BISBROOKE ARTISANS: A WONDERFUL INDEPENDENT SOURDOUGH MICRO-BAKERY

Bisbrooke Artisans are the hot kids on the block when it comes to not just your average loaf of sourdough. This micro bakery located in the sleepy rural Rutland village of Bisbrooke is run by former IT chap, Lance and his lovely retired teacher lady, Ami.

Their passion for sourdough really took off in 2018 and has since been going from strength to strength with them exclusively supplying fresh, crust sourdough loaves to delis and cafes across the county as well as neighbouring Leicestershire.

Bisbrooke Artisans: Supporting Independents

Bisbrooke Artisans micro-bakery is based in the small village of Bisbrooke, about half an hour out of Leicester with all baking and packing being undertaken in Lance & Ami’s kitchen. The beautiful cottage comes with idyllic countryside views of endless green stretches out the back and personally I couldn’t think of a more inspiring place to work from and use as a creative canvas.

The cute cottage, which is the nerve centre of the sourdough production, is filled with personal touches by the couple, which reminds you that this is a family business, it’s independent and every single sourdough that leaves this place, is made with love, a complete appetite for the craft and a sense of effort that can only come directly from the heart.

Personally, this is why I am so fond of supporting local and shall always continue to dig the independent, passionate, brave businesses that exist in our locales and are very much part of our communities.

Before getting stuck into the sourdough process at Bisbrooke Artisans, Lance & Ami use locally sourced ingredients including flour from Whissendine Mill to produce their gut-friendly bread and each loaf undergoes the artisan process of self-fermentation, proofing, rounding, shaping and retarding taking 31-36 hours. It is only when they achieve perfection of these stages that the bread is baked. This folks is artisan baking, a personal touch of each and every loaf, not to mention the skill, precision and expertise of the baker.

The Sourdough Making Process With Lance

Lance has done much experimentation to perfect the sourdough which is 100% sourdough self-fermented where no dry yeast is used. The starter is just a mix of flour and water left to ferment with careful daily maintenance. They are also organic and vegan and have the perfect chew to crumb ration and I can say that with multiple tastings!!

The sourdough mix is combined and left to settle after which it needs to be turned every 30 minutes in between standing post self-fermentation. After this point occurs proofing, rounding, shaping and retarding. 

After further rest, there is some reshaping and the dough is transferred to baskets and then placed in the fridge overnight prior to baking. This is known as retarding and occurs overnight in the fridge after which the loaves are baked for 20 minutes.

Did you know, that rice flour is used to sprinkle on the loaves in between the stages as it doesn’t absorb water? 

Lance ensures at each stage that only when this process has been completed successfully that he bakes the bread, which only takes around 20 minutes!

Sourdough Varieties & Collaboration

Bisbrooke Artisans don’t just make their signature village loaf, well of course as any evolving business they are keeping up with consumer demands and have introduced many interesting and delicious flavours to the sourdough troop.  Lance enjoys experimenting with different flavours so currently, they have the following options available:

The Village Sourdough
white stone ground flour, wholemeal flour, Pink Himalayan salt

Village Topped (seeded on top of loaf only)
with any of the following: 
 sunflower seeds / chia / oats / pumpkin seeds

Charcoal & Caraway Sourdough
organic charcoal from coconut husks, citrus zest

 Turmeric and Fennel Sourdough
turmeric and fennel

Toasted Black and White Sesame Sourdoughs (seeded all way through)
toasted Black & White sesame seeds

Omega 3 Sourdough (a selection of seeds rich in omega 3 oils all way through)
 Omega 3 mix seeds Sesame, flax, sunflower & pumpkin

Coffee and Cacao

Espresso beans, Cacao

New Sourdoughs coming soon…
Coffee & Cacao, Ginger and Sesame, Rye Sourdough, Lavender & Honey, Orange & Cacao Jaffa Sourdough 

Bisbrooke Artisans also have an exciting collaboration coming up with U2 beer brewed locally at The Falcon Hotel in Uppingham. Lance is currently perfecting the loaf but is said to be a colour resembling demerara sugar topped with oats and a great companion for a glass of beer in the form of a classic ploughman’s.

Sourdough Purchase Locations

Being a Micro-bakery, Bisbrooke Artisans, offer the option to purchase their sourdough from their bakery in Bisbrooke and a number of outlets in Leicestershire & Rutland. The real personal touch is that Ami hand delivers the sourdough to the outlets, which is just another facet to this business being personal down to the core.

To find out which retailers to purchase sourdough from click here

Sourdough Topping Ideas

Ami is also a keen cook and that is very handy as she has come up with some great toppings and suggestions on how to eat the sourdough. Sourdoughs can even be frozen and stay fresh for up to 8-10 days. Ami explained how she loves making spicy condiments that draw on her Bangladeshi heritage. Ami explained that the flavour of the sourdough is enhanced when sliced and lightly warmed to provide a nice moist texture and crumb. We tried the mixed spicy bean and aubergine toppings on open slices. Previously I’ve also had a lightly toasted slice with butter and sweet toppings too. Additionally, we topped our slices with some delicious black bean ragu made by Chef Hass @forestrisefoodco.

Bisbrooke Artisans is a true example of an independent business bringing its unique craft of sourdough production from their micro-bakery and supplying other small independents artisan businesses within Leicestershire and Rutland. It was a complete pleasure watching Lance whilst he folded and lovingly prepared the sourdough and similarly seeing the part Ami plays in this thriving business was a total pleasure. A fantastic partnership, using locally sourced ingredients and putting quality at the forefront of the business has provided a strong backbone for the future of Bisbrooke Artisans. It is no wonder that they have been shortlisted for a number of awards and have won the title of Food & Drink Micro-Bakery of the Year 2019 award.

Sourdough Pizza Bases

Bisbrooke Artisans have recently launched their pizza-making kits so you can create pizzas with the toppings of your choice at home. The kits come with a handmade sourdough pizza base, tomato sauce and mozzarella which is all vacuum packed for your convenience. These are priced at £6.50.

The Details

• Bisbrooke Artisans. 11 Glaston Road. Bisbrooke, Oakham. Rutland. LE15 9EN. Tel. 07850 231135.
• Website: BIsbrooke Artisans

Disclosure: We were invited to Bisbrooke Artisans however all photography, views and opinions are our own and therefore remain a copyright of be-lavie with all photography.

À bientôt

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