What is sprouted wheat?
This really is the most commonly asked
question from customers from coast to
coast. Our sprouted grain breads,
bagels, buns, pizzas, and tortillas are
truly unique in that they are made with
"Sprouted Whole Wheat" as opposed to
flour. Most bakeries get up in the
morning, open up a bag of flour and make
something. At Alvarado Street Bakery,
our process is quite a bit different. We
take whole, organic wheat berries and
soak them in filtered water until they
"sprout", until they actually begin to
grow. When the excess water has been
drained, we grind the "living sprouts"
into dough. What comes out of our
grinder is not a dry powder, but a wet
and mushy dough that becomes the basis
for all of our recipes. Add a little
fresh yeast, some sea salt and a bit of
sweetness (natural honey, organic
raisins, organic dates, pure barley
malt) and there you have it, the
ultimate whole grain bread! The concept
of baking bread with sprouted grains is
not a new idea. In fact, it dates back
to biblical times when sprouted spelt
(what we now know as wheat) was combined
with sprouted lentil beans and sprouted
soybeans. The sprouting process
naturally converts starchy grains into
easily digested maltose and other
complex sugars. There is enzyme activity
created during germination that begins
to "pre-digest" the grains, thereby
making the grains and their nutrients
and vitamins more readily assimilated by
the body. The addition of the sprouted
legumes (soybeans/lentil beans) provided
the essential amino acids necessary for
a complete protein. This mixture
was then crushed, formed into ovals and
slow-baked. Centuries later, our recipe
is basically the same.
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Do your products contain ingredients that have been genetically modified?
Alvarado Street Bakery would never
knowingly use any ingredient (including
our soy-based lecithin and organic corn)
that has been genetically altered. We
are in support of the growing movement
here in the United States that wants the
Federal government to insist that foods
containing genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) be clearly labeled.
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It says no added oil - does that mean fat free?
All of our sprouted breads and
bagels are made without adding oil. The
fat that's listed on the nutritional
facts panel is simply the oil that is
naturally found in all whole grains… no
added oil.
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What about wheat allergies?
Many people in the world today have
allergic reactions to wheat or have
difficulty assimilating products made
from wheat flour. During the process of
sprouting wheat, there is an enzyme
created that begins to "predigest" the
wheat and many people have been found to
be more tolerant of sprouted wheat
products than of those produced from
wheat flour.
Other allergens that may be present
include: Corn and Soybeans.
Allergens that are NEVER used in our
bakery include: Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Eggs
& Dairy. (Our Sprouted Wheat Original
Pizza Bread does contain a small amount
of low-fat, skim-milk mozzarella. This
product is baked in a separate facility
using separate equipment and never comes
into contact with other products.)
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What about preservatives?
At
Alvarado Street Bakery we never use
chemical preservatives or additives of
any kind, no dough conditioners, no
bromides, nothing artificial. This
natural approach leaves our products
with a very short life. Whereas most
breads donąt freeze well, becoming dry
and tasteless, our sprouted products do
exceptionally well when stored frozen.
This has enabled us to offer our
products to customers throughout the
country, and even internationally, who
simply thaw and enjoy... the ultimate
bread. The result is a light textured,
whole grain, flour-less bread that is
both nutritious and delicious... the
Ultimate Bread!
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Do you have breads that are low in carbohydrates?
Our Essential Flax Seed Bread offers
only 6 net grams of carbohydrates per
slice.
Due
to the sprouting process and our limited
use of natural sweeteners many of our
breads contain significantly less
carbohydrates than traditional breads
made with flour. At Alvarado Street
Bakery, we’ve always emphasized the
importance of whole grains and the
Right-Carbs! The Whole Grains in our
Sprouted Breads are “Complex Carbs”… not
the simple carbs and simple sugars we
should all strive to avoid. The benefits
of whole grains and complex carbs in a
healthy diet have long been established.
Every body needs carbohydrates… make
sure you choose the Right-Carbs!
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Do you make a biblical or "Ezekiel" style bread ?
Our California Style Complete
Protein Bread contains the essential
ingredients as listed in Ezekiel Verse
4:9 in the Old Testament.
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Do you make Whole Wheat bakery products?
 Our
“Sprouted Wheat” recipes give our
customers whole-wheat in its most
nutritious form. While most of our
breads are 100% Whole Wheat…all
of our products have organic whole
wheat as the number one
ingredient.
(With the exception of our Spelt Bagels) |
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Where can I find your products?
Alvarado Street Bakery products are
available throughout the country, and
even internationally. We deliver our
products fresh daily throughout Northern
California on our own fleet of trucks.
You should be able to find us in almost
any food market in the greater San
Francisco Bay Area. Outside of our home
turf, we can be found in most natural
food store or health food market as well
as many major supermarkets throughout
the country (most likely in the in-store
bakery department). If your favorite
market isn’t carrying our breads… please
ask them to contact us and we’ll work
with them to get our products into their
stores.
Please use our STORE LOCATOR to find a
store near you.
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Can
I order your bread directly from you?
Absolutely! All our products;
Sprouted Whole Grain Breads, Sprouted
Wheat Bagels, Sprouted Wheat Buns and
Rolls, Sprouted Wheat Tortillas, and our
fabulous Sprouted Wheat Pizza Breads are
available for
purchase through our web site.
We ship everything fresh, directly from our bakery to your doorstep. Due
to the nature of our products, and the fact that we do not use any
preservatives, we only ship on Mondays so that the order reaches you
within 1-3 days and doesn't get stuck at a warehouse over a weekend.
All orders received prior to 2 PM (PST) on Friday will ship the following
Monday. Once your order has arrived, it can be frozen and will keep well
for many months.
To
enter our online store, please
click here now.
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Why are you called Alvarado Street Bakery when you are not on Alvarado Street?
 When
we were thinking on a name to call the
bakery we ran a “name the bakery”
contest in the community. We sat down
with all the entered names and came
close to being called “Bread and
Circuses” (as we do have the required
amount of clowns here!). But as we sat
there pondering a choice someone said,
“Hey, why not Alvarado Street Bakery
just like the sign sitting on top of the
flour bags?” (an Alvarado Street sign
from Los Angeles had found its way into
the bakery from a slight fender bender
done by a co-worker). The name resonated
and we knew that this was the name for
us. The sign still sits over our ovens
as a talisman of good fortune under
which all our bread passes daily.
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And is there a story behind the cat on the sign?
Back in the days of yore, we had a
bakery cat that lived in and around the
bakery. Her name was Greta and she was
part of our hippie organic pest
management program (we have changed and
 improved
tremendously over the years and are very
proud of our current food safety/hygiene
program!). Greta used to sleep on the
bags of flour right below the Alvarado
Street sign. She lived a full life and
is now immortalized on all of our
packaging.
Greta would be especially proud of the
work her skateboarding nephew Scooter is
doing with our product Ultimate Kids
Bread. It’s the ultimate alternative to
what most bakeries try to get kids to
eat. 100% Whole Grain, lightly sweetened
with honey, and kids (of all ages!) love
it!
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