I was recently contacted by Vancouver’s, Atome Bakery with their bake-at-home sourdough breads to try. Of course, I said, “Yes”. On the bakery website, they tell us, “We’re Alice and Lucas, the duo behind Atome Bakery. We grew up devouring baguettes and toast every day. When we arrived in Vancouver, we couldn’t find the same bread as we were used to…We were making our own bread daily, but we craved for more. More fresh, artisanal sourdough bread in our lives, minus the hassle. So we baked, and baked, and baked until we found the perfect solution: Atome Bakery, the first French-inspired artisan online bakery delivery company in Canada and the U.S.!“
I received the box of their frozen unbaked rye and traditional sourdough loaves, croissants, and pizza dough. The dough came packed with dry ice to make sure it stays frozen after shipping. Also included is a baking tin for the loaves. I guess that this tin keeps the moisture in during the baking process to make the resulting baked loaves perfect.
Why I Like Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread, with its tangy flavour and rustic crust, offers more than just culinary pleasure. It may also be gentler on your digestive system. Unlike commercially yeasted breads, sourdough undergoes a slow fermentation process driven by wild yeasts and lactobacilli, which helps break down gluten and phytic acid, a compound that can inhibit mineral absorption. For people with mild gluten sensitivity, this partial gluten breakdown may make sourdough easier to digest. While not gluten-free, sourdough’s lower glycemic index and prebiotic content also support better blood sugar regulation and gut health. Pair a slice with cheese, smoked salmon, or olive oil and fresh herbs, plus a glass of red or white wine, and you will not only enjoy a delightful flavour experience, but also nourish your body in a more balanced way.
My Experiences Baking with Atome Bakery
The first bread that I baked was the sourdough rye loaf. Following the instructions, I was rewarded with a perfect loaf. The loaf starts from frozen inside the baking tin with the top closed. After 36 minutes of baking, you remove the top and bake for another 1-3 minutes so that the loaf gets a golden crust.
The loaf turned out perfectly. It was pleasantly crusty with a dense, yet soft, rye interior. Nice crumb with lots of bubbles inside the loaf from small to larger sizes. A little chewy so you know you are not getting factory-made white bread. A slight tang from the sourdough fermentation process.
I paired slices of this loaf with brie cheese from Quebec and a glass of Ontario’s Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery Estate Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2020. I enjoyed the texture and tang from the bread along with the creaminess and mushroom flavour from the brie cheese and the acidity and red fruit flavours from the Cabernet Franc wine.
The next loaf that I baked was the traditional sourdough loaf. It did not brown up as much as the sourdough rye loaf. The loaf was a bit chewier with a soft texture and had more larger pockets of air inside the loaf. The crust was nicely crusty and the bread had a good chew to it. Just a little tanginess from the sourdough process. I tried this loaf with brie cheese again, but this time with a glass of Domaine Drouhin Arthur Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2023. The wine’s tropical flavour, acidity, and mouthfeel went nicely with the creaminess of the cheese and the chewiness and crustiness of the sourdough loaf.
The baking instructions between the two loaves were slightly different with the rye sourdough baking at 500 d F with convection oven, lid closed then 1-3 minutes with the lid off. The sourdough loaf was 500 d F with the lid on, did not mention to use convection oven, but I did, then 1-5 minutes with the lid off.
Next, was to bake croissants for breakfast. You get three croissants in a package. The instructions are to bake them at 375 d F for 20-22 minutes. I set the timer for 21 minutes, took the croissants out of the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before enjoying them with coffee. As I cut one croissant in half, I could see that the interior was not quite thoroughly baked and flaky. I think that maybe 23 minutes would have given me the perfectly baked croissant. But tasting the croissants, they were crispy on the outside with a buttery flavour and freshly baked. The croissants went well with my morning cup of coffee.
Pizza dough was the last thing for me to try from Atome Bakery. The round of dough needs to thaw. They recommend putting it into the fridge and letting it thaw overnight. I brought it out in the morning and let it thaw on my counter in a bowl. Now, I have never stretched pizza dough and was worried about it being deformed or having thin spots or holes. I needed guidance. I checked online and found this web page that describes how to stretch pizza dough. It has written instructions as well as videos so you can see the process. I tried it and it worked. The pizza ended up being about the size of a dinner plate. I could have stretched it thinner and wider, but I decided to be safe. I topped the pizza dough with tomato sauce, peppered salami, onions, marinated artichoke hearts, dried basil leaves, and a blend of Italian cheeses. Baked at 475 d F for 17 minutes. The package from Atome Bakery recommended 15 minutes at 500 d F, but the parchment paper I was using underneath the pizza had instructions that 500 d F is too hot, so I lowered the temperature a bit and lengthened the cooking time.
Thank you to Atome Bakery for contacting me and providing me with these samples to bake at home. It was a delicious experience.
