:19:20.998
- There was one
time when I remember
00:19:20.999 --> 00:19:24.958
you eating like half of a loaf.
00:19:24.959 --> 00:19:26.416
And I thought it was crazy.
00:19:26.417 --> 00:19:28.998
And you had no effects at all.
00:19:28.999 --> 00:19:29.959
- Yeah.
00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:31.750
- But then you
wouldn\'t really...
00:19:31.751 --> 00:19:34.583
that was kind of a one
time thing that happened.
00:19:34.584 --> 00:19:36.124
- Half a loaf of...?
00:19:36.125 --> 00:19:43.416
- It was a loaf of emmer, which
is a very old wheat variety.
00:19:43.417 --> 00:19:45.374
- I should have seen
this one coming.
00:19:45.375 --> 00:19:46.541
Emmer?
00:19:46.542 --> 00:19:49.999
This was that $100 bottle
of wine answer again.
00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:52.791
But just as I was about
to leave disappointed,
00:19:52.792 --> 00:19:53.998
I learned something else.
00:19:53.999 --> 00:19:56.666
- If I make a loaf for Liz
or someone that has a gluten
00:19:56.667 --> 00:20:01.625
intolerance, I\'ll choose
some of these softer wheats
00:20:01.626 --> 00:20:05.166
and I\'ll make sure that
it is really fermented,
00:20:05.167 --> 00:20:08.750
like for 24 hours or whatever.
00:20:08.751 --> 00:20:11.541
- For most of his breads,
Chad uses a blend that\'s
00:20:11.542 --> 00:20:14.416
more white than whole wheat.
00:20:14.417 --> 00:20:18.917
So in terms of ingredients,
this is nothing special.
00:20:18.918 --> 00:20:22.374
But it\'s this fermentation
that\'s so important.
00:20:22.375 --> 00:20:23.958
This was the final
big change that
00:20:23.959 --> 00:20:26.039
occurred in bread in the
last couple of generations.
00:20:31.542 --> 00:20:32.876
- This is my starter over here.
00:20:35.667 --> 00:20:37.374
Her name is Baby Cakes.
00:20:37.375 --> 00:20:38.458
Don\'t ask me why.
00:20:38.459 --> 00:20:41.958
I named all the other ones
after saints and things.
00:20:41.959 --> 00:20:45.041
- Up until World War
II, almost all bread
00:20:45.042 --> 00:20:48.583
was made the old fashioned way,
which is through fermentation.
00:20:48.584 --> 00:20:50.875
It\'s through a
sourdough starter.
00:20:50.876 --> 00:20:53.166
And sourdough starters,
despite all their mystique,
00:20:53.167 --> 00:20:54.416
are very simple.
00:20:54.417 --> 00:20:57.583
You let flour and
water sit for days.
00:20:57.584 --> 00:21:00.333
You got to tend it a
little bit, refresh it.
00:21:00.334 --> 00:21:05.416
And it becomes this
fermented, kind of stinky goo.
00:21:05.417 --> 00:21:08.875
- This is what Chad and
French bakers are doing.
00:21:08.876 --> 00:21:10.833
They use sourdough
starters, which
00:21:10.834 --> 00:21:14.374
collect bacteria and yeast
from the air around them.
00:21:14.375 --> 00:21:17.998
And when mixed with dough,
they help bread rise.
00:21:17.999 --> 00:21:20.958
So how did this change?
00:21:20.959 --> 00:21:23.998
- About 100 years ago,
the great Louis Pasteur...
00:21:23.999 --> 00:21:26.041
The father of
pasteurized milk...
00:21:26.042 --> 00:21:30.998
Realized there was one yeast
that was particularly powerful
00:21:30.999 --> 00:21:33.998
called saccharomyses cerevisiae.
00:21:33.999 --> 00:21:36.625
- Nowadays it\'s called
\"instant yeast\";
00:21:36.626 --> 00:21:38.416
you know, those little
packets of dried yeast
00:21:38.417 --> 00:21:39.999
you get at the grocery store.
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:43.041
- This turns out
dough very fast.
00:21:43.042 --> 00:21:46.541
It makes breadmaking
fairly idiot proof.
00:21:46.542 --> 00:21:51.998
So for big commercial bakeries,
that needed a lot of bread
00:21:51.999 --> 00:21:54.998
and needed a recipe that
could be done by anyone
00:21:54.999 --> 00:21:59.374
they hired, this was a godsend.
00:21:59.375 --> 00:22:01.998
- OK, so we traded
regular yeast that
00:22:01.999 --> 00:22:04.998
grows in our kitchens for
the easy, instant kind.
00:22:04.999 --> 00:22:06.374
What\'s the big deal?
00:22:06.375 --> 00:22:09.124
- There are people
with gluten intolerance
00:22:09.125 --> 00:22:13.583
that can eat a long fermented
bread without any problem.
00:22:13.584 --> 00:22:15.998
- This is because the
longer you ferment bread,
00:22:15.999 --> 00:22:18.998
the more time the yeast has
to break down the gluten,
00:22:18.999 --> 00:22:22.917
sort of pre-digesting it for us.
00:22:22.918 --> 00:22:24.041
- Thanks.
00:22:24.042 --> 00:22:26.041
My first apprenticeship
in baking,
00:22:26.042 --> 00:22:32.333
we were letting the breads
rise for seven or eight hours.
00:22:32.334 --> 00:22:36.750
And now I\'m doing
like over 24 hours.
00:22:36.751 --> 00:22:38.998
The longer you ferment
something the more flavor you\'re
00:22:38.999 --> 00:22:41.333
creating, and you\'re also
making it all more digestible.
00:22:41.334 --> 00:22:45.458
So it\'s all connected.
00:22:45.459 --> 00:22:47.124
- Chad had me convinced.
00:22:47.125 --> 00:22:51.041
I tried his bread and, sure
enough, I didn\'t get sick.
00:22:51.042 --> 00:22:53.166
And it tasted amazing.
00:22:53.167 --> 00:22:55.833
It seems like I
had found my bread.
00:22:55.834 --> 00:22:57.083
Except for one thing.
00:23:10.125 --> 00:23:12.082
- We like to come here
and get a bottle of wine
00:23:12.083 --> 00:23:13.998
and eat a hot loaf of bread.
00:23:13.999 --> 00:23:16.999
It\'s very expensive
here, but it\'s worth it.
00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:18.999
- How much did you spend
for that loaf of bread?
00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:22.082
- It cost almost $9.
00:23:22.083 --> 00:23:23.998
Very expensive.
00:23:23.999 --> 00:23:27.041
- $9 is fine every
once in awhile.
00:23:27.042 --> 00:23:28.918
But I can\'t afford
that all of the time.
00:23:31.709 --> 00:23:34.998
Is gluten intolerance just a
rich, white person\'s problem?
00:23:34.999 --> 00:23:36.208
- No, I don\'t think so.
00:23:36.209 --> 00:23:39.998
I think it is a national issue.
00:23:39.999 --> 00:23:43.917
Every single person could have
a sensitivity issue at any point
00:23:43.918 --> 00:23:44.998
in time in their life.
00:23:44.999 --> 00:23:49.333
Every time you eat all purpose
flour generated products
00:23:49.334 --> 00:23:51.584
at high levels, you\'re
taking a chance.
00:23:57.542 --> 00:23:58.999
- Most of the bread
that we do get
00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:04.291
is all donated, except
for two meals a year.
00:24:04.292 --> 00:24:08.998
So it\'s not feasible for us
to get donated, high quality
00:24:08.999 --> 00:24:11.417
bread every single day.
00:24:16.125 --> 00:24:19.708
- I like white bread
because it\'s softer...
00:24:19.709 --> 00:24:21.998
and it\'s what I\'ve
been raised up on!
00:24:21.999 --> 00:24:23.708
My mother raised me
up on white bread.
00:24:23.709 --> 00:24:28.249
If I go to the store,
they even have white bread
00:24:28.250 --> 00:24:31.917
that\'s 100% wheat that\'s white.
00:24:31.918 --> 00:24:32.998
I don\'t like that bread.
00:24:32.999 --> 00:24:35.166
I like white bread.
00:24:35.167 --> 00:24:38.208
It\'s just my
preference, my choice.
00:24:38.209 --> 00:24:41.124
And I\'m not saying that
the other one\'s bad.
00:24:41.125 --> 00:24:44.998
But it\'s just not
favorable to my taste buds.
00:24:44.999 --> 00:24:46.998
That\'s basically...
00:24:46.999 --> 00:24:47.999
am I making sense?
00:24:54.626 --> 00:24:56.166
- Celiac and gluten
intolerance may
00:24:56.167 --> 00:24:58.166
be a door through which
we can learn something
00:24:58.167 --> 00:25:03.291
much larger about where we\'ve
gone wrong in our relationship
00:25:03.292 --> 00:25:05.998
to these plants and
these foods that
00:25:05.999 --> 00:25:07.875
have served us
well for thousands
00:25:07.876 --> 00:25:08.998
and thousands of years.
00:25:08.999 --> 00:25:13.249
And suddenly that
relationship is problematic.
00:25:13.250 --> 00:25:16.541
Is that the wheat\'s
fault, or is it ours?
00:25:16.542 --> 00:25:18.374
- I don\'t know
whose fault it is,
00:25:18.375 --> 00:25:21.791
if it\'s the wheat itself,
the way it\'s milled,
00:25:21.792 --> 00:25:26.124
the change in
fermentation, or all of it.
00:25:26.125 --> 00:25:31.708
It\'s just nice to have options,
even though they\'re expensive.
00:25:31.709 --> 00:25:33.458
But I can\'t help
but think that what
00:25:33.459 --> 00:25:36.998
the industry has made
cheap and accessible
00:25:36.999 --> 00:25:39.998
isn\'t always the best for us.
00:25:39.999 --> 00:25:41.249
And that\'s the
trouble with bread.
00:25:41.250 --> 00:25:43.834
(MUSIC PLAYING)
