By Esha Chaudhuri
Whipped with flour, water, yeast, salt, and most importantly time, a passionate few handcraft loaves of goodness in contrast to the standard, machine-made bread often found in the supermarket bread aisle. Staying their individual courses while multitasking, bakers Jean Manar, Stephanie Pariat and Banlam Warjri share their stories of triggering the bread revolution.
Founder of ïngshet, Jean Manar finds time to breathe, pray and meditate while kneading, shaping, and baking a different loaf every day. “I posted my journey on my private Instagram, but Shillong is a small place, and soon enough I was getting orders,” she says.
If her passion for baking trumped a 9-5 job for Manar, a Master of Social Work in mental health, Banlam Warjri’s pursuit of baking was destined. He is the proprietor and head baker of Daphi’s Bakery.
Warjri endeavoured to begin with a micro-bakery. “One day, I asked my younger sister Daphi (the bakery is named after her) to teach me how to make her whole wheat pan loaf. While she is an excellent instructor, I credit my passion for cooking and eating to how quickly I was able to pick up the skill and process of making bread. I was thrilled at the outcome and was motivated to try some more. Since then, one loaf became two, two became four,” he says.
Rising from the ashes of the gutting pandemic, founder and head of Breaking Bread, Stephanie Pariat says: “My Journey started during the pandemic, when the whole city was on
lockdown and since my dental clinic along with most of the stores were closed, I start baking sourdough bread for the family after having learned the recipe shared by an old friend. My family started enjoying the bread so much that they convinced me to start a business venture online.”
Know your Bread
Warjri provides some tips on how to make bread. “There is currently no regulation on the use of the term ‘artisan’, but there is an expectation for what it should represent. Mass-produced supermarket bread is made using large machines. It is designed to appeal to a range of palates but is mass-produced in a way that involves little care and contains artificial additives. The Chorleywood Bread Process is commonly employed, which involves the intense mechanical working of the dough and strict control over the gases and pressure of the dough. This ensures minimal fermentation periods, and the convenience of a quicker fermentation process comes at the cost of flavour and character. In contrast, artisan loaves are generally made by hand using longer and more traditional processes,” he elaborates.
“It tastes better, is healthier, has a longer shelf life and it doesn’t cause bloating,” Pariat affirms.
Following a 2,000-year-old recipe, she says, “Sourdough bread is made by fermenting the dough using natural lactobacilli which gives it the yeast effect, so to speak. I use a sourdough starter as levain, which is actually water and flour under fermentation, containing a colony of microorganisms and lactobacilli. The purpose of the starter is to make the bread rise and to develop the flavour of the bread. The starter is kept alive and active by ‘feeding’ it with a constant ratio of flour and water. The lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli gives the bread a
distinctly sour taste, it produces enzymes that break down protein and results in weaker gluten content in the bread.”
Loafing Local
“Loaves are made with an unwavering and uncompromising commitment to the highest quality standards to ensure that delicious products are consistently made using the finest, freshest, locally sourced flours and other top-quality ingredients. Keeping the health of the customers in mind, our products range from the whole wheat pan or Pullman loaf, whole wheat multigrain loaf, white (maida) pan or Pullman loaf (occasionally, to order), whole wheat burger buns – 2019-20 (pre=pandemic), sourdough – just for a couple of months in 2020, and brioche buns – 2019-20 (pre-pandemic). We also do butter shorts (shortbread cookies/shorties) and multigrain loaf (whole wheat) found in some of the leading épiceries and departmental stores in the city,” Warjri says.
Tweaking what might resonate locally, Manar explains: “I have a range of sourdough bread that I bake. I have translated sourdough to “ruti jew” in Khasi to make it more approachable and local. I have everyday loaves like the classic ruti jew, the 5 grain and 5 seed loaf, the toasted oat porridge loaf, and the whole-wheat loaf. I have gluten-free options in the brown rice loaf and the dark rye and ragi loaf. With this, I also have some unique loaves like the red miso and white sesame loaf, or the smoked pork and black sesame (dohthad neiïong). “
She adds: “Along with the sourdough loaves, I have some yeasted loaves like the first loaf I ever started selling called “Ruti I Pa” – a twist of a loaf my dad used to make at home using 100% atta and filling it with different kinds of seeds. I started selling this loaf as an option for people living with diabetes in Shillong, which is a very large number of people. Apart from these, I also sell some bread like brioche, Italian focaccia, pita bread, English muffins, and New York bagels.”
Having travelled and learned closely from bakers around the world, Pariat’s range of products has been inspirational. Detailing on the range of products, she says, “I do whole wheat sourdough bread, multigrain sourdough bread, Borodinsky rye gluten-free bread, sourdough ciabatta, sourdough babka, Japanese Hokkaido sourdough bread, sourdough croissants, sourdough pretzels, sourdough bagels, sourdough cruffins filled with custard, sourdough focaccia. At the start of the weekend, I also have a “Friday special” pop-up menu where I offer 
a new variety of bread and dishes from other countries to give my customers a chance to experience the culture and taste of cuisines from other parts of the world from the comfort of their home.”
She has covered Israel with babka, South Africa with koeksisters, Greece with Eliopsomo bread, Ethiopia with Injera, Germany with pretzels, England with sourdough scones, Vietnam with banh mi, Turkey with sourdough baklava and many more. “Sometimes, I also collaborate with other upcoming bakers and local cooks to make the “Friday Special” menu more luring and to support upcoming talent,” she says.
Befriend your Carbs
‘We are what we eat’ and health has been a top charter, even more so with the pandemic, and adapting to healthier alternatives has been growing with food and nutritional options in the market. Manar propounds: “The bread we get in the market is rushed with sugars, bleached flours, preservatives, and enhancers. It tastes good, but it takes a toll on our nutritional benefits, our overall energy, and our long-term health goals. Whereas, with the slow food movement, which includes artisanal bread like sourdough or slow-fermented bread; it allows the food to break down naturally.”
On a personal note, she says, “When I approach the bread and goods that I bake, I think to myself, would I feed this to my elderly parents? Would I feed this to my baby nieces and nephews? Would I feed this to someone who I love? Only if the answer is yes will I put this on my menu. The reason I make artisan bread is because it encourages community, conversation, and intentional service in a way a loaf of bread created rapidly does not allow.”
Sharing her technical expertise on the pros of bread, Pariat says, “This makes sourdough bread healthier than commercial bread and is easier for digestion and reduces bloating in people, especially those with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). The lactic acid from the bread allows one’s body to absorb more nutrients as compared to regular wheat bread. The natural acidity of the sourdough bread discourages the growth of bacteria giving the bread a longer shelf life than regular yeasted bread. “I’d sometimes joke with friends that sourdough bread is perfect for the apocalypse!”
Warjri gives another perspective. “I grew up in the ’80s and bread was a staple in our household. We always bought our bread, unsliced, from a locality store, viz., de Arco, Malki Point, and whose bakery was located within the locality itself. These were typically artisan bread such as pan loaves. Through my venture, I only wish to continue the tradition of producing fresh bread because I firmly believe in natural, healthy food.”
In an undertaking for clean eating habits, he adds, “I would like to encourage people to prioritize good health and eating habits, even though there are a myriad of socio-economic factors that will compel people to think otherwise. I sincerely hope that artisan bread make a comeback and become a mainstay in our local food habits.”
From seed to sapling, perfecting skills with a whirlpool of science and a tinge of art, our local bakers enter the bread revolution with a clear vision to change the local consumption pattern. Bready or not, here I crumb!