Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Bakery |
Founded | 1985 |
Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
Key people | Lynn Gordon, founder |
Products | See products section |
Website | www.frenchmeadow.com |
French Meadow Bakery is a privately held bakery located in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis that produces gluten-free, vegan, yeast-free and kosher parve foods. It is one of the longest running certified organic bakeries in the country. [1] The bakery is currently certified organic by the USDA and Quality Assurance International, certified Gluten-Free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, [2] and certified Low Glycemic for Diabetics by the Glycemic Research Institute. [3] [4]
French Meadow started when Lynn Gordon was teaching a cooking class and pondering a new recipe for bread that would accommodate her macrobiotic diet. The diet prohibited her from eating breads loaded with yeast and sugar. Thus, the idea for French Meadow Bakery was born. The bakery was opened in 1985 and since then has offered products that only use natural ingredients and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The bakery was acquired by Rich Products Corporation in July 2006.
French Meadow Bakery and Cafe is a small local cafe in Minneapolis which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It features many healthy options that utilizes the baked goods that the bakery makes as well as fresh, local, organic ingredients. French Meadow Bakery and Cafe also features airport concession stands at Salt Lake City International Airport, JFK International, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, airport in Atlanta, Logan International and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airports which offers such products as peanut butter cookies, carrot cake, hemp bagels and a variety of freshly baked breads. [5] These products are made with organic, all-natural ingredients and packed with ingredients such as hemp seeds, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and/or flax seeds. [5] Winner of the 6th Annual PETA Proggy Awards in December 2008 for Best New Airport Concessions. [5] These awards are presented in recognition of extraordinary efforts to help bring about an end to animal suffering.
Gluten is a structural protein naturally found in certain cereal grains. The term gluten usually refers to the elastic network of a wheat grain's proteins, gliadin and glutenin primarily, that forms readily with the addition of water and often kneading in the case of bread dough. The types of grains that contain gluten include all species of wheat, and barley, rye, and some cultivars of oat; moreover, cross hybrids of any of these cereal grains also contain gluten, e.g. triticale. Gluten makes up 75–85% of the total protein in bread wheat.
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture.
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures. Corn flour has been important in Mesoamerican cuisine since ancient times and remains a staple in the Americas. Rye flour is a constituent of bread in both Central Europe and Northern Europe.
A croissant is a French pastry made from puff pastry in a crescent shape.
Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by allowing the dough to ferment using naturally occurring lactobacillaceae and yeast before baking. The fermentation process produces lactic acid, which gives the bread a sour taste and improves its keeping-qualities.
Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening agents, as well as ingredients such as fats or flavourings.
Soda bread is a variety of quick bread made in many cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of yeast. The basic ingredients of soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added, such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts. Quick breads can be prepared quickly and reliably, without requiring the time and labor needed for kneaded yeast breads.
A rusk is a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake, rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the UK, the name also refers to a wheat-based food additive.
Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat flour. Compared to white bread, it is higher in fiber, darker in color, and stronger in flavor. The world's largest exporter of rye bread is Poland.
In cooking, kneading is a process in the making of bread or dough, used to mix the ingredients and add strength to the final product. It allows the process of baking to be shortened by developing the gluten more quickly than it would develop in the absence of kneading.
The sponge and dough method is a two-step bread making process: in the first step a sponge is made and allowed to ferment for a period of time, and in the second step the sponge is added to the final dough's ingredients, creating the total formula. In this usage, synonyms for sponge are yeast starter or yeast pre-ferment. In French baking the sponge and dough method is known as levain-levure. The method is reminiscent of the sourdough or levain methods; however, the sponge is made from all fresh ingredients prior to being used in the final dough.
Flourless chocolate cake is a dense cake made from an aerated chocolate custard. The first documented form of the cake was seen in Ferrara, Italy, though some forms of the cake have myths surrounding their origins. The dessert contains no gluten, which makes it acceptable for those with celiac disease, gluten-free diets, and during religious holidays in which gluten and grains are not permitted.
A dough conditioner, flour treatment agent, improving agent or bread improver is any ingredient or chemical added to bread dough to strengthen its texture or otherwise improve it in some way. Dough conditioners may include enzymes, yeast nutrients, mineral salts, oxidants and reductants, bleaching agents and emulsifiers. They are food additives combined with flour to improve baking functionality. Flour treatment agents are used to increase the speed of dough rising and to improve the strength and workability of the dough.
Straight dough is a single-mix process of making bread. The dough is made from all fresh ingredients, and they are all placed together and combined in one kneading or mixing session. After mixing, a bulk fermentation rest of about 1 hour or longer occurs before division. It is also called the direct dough method.
A baking mix is a mixed formulation of ingredients used for the cooking of baked goods. Baking mixes may be commercially manufactured or homemade. Baking mixes that cater to particular dietary needs, such as vegan, gluten-free, or kosher baking mixes, can be bought in many places.
Hemp juice is a beverage derived from industrial hemp, made from the result of pressing the Cannabis sativa plant. The juice is obtained through a large-scale industrial cold-pressing procedure using the upper parts of the hemp plant as well as the leaves. This procedure distinguishes hemp juice from other hemp products such as hemp oil, hemp sprouts or hemp milk, which are obtained through the seeds of the hemp plant.
Korean baked goods consists of either snacks or bread. Examples include bread, buns, pastries, cakes, and snacks.
Breads on Oak is a bakery and café in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States that specializes in organic ingredients, breads, vegan cuisine, and a café style menu of breakfast and lunch food offerings. There are two locations, the original bakery on Oak Street and a second location on Carondelet Street, which opened in 2020. Upon its opening in 2012, Breads on Oak was the first bakery and café in New Orleans to use only organic ingredients.
Askatu Bakery is a Latino- and woman-owned bakery in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington. As an "allergen-free" bakery, Askatu offers gluten-free and vegan options, and avoids eggs, nuts, and wheat. Established by Estela Martinez in 2019, the business has also been a vendor at the farmers' market in the University District. Askatu has garnered a positive reception.