Spiritual spelt at Fletcher Free
For followers of the True Bread movement, the "staff of life" is more than just a tasty vehicle for butter. "True Bread" is a philosophy of the "Twelve Tribes" group as it relates to baking and religion. Expect edible evangelism in a free workshop at Burlington's Fletcher Free Library on Wednesday when Jeremiah Whitten, the baker at the Back Home Again Café in Rutland, preaches the gospel of "Spelt Sourdough and the Deception of Enrichment."
Anyone who has visited the eatery knows these strict Christians are serious about eating. If you want a side of spirituality, they'll provide that, too. True Bread has published a pamphlet called "White Bread Jesus" that refers to experiments in which lab animals were fed white and whole-grain flour. The white group died quickly, but the whole-grain group thrived. Next, a correlation is drawn between the deadly white flour and modern, "watered down" Christianity that is devoid of the "tough truths" preached in the Bible.
But the Good Book "is not what this workshop is about," says Whitten, who is teaching from 5 to 9 p.m. with Yochanan from the Common Loaf Bakery in Devonshire, England. While True Bread used to espouse the use of whole wheat, the group has abandoned it in favor of spelt. "Wheat flour is the most contaminated ingredient on the market today," says Whitten. "It has been hybridized over and over again." The sermon includes free samples of Back Home Again bread, which is available at Healthy Living and City Market. Every Tuesday and Friday, Whitten operates a stand on Burlington's Cherry Street, across from American Apparel.