Byron Bay is a foodie mecca. The lush farming region boasts some of the cleanest, greenest and healthiest produce on the planet. But anyone who has been to Byron also knows that “dietaries” aren’t a mere footnote here…it’s all about paleo, dairy free, vegan, sugar free and gluten free. So where does that leave a gluten-loving bread and pasta junkie like me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for healthy, wholesome food and often prefer dairy/sugar/gluten/meat free meals…it’s all about balance. But what’s the fuss about gluten and does it count if it’s “artisan”?

While some people have an intolerance to gluten (we call them coeliacs), for everyone else it’s not necessarily the enemy. Rather, it’s the type of bread and the way we consume it that’s the issue.

Food consumption has changed significantly over the last few decades… too fast for our bodies and digestive systems to evolve and adapt. We’ve gone from an exclusively unprocessed diet of real food and traditional food preparation such as slow cooking and fermentation, which made our food much more digestible and nutritious, to a diet largely made up of processed, artificial, fast food. Unfortunately, bread has been one of the biggest casualties in our industrialised way of eating. Slow fermented, grain-rich loaves take up to 24 hours to prepare, and it’s been replaced by barren white factory bread churned out every hour.

So while it feels good going to the local baker or farmer’s market to pick up a fresh loaf, hand-crafted artisan bread, the old-school way of baking, minimises bloat and actually makes bread good for you. Why?

To find out, I turned to our neighbours on The Farm, the Bread Social baker owners Tom Scott, Sam Saulwick and Paul Giddings. With more than 30 years’ experience working in bakeries between them (including renowned Bourke St Bakery) these boys know their dough. They tell me their sourdoughs are made up of a natural starter which has the extra benefits of lactic acids, enzymes and flavour. When added to the sourdough, this natural fermentation process can take up to day, something that would never happen in a commercial bakery. This helps to break down things like gluten so the result is a much more digestible, delicious loaf. It lasts longer this way too… I’m usually still buttering up my “Rye and Carawhey” four days later (if there’s still any left).

But you don’t have to venture all the way to Byron to experience this gluten kick… you can do it yourself using my recipe for buckwheat and barley loaf, including a ferment step. The idea of baking your own bread at home would send even the most enthusiastic foodies, home cooks and chefs running but trust me, this recipe from the Bread Social boys is much easier than it looks, it works, and is totally delicious. There are few things more satisfying than baking your own bread. Now go grab some butter!

Find the recipe for Magdalena Roze’s Buckwheat and barley loaf.