Sourdough with a story

Pur Pain, the artisanal sourdough bread of Europe’s largest organic bakery, has landed in the UK, bringing ancient techniques, natural ingredients and a rich family history.

Led by third-generation baker Hendrik Durnez, the story of Belgium’s De Trog Bakery began with his grandfather, Henry – the namesake of Pur Pain’s sourdough starter which lives on today, kept in several external locations to safeguard against fire. After the bakery’s original premises were destroyed during WWI the family began again. By the time the second generation took over, the advent of bakers’ yeast enabled large-scale production and modernization.

Returning to their roots

With the passing of his father, a young Durnez returned the bakery to its artisanal roots, reintroducing craftsmanship to the bread-making process. Shunning improvers and technical aids, Durnez did things ‘the natural way’, embracing the creativity of slow fermentation and handcrafting, working with only the family’s own sourdough cultures. 

In the early 1990s, after taking over an additional bakery in Bruges, Durnez transitioned Pur Pain to organic, later gaining carbon neutral certification.

In the test kitchen of its atelier, De Trog hosts annual tasting sessions for trade customers, initiating an exchange of ideas about baking trends. Currently focusing on consumer appetite for lower carbohydrates and higher protein content, Durnez and his team are exploring plant-based protein flours, while observing wider trends such as gluten-free. 

Patrick Verhamme, GM, De Trog, says many gluten intolerances stem from mass-market bread manufacturers adding gluten to speed up the dough’s proving process and serve as a binding agent. “In a natural process, you don’t need to add glue, it comes in a natural way, but it takes time.” Depending on the recipe, the bakery allows eight to 12 hours for the dough to ‘relax’ and ferment, with slow kneading and low temperatures creating a range of hand-finished, part-baked loaves which Verhamme believes will be popular with UK consumers. “They will love that it’s pure, organic, natural bread … with a lot of taste. The crust is very fine, very light, with a lasting taste, only a few ingredients and less gluten.”

By Rosie Greenaway, editor