How is your Gluten Free food prepared? Is it safe for Coeliacs and Gluten Intolerant people?
Our gluten free food is prepared in our Sydney bakehouse, entirely by hand and using where possible locally sourced and natural ingredients. We do bake products containing gluten in the same environment – however we bake GF products on separate shifts, and do everything possible in between to ensure no cross-contamination occurs.
Surfaces, machines and utensils are cleaned at high temperatures, and different utensils, trays and tins are used for our GF products all together. At the service end, staff of our market stalls and two stores are reminded to keep GF and regular products separate, and to use different utensils to select them.
We’re confident that this attention-to-detail eliminates almost all of the opportunity for any gluten-containing ingredients to make their way into our GF food. However, we can never be 100% sure so if you’re very sensitive, we advise against consuming our products just in case.
What’s the benefit of sourdough vs yeasted bread?
There are so many reasons, we’ve created an entire page dedicated to this topic. You can find our list of the ten reasons to choose sourdough over regular bread HERE, but in essence, it’s due to sourdough’s status as a fermented food.
Sourdough bread is made to ‘rise’ using wild yeast, which grows in a starter culture which is constantly used and replenished. There is no powdered or commercial yeast added to true sourdough. The wild yeast causes the dough to rise by producing ‘good’ bacteria – similar to those found in yogurt cultures – which are beneficial to our digestive system.
The wild yeast acts more slowly than commercial yeast, so it takes our dough 2-3 days to puff up to the size it needs to be to go into the ovens. During this time, a percentage of the gluten in the wheat flour is broken down, making the finished product more easily digested for everyone, not just those with gluten intolerance issues.
Are all of your products “healthy”?
Most definitely not. But we’re big believers in the theory that there are foods which are good for your body – those you should eat MOST of the time – and there are foods which are good for your soul, which should only be eaten now and then.
Brownies, croissants, slices, muffins and lamingtons all fall into the second category, definitely. While we add no mystery ingredients or ‘E numbers’, and substitute natural sweeteners for refined sugar where possible, these products are all definitely ‘treats’ to be consumed every now and then!
The overwhelming majority of our breads fall into the ‘eat often’ category for most people. This is especially true of our Wholey Grain range, which is enriched with superfoods. In general our breads contain no sugar, a minimum of salt and (as per the question above) those which are sourdoughs have added health benefits for your digestive system. Our Nice Kitty range are made from 100% natural ingredients with no gluten, dairy, eggs or refined sugar. This does not mean they’re ‘low fat’ but they are healthier than the mainstream alternatives!
In between these two camps are our savoury pastries, which are certainly not low-fat, but which are made using wholesome ingredients including fresh vegetables, premium cuts of meat and breadcrumbs from our own day-old sourdough bread.
Can I get your products delivered to my home?
Yes! Head over to our Shepherd’s Online store and order for most postcodes in Sydney, with many more areas in NSW and the ACT coming online from Mon 24 August 2020.
