I have previously written about one of the foods recommended by Hildegarde, a nun who actually lived in medieval Germany: original spelt wheat. Since then, I have continued to eat as much original spelt wheat as possible, but in the last few years, the number of stores selling bread made of 100% “ancient wheat,” including spelt wheat, has increased greatly.
One such bakery is Pane Vivo (20 Rue Albert Thomas, 75010 Paris), where a Japanese baker, Yoko Shimanuki, works. This time, Ms. Shimanuki kindly allowed us to visit her workshop in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. In the small workshop, four to five craftsmen were working in a friendly atmosphere.
Plain bread, bread with figs, bread with olives, bread with chocolate chips, etc. are being baked in the workshop filled with appetizing aromas. They all look very tasty!
It is surprising to learn that while in Japan, Mr. Shimanuki was a researcher of French literature at university. With a strong desire to love bread and do what he wanted to do while he was still alive, he moved to France in his 30s and built a career as a baker with no experience.
She has been working at Pane Vivo for 2 years now. I sent in my resume to Pane Vivo, one of the bakers of one of my favorite breads, and I was hired. I was impressed by his smiling face.
The owner of Pane Vivo, where Mr. Shimanuki loves to make bread, is Mr. Adriano Farano. Unfortunately, he was not at the workshop on the day we visited, but Mr. Adriano has also changed his career from journalist to baker. He is so particular about the quality of his bread that he has written his own book, “Je ne mangerai pas de ce pain-l?
The ancient Sicilian flour used in the workshop was selected after several years of extensive research. This was the only one that was completely satisfactory to Adriano. The wheat is milled on a stone mill, which makes it tasty and nutritious. According to our own research, it contained almost the same amount of iron as red meat, for example. The results of a post-meal blood test showed that it also had a low GI level (an indicator of rising blood sugar levels).
For fermentation, we use a 130-year-old sourdough that was shared with us in Italy. Unlike yeast, which ferments in a short period of time, the use of this sourdough helps digestion as well as flavor.
Baked bread can be kept at room temperature for up to a week if wrapped in a cloth. In fact, I stored mine in a cool place in my kitchen for a week last summer, and it was delicious all the way through without any mold.
Although ancient wheat has all these good qualities, its problem is its low yield: the yield per hectare is only one-fifth that of modern wheat. It also takes longer to mill because of the stone milling process. This is why bread made with ancient wheat flour is expensive, and not only for Pane Vivo.
It is wonderful that the “Green Revolution” (the development of high-yield varieties of grain and other agricultural innovations from the 1940s to the 1960s) has made it possible to produce wheat in large quantities to meet demand, but I realize that gluten in wheat can easily cause problems. However, it is also true that problems caused by wheat gluten are becoming more likely to occur. However, I also realize that wheat gluten can cause problems. We each have to make the best choices we can, to the extent we can, and according to our own constitution and budget.
Returning to Mr. Shimanuki, when he goes back to Japan and meets his old acquaintances, he is sometimes told, “I thought it was a reckless challenge, but you seem happier now. When I asked him, “Which is your favorite bakery in Paris? He immediately gave me a list of about 10 bakeries in Paris and told me that the bread here is delicious because it is this way and that way.
Pane Vivo’s bread can be purchased at the company’s own store, at marchés, by mail order, and through partner stores in Paris and its suburbs. If you have a chance, please try the bread that Mr. Shimanuki and his team make with pride and love!
© Source travel watch