In Girona, the Guild of Artisan Bakers brought around 100 people to La Tallada d'Empordà on Saturday for a news event focused on local wheat and artisan bread. The day, called “From Land to Table”, included a walk through wheat fields and a breakfast with local produce.
The event took place at the Mas Badia Agricultural Experimental Station and centred on the “És Farina de Girona” project. Launched in 2009, the scheme was created to show that it is possible to produce “wheat from here for bakers from here”, according to Àngel Segarra, the guild’s manager.
Segarra said the project began when much of the bread-making wheat used in Spain was imported. He said that in 2008, 70% arrived by ship through the ports of Valencia, Tarragona and Barcelona. The sector then looked at growing Girona wheat, applying technical criteria set by IRTA, turning it into flour and using it in artisan bakeries.
The event also aimed to explain where Girona flour comes from and how it is used to make “Pa de Tramuntana” bread. That bread is sold in several places across the region, including Forn Marull in Parlavà, Forn Can Rodà in La Bisbal and Forn de Pa Joan Costa in Olot.
Attendees followed the process from field to bakery with IRTA technicians, local farmers and representatives from the Morató flour mill. The day ended with a breakfast prepared by the artisan bakers, with local bread, regional cured meats, Sant Joan cakes and Mooma apple juice.
Guild president Josep Maria Font said artisan bakers use long fermentation, sourdough and little artificial yeast to recover traditional methods. He said some processes last 24 or 48 hours, with the aim of returning to older ways of making bread.
Font also said the profession faces major challenges, including a lack of generational succession and difficulty finding workers. He said the future of the sector will also depend on consumers, adding that the more bread made with local flour people buy, the more wheat farmers will be able to grow.
