Poulsbo Bread is the name of a proprietary variety of
multigrain bread
Multigrain bread is a type of bread prepared with two or more types of grain. Grains used include barley, flax, millet, oats, wheat, and whole-wheat flour, among others. Some varieties include edible seeds in their preparation, such as flaxse ...
that originated in
Poulsbo, Washington
Poulsbo ( ) is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is the smallest of the four cities in Kitsap County. The population was 11,970 at the 2020 United States Census, ...
, United States, in the 1970s, and which was distributed internationally until the 2000s. The creation of the bread was inspired by a Bible passage. As of 2018 it is sold only at a single retail location in Poulsbo.
History
Poulsbo Bread was developed by Marion Sluys, the owner of Sluys' Bakery in Poulsbo, from a biblical recipe.
In 1974, after reading a passage in the
Book of Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Nevi'im#Latter Prophets, Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and one of the Major Prophets, major prophetic books in the Christian Bible, where it follows Book of Isaiah, Isaiah and ...
directing the baking of a specific type of multigrain bread, Sluys claims he decided to attempt to prepare the recipe in his Poulsbo bakery, naming the resulting product Poulsbo Bread.
The passage in question, , reads:
According to Sluys' Bakery, the bread was licensed to
Franz Family Bakeries
United States Bakery, better known as Franz Family Bakeries, is a bread and pastry manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States. Franz Bakery was founded in 1906. U.S. Bakery also owns the Northwestern United States, Northwest r ...
in the early 1980s for national and international distribution, with the license terms requiring Ezekiel 4:9 be imprinted on all packaging.
In 2011, Franz discontinued mass production of Poulsbo Bread due to lagging demand for the product, however, as of 2018 the bread continues to be hand-mixed at Sluys' Bakery for local sale. Sluys' Bakery produces Poulsbo Bread in three varieties: regular, dark, and raisin.
Reception
The bread has been variously described as "famous" and "world famous".
According to ''
Sea Magazine'', Poulsbo Bread is the "best-known concoction" of Sluys' Bakery, and few boaters visiting Poulsbo leave the town "without carrying home a loaf or two".
In 2008, a student of
Libby High School
The former Libby High School is a building in Libby, Montana, US added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 2008.
According to the filing documents:
The historic Libby High School stands at the southeast corner of Mineral ...
in
Libby, Montana
Libby is a city in northwestern Montana, United States and the county seat of Lincoln County, Montana, Lincoln County. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
Libby suffered from the area's contamination from nea ...
, credited his decision to move to
Kitsap County
Kitsap County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, Washington, Port Orchard; its ...
and attend
Olympic College
Olympic College is a public community college in Bremerton, Washington. It opened as Olympic Junior College on September 5, 1946. Olympic College serves Kitsap and Mason counties in Washington. The college's service area contains two major n ...
on an
athletic scholarship
A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
to his affinity for Poulsbo Bread, saying he regularly purchased the product at his local grocery store and, after reading a description of the town of Poulsbo on the packaging of the bread, thought "it would be a cool place to live".
See also
*
List of breads
This is a list of notable baked or steamed bread varieties. This list does not include cakes, pastries, or fried dough foods, which are listed in separate Wikipedia articles. It also does not list foods in which bread is an ''ingredient'' which ...
*
Ezekiel bread
References
External links
A photograph of shelved bags of Poulsbo Bread at a grocery store
{{Bread, state=collapsed
Biblical topics
American breads