THE LOWDOWN ON OUR SOURDOUGH

Pain au Levain, naturally fermented, baked fresh

At Ojai Rôtie, every loaf begins with our sourdough mother, a living culture we have fed every single day for the past 20 years. No commercial yeast. Ever. Just flour, filtered water, sea salt, and time.

What’s in the bread?

Our sourdough contains four ingredients: a proprietary blend of organic wheat, whole wheat, whole spelt, and whole dark rye from Giusto’s Vita Grain, filtered water, sea salt, and our sourdough starter. Every loaf contains at least 30% whole grain, meaning that portion of the flour retains both the germ and the bran. Better flavor, better nutrition.

How it’s made

While commercial bread can go from start to finish in as little as three hours, ours takes closer to 25. We hand-stretch the dough in small batches, then shape each loaf twice by hand over a 4 to 5-hour period. The loaves are cold-fermented at 41 degrees for another 20 hours before baking.

The bread is baked on a stone hearth at 525 degrees. Steam is introduced into the baking chamber for the first 20 minutes, which is what creates that thick, chewy-crunchy crust.

What is Pain au Levain?

Our bread is classified as Pain au Levain (pawn-oh-luh-vawn), which simply means the dough is fermented naturally rather than with commercial yeast. The result is a bread that is only mildly tangy, nothing like the assertive sourness of San Francisco sourdough. The long fermentation produces a complex flavor and naturally improves shelf life.

A note on gluten sensitivity

Long fermentation makes our bread easier to tolerate for many people with gluten sensitivity. That said, it is not recommended for anyone diagnosed with celiac disease. People with celiac disease should never consume foods containing gluten.

As for gluten itself, it refers to natural proteins found in certain grains, including wheat. It is not inherently harmful for most people and plays an important role in the structure and texture of good bread.

Our bread varieties

We bake a range of sourdough loaves, including our signature boule in 1lb and 2lb sizes, a classic baguette, a sandwich loaf, a 3lb country loaf, and a rotating selection of specialty pain rustique varieties, including six seed, olive, golden raisin and walnut, apricot and pecan, and walnut and sage. All are available for online ordering or pickup in-store or at the Sunday Ojai Farmer’s Market.