How To Cook The Bread Of The People Of Sofia - With Live Sourdough And Baked On A Stone - Recipe

Bread according to the grandmother's recipe, but untouched by human hands

The production of the Simid bakery is already well known throughout Southeast Europe

Her name is Emilia Nikolova and her day begins with the thought of living for others. The bread of almost two million Sofia, as well as many other small and large towns and villages around depends on the professional knowledge and attention of a fragile woman who nearly two decades ago happened to be at the University of Food Technology in Plovdiv to studies bakery technology.

For those who are not dedicated to this art, Emilia proudly explains that it is no longer a problem for Simid to produce bread according to her grandmother's recipe, but without it even being touched by human hands .

It sounds incredible, but it's true, says the
technologist and raises the curtain behind which the secret is hidden: Customers are becoming more demanding and their preferences are very different from what it was only 10-15 years ago, says Emilia and adds that the same remains only the requirement that the bread be soft, tasty and evoke childhood memories - from that magical time when Grandma was kneading the dough at home and Mom was putting freshly baked bread on the table while it was still warm. But today the role of grandmother is entrusted to a huge installation, located on three floors, which works automatically without human intervention as a completely closed system.

The raw materials are dosed by computer, computers execute their assigned recipes, kneading, rising, baking, cooling and packaging - everything is automated. Only 6 workers bake hundreds of thousands of loaves a day that no one touches until they enter the package.

And the whole production of "Simid" is subject to one philosophy - to produce bread using authentic technology with preserved authentic Bulgarian taste , explains Emilia, and dwells on one important detail - the additional three hours of rising gives a very rich taste of bread and is a condition late in baking it should form a crispy crust.

He also shows us the line with a movable stone floor of the German company "Daub" for the production of special and "artisan" breads , which are increasingly in demand throughout Europe and Bulgarian consumers are no exception. When we get to the topic of "artisan", an unadulterated smile illuminates the face of the technologist of "Simid".

"I leave home every morning thinking about how responsible what we do is. It doesn't bother me at all. I only occasionally remember that I wanted to become an artist." , says Emilia and with a certain amount of narrowing, shows a loaf of bread (what a forgotten word!) in an elegant polyethylene package with painted colorful leaves, on which the inscription "Bread with taste of autumn" stands out playfully. The recipe is mine and the design of the package is also mine, she admits with notes of pride in her voice, which suggest that she has not forgotten her dream, on the contrary - it has become part of her daily life.
And as if, as a continuation of the theme of dreams, one by one her nimble hands take from the stand the packaged ready-made breads, ready to go to the consumer - small, medium, large, each of which has an unexpected but very interesting name: there is bread "Cereal mosaic" , there is bread "Centenarian", there is bread "Energy". Diversity is important today, consumption is already a very dynamic process that has its own characteristics, says Emilia and explains that customers are becoming more demanding and people are looking for smaller cuts and those types of bread that are part of a healthy diet., the technologist summarizes her observations. This, of course, is quite a challenge for her and her colleagues from the bakery, whose products are already well known throughout Southeast Europe. Seeking the creative thrill is a pleasure that kills the monotony and brings out unexpectedly good qualities of human character that have remained hidden until now. Striving for new ideas, striving for search, striving to be as responsible as possible - this is what unites us, adds Emilia and as a caring housewife tells how frequent the inspections for the level of hygiene and how strict are the international audits to which the plant is subjected .

A small reason for pride - some of the machines are Bulgarian. On the way out, she witnessed a small family story - when her 8-year-old daughter was asked what she thought the bread of the future would look like, the child replied: "Mom, this bread will be magical!"

I just can't understand why people today have so many prejudices about bread, Emilia wonders right now. It does not contain harmful ingredients, I say it as a technologist, it has been food for man for millennia. And I've heard all sorts of things - that bread is filled, that it does not give anything useful to the body. The truth, of course, is in the measure, and everyone should know it. But to deprive yourself of bread is unreasonable, stupid and an expression of some vanity, says the technologist, who graduated with honors from the Plovdiv University of Food Technology. And he recommends - do not deprive yourself of the bread, thanks to which humanity has survived through the centuries. Besides, you now have so much choice - a matter of desire and preference only!