Got Dough: When bread tells no lies

We should all do as Morticia Addams exhorts her daughter Wednesday to do, and play with our food.

Something of the sensuousness of food and eating has been lost to the over-processed, plastic-wrapped, preservative-laden supermarket fare to which we've become accustomed.

"Fast food is the equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking," says writer Steve Elbert. It serves a limited function and there are often serious side effects for the soul and body.

But lately there's been a rise in artisanal food production and the difference in taste, texture and effect is immediately apparent.

At the Spier Secret FoodFestival in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, last week, Fritz Schoon, owner of De Oude Bank Bakkerij, revealed his delicious artisanal breads.

Schoon grew up in Kempton Park in Gauteng and moved to Stellenbosch after a stint in Knysna, where he learned to bake.

''I read a lot about artisan bakeries in France and realised I have a passion for baking."

At his bakery people are encouraged to share a plate of food, and to revive the tradition of breaking bread together.

"As a baker I noticed the sales of bread were really going down," he says. "People have begun to talk about bread as if it is an evil thing, yet a grain of wheat is one of the most nutrient-dense grains on the planet."

Schoon has gone on a mission to get the nutrient parts back into his flour by accessing and planting heirloom or ancient grains.

"I wanted to produce flour that is terroir-driven - you can taste in the bread where the grain comes from."

Mass-manufactured bread has had all nutrients and fibre removed from it, he says.

"The flour is milled so fine that it becomes a dead product to which harmful chemicals are added - benzoyl peroxide (yes, the one used to treat acne) and azodicarbonamide (publicly denounced because of its use in both yoga mats and sandwich breads) to name just two."

Schoon is committed to using sustainable whole grains grown locally and fermented naturally - and also to playing with his doughs.

On his menu is written: ''An over-mixed or mishandled dough cannot hide itself. The bake is the test of the work that has been done and it is incapable of lying. So, I guide each loaf, by hand, through the lengthy process that it requires. I do so with love and patience in my heart to produce something I am proud of and in which I believe."

There is a choice of baguette, rustique (ciabatta), sourdough or dark rye and the portion menu can be enjoyed with farm butter, pestos, marmalade, cheeses or meats. Smoked bacon and golden orange eggs are also available to be eaten with Schoon's delicious, healthy breads.

• De Oude Bank Bakkerij, 7 Church Street, Stellenbosch, 021-883-2187