KEY POINTS:
Bread has been in the spotlight recently.
It's what tends to happen when the price of perfectly ordinary loaves shoots up and shoppers ask why. Biofuels form part of the answer, occupying land that should be used for food crops such as wheat.
But that's not the full story: wheat and barley land cultivated around the world has been in decline for 25 years and low global stockpiles have been compounded by poorer growing conditions in high grain-producing countries such as Canada and Australia due to severe weather.
Then there's the burgeoning global population (predicted to reach seven billion by 2010), meaning a bun fight for commodities such as wheat.
Your natural inclination might be to stockpile sliced white, but I'd advise delinking your cupboards from industrialised food production instead.
This means a critical analysis of the Chorleywood breadmaking process, devised in the 60s, now responsible for 90 per cent of our dailybread.
This process is energy intensive. It also encourages the growth of low-grade wheat and ensures that loaves contain huge amounts of yeast, emulsifiers, preservatives and flour improvers - aka dough conditioners, processing aids, oxidising agents, enzymes mimicking natural processes and emulsifiers to aid softness and stave off staleness.
The result? A loaf ready in 15 minutes and, say critics, indigestible for many and without essential nutrients which should, by rights, be a bonus of eating bread.
All worlds away from the philosophy of the artisan breadmaker (or traditional baker) as taught by Andrew Whitley (www.breadmatters.com).
This approach is all about a short list of pure ingredients, gentle dough handling and, crucially, time.
However artisan loaves remain pricey: a great argument for retrieving your abandoned breadmakers from the nearest cupboard and getting flour on your own hands.
Yes, they require electricity, but use only about 400W to 800W during the baking cycle and little for the kneading and rising cycles.
Breadmakers also let you take control of the ingredients.
Your finished loaf might not look perfect, but ethically it could be the best thing since sliced bread.
