Grateful Bread Bakes Miami’s Most Healthful Loaves

David Dodge wears shoes with coiled heels, considers refined wheat to be toxic, and hasn’t taken medicine in more than 40 years. His choice of footwear relieves pain associated with lower-body conditions. And if you look closely enough, you’ll notice flour dusting the black Velcro on his feet.

For four years, Dodge has been baking bread at his North Miami bakery, Grateful Bread. He creates dense loaves with organic Montana hard red spring wheat, spelt flour, raw honey, and the ancient grain kamut. He stone-grinds grains in small batches and uses them immediately. Day-old flour, he believes, is poisonous.

White flour is equally harmful, according to him, because industrial high-speed roller mills — the kind used in most commercial mills — destroy many of wheat’s essential nutrients. “There’s a huge void in knowledge in Miami about bread,” he admonishes. “So many respiratory and gastrointestinal problems come from the milling industry.”

Dodge claims several modern illnesses are caused by poorly processed flours and whole-grain deficiencies. “A lot of customers have experienced remarkable improvements,” he says, declaring that his bread boasts anticancer properties and can treat conditions such as diabetes.

It’s not merely conjecture. With sharp precision, the Miami native references books, studies, and FDA regulations on the subject.

So, what other food rules does the bread baker uphold? “It’s simple. If it doesn’t go bad, I don’t eat it,” he says.

Grateful Bread’s whole-wheat loaves cost $5 to $6. They keep for one or two days.