The Real Bread Campaign is a UK organization dedicated to promoting the production of real bread, that is, bread that is free of additives such as baking powder, xantham gum, addd enzymes, or any other artificial processing aid. The thinking is that “Real Bread has nothing to hide. It is made with simple, natural ingredients and NO additives.” I’m a proud supporter of the Real Bread Campaign and though there is no US-based arm, I firmly believe that what they’re doing in the UK to promote naturally produced bread is absolutely important.

Though I’ve freely admitted that my foray into artisan bread making was the result of trying to find something worthwhile to do during the pandemic lockdown last year, a big reason for making bread myself was for nutritiononal reasons. From the get-go, I wanted to use ingredients that were wholesome; that didn’t contain a bunch of added chemicals. My ingredients didn’t necessarily have to be organic, but I wanted them to be free of chemical additives. As the primary cook in my family, I believe it is important to be as nutritionally sound as possible with the things I cook.

But let’s face it: Homemade bread is WAY better than the stuff you get at the store. So why not kill two birds with one stone? Make great-tasting bread that’s also nutritious and free of chemical additives!

Months into my quest for creating natural bread, I started searching for organizations that aligned with my own sensitivities and I ran across the Real Bread Campaign. Their simple ethos of “real bread has nothing to hide” resonated with me. So I joined the movement and recently became a paying subscriber. Though they’re based in the UK, they’re doing great work promoting producers of natural bread. I guess it boils down to the fact that I don’t care where they’re located in the world. I believe in what they’re doing and I want to support them.

A benefit of membership is that I can use the Real Bread Campaign logos on the packages of bread I sell or donate. Also, for the formulas I provide here, they’ll have one of the logos attached to them. So if you see one of these logos, it means the recipe follows a certain set of criteria:

Real Bread

When you see this logo, it means that the bread is made without the use of any processing aid. It may be leavened by baker’s yeast or a sourdough starter. Other natural ingredients may be used in addition to the flour, water and salt, but excludes the following:

• Flour containing any additive, other than any added as so-called ‘fortificants’ if their addition is mandatory where you make and sell your loaves.
• Chemical leavening e.g. baking powder / soda.
• Ingredients that have been produced with the use of any additive or processing aid.

Sourdough
Sourdough is “Real Bread” but is leavened only by a starter cultured from natural yeasts and lactic acid bacteria naturally present in flour and without the use of:

• Any souring agent or sourdough flavoring such as vinegar, yogurt, lactic or acetic acid, or dried sourdough powder.
• Commercial yeast.

If you yourself want to use these logos – whether you sell your bread or not – I encourage you to go to the Real Bread Campaign website and become a member. You don’t have to make a donation, but as a member, you can put your “bakery” on the the Real Bread map!