Sustainable sourdough from GAIL’s Bakery mixes ancient wheat with cheesemaker’s whey

Rising to the challenge of both cutting waste and protecting biodiversity, the new Einkorn & Whey Sourdough from GAIL’s Bakery combines the oldest wheat known to man with the leftover whey from Quicke’s Clothbound Cheddar. The latest product of GAIL’s partnership with the Devon-based cheesemaker, this sourdough loaf introduces whey into the bakery’s menu for the first time, to help ensure that nothing from the cheesemaking process goes to waste.

A carefully kneaded mix of tradition and innovation, Einkorn & Whey Sourdough uses a flour made from the nutritious Einkorn wheat, which has been grown and harvested by farmers since around 6000 BC. Seeing an opportunity to help preserve and promote rare varieties of wheat and protect biodiversity, the bread heads at GAIL’s created a recipe featuring traditional British wheat flour, dark rye, whey and their 20-year-old sourdough, folding in red quinoa, whole soya beans, chia and millet, with a scattering of seeds across the top to achieve a crust with a crunch.

Having been united by Rhuaridh Buchanan of Buchanans Cheesemonger, who identified the businesses' shared commitment to sustainability and the reduction of food waste, Quicke’s and GAIL’s first came together with lashings of Whey Butter topping sourdough toast and crumbly scones. Whole truckles of Cheddar are now sent up to London for the bakery’s epic Ham & Cheese Sandwich, with offcuts used in its Cheddar Sourdough Stick. A new Cauliflower & Cheese Quiche makes use of Quicke’s multi award-winning Goat’s Milk Clothbound Cheese and GAIL’s Cheddar Cheese Crackers are set to be launched in November, with grated cheddar offcuts and cracked black pepper bringing a new twist to its much-loved buttermilk cracker recipe.

GAIL’s Bakery’s Einkorn & Whey Sourdough is available to purchase on Ocado, priced at £4.20 for a 525g loaf, alongside a range of other GAIL’s and Quicke’s products. Quicke’s Cheddar can be purchased from www.quickes.co.uk and all of GAIL’s products are available to buy from its 48 bakeries across London, as well as online at gailsbread.co.uk.