Butlers Pantry Sourdough

Sourdough – A Healthy Choice

/in , , , , /by

Butlers Pantry Sourdough

A Healthy Choice

Sourdough bread is one of the tastiest and healthiest bread available. It has risen in popularity over the last number of years, being found in numerous bakeries & patisseries, but it has been around for much longer! It is one of the oldest forms of grain fermentation which originated in Ancient Egypt around 1,500 BC. It was the main form of bread leavening until baker’s yeast replaced it a few centuries ago.

Leavening is the process of the dough rising during the bread-making process as a result of gas being produced while the grain is fermenting. Commercial baker’s yeast is used for most leavened breads to help the dough rise. In sourdough bread, wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria leaven the bread and help the dough to rise.

 

What is Sourdough Bread?

Sourdough bread takes time and dedication. First a “starter” is made with a mixture of wild yeast, lactic acid bacteria, flour and water. The starter ferments the sugars in the dough, helping the bread to rise and develop its unique, tangy taste. The dough takes much longer to ferment and rise than regular bread which gives it a chewy texture.

 

Nutritional Benefits

Sourdough is more nutritious than other types of bread however the exact nutritional composition depends on the flour that is used to make it. Some commercially produced sourdough breads are not made using traditional methods, thus reducing the health benefits. At The Butler’s Pantry, our sourdough bread is made in the traditional way by hand daily.

Wholegrain breads contain lots of minerals including magnesium, potassium and zinc. The presence of phytate (phytic acid) in your body limits the absorption of these minerals. The lactic acid bacteria that is found in sourdough lowers pH, which helps to lower phytate content. Studies also show that the lactic acid bacteria present in sourdough bread have the ability to release antioxidants during the fermentation process.

Sourdough bread can be easier to digest than regular bread. This is thought to be due to sourdough’s probiotic properties and prebiotic content. Probiotics are bacteria that are beneficial in the gut while prebiotics are fibres that feed the beneficial bacteria and are non-digestible.

It is widely thought that sourdough fermentation can also degrade gluten which can cause digestive problems for people with gluten intolerances.

Sourdough bread has low glycemic index (GI) which measures how food affects blood sugar. This slows down the speed at which sugars enter the bloodstream and means that it is less likely to produce a spike in blood sugar levels.

 

Sourdough bread is extremely popular across the globe from the Middle East to the USA. Its health benefits and delicious texture and taste make it a wonderful choice in our sandwich platters for corporate catering. Another great way to help to look after your employee’s health and wellbeing.

 

 

Veganuary

Veganuary: Announcing Many Delicious Vegan Options

/in , /by

Ah January… The great celebration and indulgence of Christmas is over, and it is time for us to look to the new year with a healthy eye. Veganuary first came to fruition in 2013, after a conversation between husband and wife Matthew Glover and Jane Land. Since then, a casual thought between two people wondering how they could encourage people to eat less meat has turned into a whole wellness trend, with over half a million people pledging themselves to the movement in 2019.

 

The Butler’s Pantry Vegan options

Here at The Butler’s Pantry, we want to help you Feed Your Resolution, and we have a delightful range of Vegan treats and meals to help you start 2020 as you mean to go on. From our own kitchen, we are delighted that our creamy and warming Mushroom Stroganoff is free from dairy; it is made with coconut milk and oyster mushrooms, to give you a hearty and filling dish that you may not have known was vegan.

Similarly, we have two delicious and different curry dishes, which dairy and animal product free. Our Thai Vegetable Curry is packed with delicious veggies like mangetout, mixed peppers and cauliflower, all in a Thai coconut sauce for warmth and flavour.

If tomato based curries are more your thing, our Potato, Lentil and Butternut Squash Curry is packed with flavour, and is perfect to fill you up on a cold January day. We also have a scrumptious Falafel Wrap with Mango Chutney for lunch, and the most fantastic, moist and delectable Chocolate and Coconut Vegan cake is sure to satisfy all your chocolatey cravings. As well as all of these delicious treats, many of our soups and salads are dairy free and full of goodness.

 

Butlers Pantry Vegan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elsewhere, we have some wonderful vegan products from our lovely Irish suppliers, such as Chocolatey Clare chocolate bars, which are dairy free, made by hand in Kimmage, and come in a range of delightful flavours from Salted Peanut to Mint Crème. Also, White Mausu’s range of savoury sauces – Black Bean Rayu and Cashew Crunch – are made in Ireland but have a distinctly Asian flavour, and are perfect for adding to delicious veggie dishes that need a little more vegan oomph!

 

As if all of this was not enough, we are delighted to stock Rude Health alternative milks, to make your delicious caffeine kick from Silverskin a vegan treat, Nobo chocolate and dairy free ice-cream, Sarah’s Raw Bites, which are packed with raw and vegan ingredients, and a whole host of sauces, condiments and seasonings to make your journey through Veganuary – or a vegan lifestyle – a delicious one. Pop into your local The Butler’s Pantry to find out more.

May your January be full of flavour!

 

curry

Feed Your Resolution

/in , /by

The Butler’s Pantry #FeedYourResolution initiative aims to help its customers to stick to their New Year’s resolutions to eat better in 2020. At The Butler’s Pantry we take a positive approach to eating for health and wellness. Rather than subscribe to fad diets and the idea of excluding specific foods and whole food groups from one’s diet, we prefer to focus on all the delicious dishes that we can make using nutritious ingredients and the best of seasonal Irish produce. The key to eating well is not deprivation, but nutritious food cooked from scratch using fresh, whole ingredients.

 

 

Veg

 

We know that many people make resolutions to eat better at this time of year, but that they find it hard to follow a strict regimen when work and life get in the way, and their good intentions can fall by the wayside. We want to make it easy for our customers to eat well and nourish themselves through the winter.

In each of our nine shops, a range of dishes and products that are particularly nutritious and wholesome, low in calories, and contain low amounts of sugar and fat, will be clearly marked to show that they are suitable for anyone trying to eat more healthily.

 

New Year. New Choices.

We don’t believe in labelling foods as good or bad however we know that after a period of indulgence over Christmas, many of our customers are determined to eat more high-quality protein, fruit, vegetables, pulses and complex carbohydrates, and less in the way of sugary treats.  By choosing dishes marked with #FeedYourResolution symbol, they will be able to stick to their resolution even when they don’t have time to cook from scratch themselves.

Amongst the dishes carrying the #FeedYourResolution symbol are our nutritious soups including Asian noodle broth with lemongrass and ginger. #FeedYourResolution main courses include a range of healthy salads, Greek stew with roast root vegetables, barley, green olive and feta cheese and chicken and tomato fricassee with grilled vegetables, lemon and Ras El Hanout spices. The range also features sourdough bread, great for gut health, our vegan chocolate and coconut cake and artisan products such Sarah’s Raw Bites and Irishtown oats.

Visit our stores today to taste some of these wonderful products yourself and feed your resolution!

Galette des Rois

Galette des Rois

/in /by

With Christmas behind us, we are looking forward to eating some exciting and delicious food this new year. We are excited to share our first new creation of 2020, the Galette des Rois also known as the ‘Kings Cake’.

If you are in France in January, you will probably have noticed this delicious cake in a local supermarché (supermarket), boulangerie (bakery) or pâtisserie (pastry shop). Often topped with a gold paper crown, this is a staple in French households. It is flaky, sweet and utterly scrumptious.

The Tradition of Galette des Rois

The joy that comes from a Galette des Rois isn’t from its taste alone, it’s also the anticipation of wondering whether you will be the lucky one around the table to discover la fève (tiny charm) hidden inside one of the slices. This was once a fava bean but is now typically a porcelain or plastic figurine. As health and safety is always top priority at The Butler’s Pantry, we will be giving you la fève separately so that you can hide it in one of the slices! If you find the charm, you are declared le roi (the king) or la reine (the queen) and you get to wear the golden paper couronne (crown) that comes with cake.

Children and adults can become quite competitive about winning la fève and many people collect them. Don’t be surprised if playful accusations of cheating occur! To ensure that fairness ensues, the youngest person at the table climbs under the table and calls out the name of the person to receive the slice so that the server cannot be accused of choosing favorites.

The Galette des Rois is a 700 year old tradition and is typically served on January 6th which is the 12th day of Christmas to celebrate the Epiphany. The Epiphany is a religious feast day to commemorate the Three Kings arrival when Jesus was born in the manger. Nowadays it is enjoyed regardless of religious background and all through the month of January.

Galette des Rois

Recipe with a difference

Our Galette des Rois is based on a traditional recipe from northern France. It’s made with a deliciously light pâte feuilleté (puff pastry) and a dense, creamy almond paste called frangipane. Our puff pastry is made using the incredible ‘An Leabhar’ pastry butter, read more here. Bring one home to your family this week and let the fun begin! Ideal for both home and office catering this French desert can be a great addition to your culinary range this year.

If you require any further information on Galette des Rois or our catering services, then please contact us.

Happy new year from all of us at The Butler’s Pantry!

 

Pastry Butter – An Leabhar

Pastry Butter – An Leabhar

/in /by

Billy and Mary Sharpe only set up their business Irish Gourmet Butter in 2017 in Dunhill, Co. Waterford. They have very quickly became a staple in high end pastry kitchens across Ireland. The have won a number of awards including a silver medal at Blas na hEireann in 2017, their first year in business! The Sharpe’s aim is to deliver a premium Irish butter to their customers building on the award winning excellence achieved by previous generations. For Mary, butter making was in her blood as her Grandmother was an All-Ireland butter-making champion in 1936/37 and she went on to lecture in dairy science in Maynooth College.

They saw a gap in the market for a gourmet pastry butter and thus developed “An Leabhar” with pastry chefs and their requirements in mind. Award winning baker Sarah Richards from The Seagull Bakery in Tramore, Co. Waterford was instrumental in developing this butter with the Sharpe family. It’s made using traditional butter making methods and uses fresh milk from grass-fed cows. It is designed for ease of use and delivers an incredibly crisp and flaky pastry with a rich butter flavour, ideal for use in baking croissants and similar products.

We use An Leabhar in baking lots of delicious pastries in our kitchens in Bray. This week we will be using it in our fabulous ‘Gallette des Rois’. We hope that you can taste the quality and the difference from using this product compared to commercially produced butter.

© The Butlers Pantry 2024 | Inspiration Marketing - Web Design Dublin