Do the ingredients not have strange, synthetic additives?
They do not, each ingredient has to list everything that went into the product you get, and it will say only the stuff you want. If you buy a bag of flour, it will say (type) flour, and maybe give you the average protein content of the flour. If you buy a spice it will say the only ingredient is that spice. So, smaller scale bakers, as in not the “bakeries” in places like Walmart, will not have any of that in their food. If there is something that is heavily processed, in a not traditional manner, it will usually be an aspect that stands out, and you can simply ask them about what they use, like coloring in icing. If they make bread, they make normal bread, that will harden over night, and start molding in a couple days. A lot of places like this will also be happy to explain exactly how they make their products too, as they know that information can be crucial due to allergies, cultural stuff, etc. Most bakeries I know, now, exclusively use coloring that come from juices, spices, herbs, etc., that have vibrant colors. The trade-off is that they will not stay that vibrant for more than a day or two. If you request abnormal colors that are not sourced that way, they will inform you that they will have to use a dye that may be synthetic. I realize this isn’t everywhere, but I live in a small, dying, rust belt, city, so if I can get this kind of service, it should be fairly common outside of truly rural places. Though you might have to leave your suburb to get something in the city.
As you said bleached white flour has been a thing for a very long time, it is considered traditional, people generally don’t include things that have been common for millennia when they think of “ultra-processed”, I actually mentioned this in previous comments. The only other ingredients are vitamins/minerals, you definitely can get bread that isn’t enriched, but again, very few people believe adding a couple common vitamins to basic food is “ultra-processing”.
Also, depending on how into bread your bakery is, some do get unprocessed wheat corn and work it to the product they want, though I have only seen these in major cities, that can support boutique bakeries, that have Michelin stars . Most will offer non-white flour options that are significantly less processed, and multiple different levels of processing, for the various specific type of bread they are making.
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They do not, each ingredient has to list everything that went into the product you get, and it will say only the stuff you want. If you buy a bag of flour, it will say (type) flour, and maybe give you the average protein content of the flour. If you buy a spice it will say the only ingredient is that spice. So, smaller scale bakers, as in not the “bakeries” in places like Walmart, will not have any of that in their food. If there is something that is heavily processed, in a not traditional manner, it will usually be an aspect that stands out, and you can simply ask them about what they use, like coloring in icing. If they make bread, they make normal bread, that will harden over night, and start molding in a couple days. A lot of places like this will also be happy to explain exactly how they make their products too, as they know that information can be crucial due to allergies, cultural stuff, etc. Most bakeries I know, now, exclusively use coloring that come from juices, spices, herbs, etc., that have vibrant colors. The trade-off is that they will not stay that vibrant for more than a day or two. If you request abnormal colors that are not sourced that way, they will inform you that they will have to use a dye that may be synthetic. I realize this isn’t everywhere, but I live in a small, dying, rust belt, city, so if I can get this kind of service, it should be fairly common outside of truly rural places. Though you might have to leave your suburb to get something in the city.
Removed by mod
As you said bleached white flour has been a thing for a very long time, it is considered traditional, people generally don’t include things that have been common for millennia when they think of “ultra-processed”, I actually mentioned this in previous comments. The only other ingredients are vitamins/minerals, you definitely can get bread that isn’t enriched, but again, very few people believe adding a couple common vitamins to basic food is “ultra-processing”.
Also, depending on how into bread your bakery is, some do get unprocessed wheat corn and work it to the product they want, though I have only seen these in major cities, that can support boutique bakeries, that have Michelin stars . Most will offer non-white flour options that are significantly less processed, and multiple different levels of processing, for the various specific type of bread they are making.