Seylou Bakery & Mill - Jonathan Bethony and Jessica Azeez's Whole Grain Bakery on N Street near Blagden Alley

[Tweaked]

An interesting and ambitious new venture which could up DC's bread game.

Seylou Bakery & Mill will be milling local grain on-site and baking 100% whole grain breads in a wood-fired oven.  Jonathan trained at the San Francisco Baking Institute and Washington State University's Bread Lab.  He was also Baker-in-Resident at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Looks like they have abbreviated hours this Wednesday-Friday 1-4pm  and then 8am-6pm Saturdays and Sundays.  Closed Monday & Tuesdays.  Regular hours Wednesday-Friday will be 7am-6pm.

Besides bread, they offer daily pastries, coffee and teas.  Pizza and seasonal salads will start up in January.  

Washington Post story

[lion]

Mrs. Lion already texted me this morning about trying it out and we'll try and get to it in the next couple of weeks. Anyone's advance reviews would be appreciated!

[funkyfood]

I live almost literally next door, so we checked out the place during a soft open.  They generously gave us a loaf of bread, and we bought a chocolate croissant. $5.50 + tax for a chocolate croissant is egregious,  but this was a very good one.  It had a wheatier taste than a traditional one though.  FWIW, regular croissants are $5+tax; I think I'll stick to Pret.

The loaf itself (regularly $12) was delicious, and large.  It was a wheaty, sourdoughy loaf with a nutty taste that went perfectly with olive oil. 

No doubt the products are good, but I wonder how competitive they will be charging more than twice what other places do.

[lion]

Prices due seem to be high but my wife has reduced her gluten consumption and apparently they have some gluten free options. Rise Bakery is another such bakery and these prices seem comparable to theirs. 

Thanks for the review funkyfood!

[sandynva]

i went there and have conflicting thoughts. 

I fully admit that it was turned off by much of the press, and even more so by the fact that on weekdays they are only open 8-4, with bread only available from 1-4, which i think is very customer-unfriendly. but i was tempted by the comments about exceptional bread, and it's on my way to work, so i went. 

The two people at the counter were really pleasant though i can't tell if one was clueless or snarky--when i asked about the bread hours she said they only sold it after 1 " so it would be warm for dinner." 

me-"but isn't it hard for people to buy it for dinner if you close at 4?"

her--"well, we realize that it may be hard for people who work 9 to 5s"

I don't work a 9 to 5 but don't work in the immediate vicinity either, and i can't take off 45 min from work to go get bread. but leaving that aside (and in fairness she said that they may be open longer hours later, possibly on fridays) i bought a chocolate croissant, a cheese and kale scone, and a sorghum chocolate chip cookie (apparently gluten free). 

the croissant was quite good, though not what i expected. most croissants i've had have been light and flaky. this was more soft and and moist. there are layers inside, but they're soft and moist like in a paratha, rather than more fluffy drier ones i'm used to. the flavor of the bread? (im not sure i'd call it pastry which in my mind is flakier, ) was savory and really good, i think a plain croissant with butter would be delicious. i thought the savory bread would be weird with the chocolate but it wasn't, it was quite good.  i enjoyed it though i don't think i'd pay $5.50 for it again. 

the cheese kale scone is very good, though again not what i've expected. i've only had drier, crumbly scones. this is very moist, the texture is like the inside of a moist muffin or zucchini bread (but savory). the cheese was generous in amount, high quality, and tasty. i personally think the kale detracted, but that may be because i got a chunk of thick stem. the bready part again had a good flavor, and was very moist.

I did not enjoy the cookie at all.  the cookie part crumbled in your mouth like sand and had a slightly bitter taste. i'm admittedly not used to gluten free cookies, but i've had some, and the texture was nothing like this. i took two bites and refused to finish it. my husband volunteered to polish off the rest ( the chocolate is good quality) but even he left about half of it uneaten. and it wasn't just the texture that put me off--there was also a slightly bitter undertone which i didn't think went well with the chocolate cookie, and there werent' the butter and caramelization notes i usually look for. 

between the scone and the pastry on the croissant, i think i'll love their bread (if i ever get to buy it) but honestly that cookie was one of the more unpleasant eating experiences i've had in the past few months. 

 

[dracisk]

21 minutes ago, sandynva said:

when i asked about the bread hours she said they only sold it after 1 " so it would be warm for dinner." 

me-"but isn't it hard for people to buy it for dinner if you close at 4?"

her--"well, we realize that it may be hard for people who work 9 to 5s"

Regardless of your work schedule, even if you bought warm bread at 4pm, the latest possible time, it would only be "warm for dinner" if you ate dinner at 4:15pm. Am I missing something?

[Marty L.]

Stopped by this morning, figuring that things would have become more regularized after a couple of months, only to learn that they apparently have decided they will only sell bread from 1-4.  I assume they know what they're doing--and selling everything they bake--but this seems a bit absurd to me.  It's an enormous place--presumably the rent is very high, and they'd sell countless more loaves if they were available from, say, 8 to 6.  When I registered my disappointment, they recommended that I ask someone who lives in the neighborhood (and does not work away from home!) to purchase me bread whenever I'd like it, and then pick it up from them.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who is not going to go to such lengths -- and wouldn't do so even if I knew someone who was nearby between 1 and 4, which I don't.

Is this sustainable?

 

[Bob Wells]

On 11/29/2017 at 5:46 PM, funkyfood said:

I live almost literally next door, so we checked out the place during a soft open.  They generously gave us a loaf of bread, and we bought a chocolate croissant. $5.50 + tax for a chocolate croissant is egregious,  but this was a very good one.  It had a wheatier taste than a traditional one though.  FWIW, regular croissants are $5+tax; I think I'll stick to Pret.

The loaf itself (regularly $12) was delicious, and large.  It was a wheaty, sourdoughy loaf with a nutty taste that went perfectly with olive oil. 

No doubt the products are good, but I wonder how competitive they will be charging more than twice what other places do.

Those prices are nonsensical. 

[funkyfood]

btw this bakery isn't really in Blagden Alley.  It's next to it, but the entrance is on N Street proper.

[sandynva]

On 1/24/2018 at 3:49 PM, Marty L. said:

When I registered my disappointment, they recommended that I ask someone who lives in the neighborhood (and does not work away from home!) to purchase me bread whenever I'd like it, and then pick it up from them.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who is not going to go to such lengths -- and wouldn't do so even if I knew someone who was nearby between 1 and 4, which I don't.

this is hysterical and portlandia-esque. were they serious? 

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that i bought some of their bread 2 weeks ago,  i just happened to be in the area at the time and i guess my avid love of carbs overcame my aversion to pretension. got half a loaf of levain for about $6, i think, and to be fair, it's almost as large as a whole loaf other places. It was weird. the crust was quite firm and dark but the insides were so, so moist with a distinct sour(dough) taste. it actually reminded me strongly of injera-that level of moisture and tang--which made me laugh a bit--after all his experimentation the steve jobs of bread has apparently invented.....something that was invented a very long time ago by ethiopians. served it at a family dinner that night. despite being a bunch of carb lovers we made barely a dent in it. 2 of us liked the flavor and thought it was good, but somehow just didn't want more. i wrapped up the remainder in a loose plastic bag, put it on my counter and forgot about it till a few days ago. miraculously, it was not mouldy at all. in fact, in the 10 days it had dried out somewhat so that its texture was a lot better for me, more breadlike. i am quite impressed that the bread stayed good for that long but have no desire to get it again. i will be curious to see how long this place stays in business. 

[DonRocks]

I'm going to take something of a contrarian position and praise Seylou to High Heaven for what they're doing. Yes, the prices are stratospheric, and no, the business plan is probably not sustainable, but I applaud them for sticking with their guns, and for trying to do something truly special in this world full of mediocrity. 

Understand that I'm not saying that others posting here *aren't* supporting them, but I want to go the extra mile - they are to bread what places like Qualia are to coffee, and it's comforting (to me, anyway) knowing that at least one bakery in this city of million-dollar rowhouses has thrown caution to the wind, and gone balls-to-the-wall in terms of being "the best of the best."

It may not even be "the best of the best," but by damn, they're going to go down with this ship, and God love 'em for doing so.

(Anyone who knew my "business plan" with donrockwell.com would understand why I'm so sympathetic - I'm essentially throwing my life away running this website for nothing, all so a select few people who care (and even those who don't) can have the best-of-the-best without worrying about how to pay for it.) 

Hang in there, Jonathan and Jessica.

[funkyfood]

Just stopped by to pick up some bread for a dinner tonight.  They have a lot of really interesting stuff there that look delicious and unique.  Their "full" loaves are the equivalent of two most places'.  And their listed prices include tax.  So, yes, this is expensive, fancy (some might say pretentious) bread, but I also think you can really tell they're doing things to separate themselves from your average run of the mill (no pun intended) bakery.

[Tweaked]

They are now selling at the Thursday afternoon Penn Quarter market.  Picked up a full loaf of the Pain, damn that is good bread. 

 is it a new $11 a week addiction, I hope not!  But I would think a loaf would last 3 or 4 days (for a single person perhaps), so let's say a per day cost at about $3.00 or so.  Most people don't blink at dropping that at Starbucks everyday.  That's me rationalizing a $11 loaf of bread!

[B.A.R.]

As Don knows, I am kind of into bread. I started baking bread after reading an article about WSU's bread lab a few years ago. I had not seen this before and am heading over right now. Dialing Uber!

[B.A.R.]

On 1/24/2018 at 3:49 PM, Marty L. said:

they'd sell countless more loaves if they were available from, say, 8 to 6. 

Making bread this way takes crazy amounts of time, between 10 an 16 hours per loaf (or batch of), depending on loaf. I would imagine the time they sell bread is a direct result of the time they put in prior to baking, factoring in multiple stages of fermentation and proofing. I am an amateur baker and will start making bread at 3pm to have out of the oven at 7am and still be able to sleep 6-7 hours.

On 1/28/2018 at 12:49 PM, DonRocks said:

I'm going to take something of a contrarian position and praise Seylou to High Heaven for what they're doing. Yes, the prices are stratospheric, and no, the business plan is probably not sustainable, but I applaud them for sticking with their guns, and for trying to do something truly special in this world full of mediocrity.

Amen.

The bread is exceptional, with a deep, heavily charred crust and a ridiculously moist crumb (the hydration percentage may be 75%+). The sour tang in the Pain au Levain is pronounced.The Rustica has a dense, yet spider-webby crumb and delicious nutty flavor. I have not torn apart the baguette yet but will when I get home.This bread may not be for for everyone, but it is the highest quality bread I have had in quite some time.

[Marty L.]

3 minutes ago, B.A.R. said:

Making bread this way takes crazy amounts of time, between 10 an 16 hours per loaf (or batch of), depending on loaf. I would imagine the time they sell bread is a direct result of the time they put in prior to baking, factoring in multiple stages of fermentation and proofing. I am an amateur baker and will start making bread at 3pm to have out of the oven at 7am and still be able to sleep 6-7 hours.

Amen.

The bread is exceptional, with a deep, heavily charred crust and a ridiculously moist crumb (the hydration percentage may be 75%+). The sour tang in the Pain au Levain is pronounced.The Rustica has a dense, yet spider-webby crumb and delicious nutty flavor. I have not torn apart the baguette yet but will when I get home.This bread may not be for for everyone, but it is the highest quality bread I have had in quite some time.

I, too, thought it was very good, and perhaps even worth the $$ (if not the need to rearrange my daily schedule to be there during the short window).  But these days I much prefer the breads (esp. the sesame) at Elle, and at Tail Up Goat.

[DaRiv18]

The website says Bread is now available for sale starting at 8am. 

I am a fan of this place, and look forward to exploring more. Their bread is definitely an acquired taste, but damn, the Einkorn loaf I got was really distinctive. 

[Marty L.]

They're now selling pizzas on Thursdays. Had a (very small) slice for $5 yesterday--fine, but nothing special. Somewhat underseasoned, I thought. Whole pies are selling for . . . wait for it . . . twenty-eight dollars.  I think I'll just leave it at that.  I don't assume they're trying to gouge anyone or that they're making far greater profits than other places, and I certainly wish them no ill (to the contrary--like Don, I admire them for "sticking to their guns" and doing it their way), but it'd have to be the Platonic ideal of pizza to justify paying those prices.  It's not.

[B.A.R.]

On 11/30/2018 at 9:27 AM, Marty L. said:

I don't assume they're trying to gouge anyone or that they're making far greater profits than other places, and I certainly wish them no ill (to the contrary--like Don, I admire them for "sticking to their guns" and doing it their way)

Seylou is one of the most important food service operations in the DC area.

I've been on this board since its inception, and before that eGullet, and before that Chowhound, and almost everything that has been discussed in those 18+ years about what may be "lacking" in DC, or whether or not DC is truly a world-class food city, is represented in Seylou. It's success and future depends on DR.com and other like minded and passionate people to support it, either monetarily or on social media. 

Seylou literally checks all the boxes: local, organic, sustainable, free-standing, independent, world-class quality, unique, community, I could go on and on. The owners, Jonathan Bethony and Jessica Azeez, work tirelessly and uncompromisingly to put out some of the best breads and pastries in the world. Yes, I said world.

Jonathan, who ran the Washington State Bread Lab and started the bread program at Blue Hill for Dan Barber (started as in did everything from selecting the specific wheat, growing, harvest, mill, bake) is doing the same out of Seylou. Nothing here is inexpensive, but it is all reasonably priced. A loaf of bread made from freshly harvested grains from a local Amish farm, milled in full the day of baking, does not come cheaply. But that $11 loaf of pain au levain will last two weeks and is massive, not to mention delicious. So certainly price point is a barrier to entry for most, and Seylou knows this. If you are on SNAP, the discount for bread at Seylou is 50%. 

Another challenge is the physical appearance of the breads and pastries, specifically the color. Everything is brown to dark brown. It looks burned beyond all hope. The croissants appear as if a single bite will cause the pastry to crumble into dust. There is no "golden" colored anything. The color comes from the whole grains and oils from the entire wheat kernel. That deep brown croissant that looks dry is "OMG this is the best crossant I have ever tasted" as my lovely wife stated oafter her first bite. Cut one in half and it is extraordinary in its lightness, with hundred of airy pockets in between buttery (Trickling Springs) rich dough. Just amazing.

You can say the same about the cookies, bialy's, financiers, foccacia, etc. The District is incredibly lucky to have Seylou, and it is a bakery worth a special trip into DC, just as Metier or Komi are. Go. Buy a loaf of bread or as much as you can afford. This place should be a landmark in DC for years to come.*

*Climbs down from soapbox.

[lion]

I see we thought about stopping by back in 2017! 😂 I guess that's life with a little kid. 

We finally made it over there this weekend. Very impressed with the operation, the desserts were incredible and the gluten free loaf we took home got high marks from my wife. I enjoyed the slice of sweet bread that I tried. The price was high but honestly the quality was too. Geographically, it's a reach for us, but will try and make an effort from time to time.

 

[Jonathan]

On 2/20/2019 at 8:07 AM, B.A.R. said:

Seylou is one of the most important food service operations in the DC area.

I've been on this board since its inception, and before that eGullet, and before that Chowhound, and almost everything that has been discussed in those 18+ years about what may be "lacking" in DC, or whether or not DC is truly a world-class food city, is represented in Seylou. It's success and future depends on DR.com and other like minded and passionate people to support it, either monetarily or on social media. 

Seylou literally checks all the boxes: local, organic, sustainable, free-standing, independent, world-class quality, unique, community, I could go on and on. The owners, Jonathan Bethony and Jessica Azeez, work tirelessly and uncompromisingly to put out some of the best breads and pastries in the world. Yes, I said world.

Jonathan, who ran the Washington State Bread Lab and started the bread program at Blue Hill for Dan Barber (started as in did everything from selecting the specific wheat, growing, harvest, mill, bake) is doing the same out of Seylou. Nothing here is inexpensive, but it is all reasonably priced. A loaf of bread made from freshly harvested grains from a local Amish farm, milled in full the day of baking, does not come cheaply. But that $11 loaf of pain au levain will last two weeks and is massive, not to mention delicious. So certainly price point is a barrier to entry for most, and Seylou knows this. If you are on SNAP, the discount for bread at Seylou is 50%. 

Another challenge is the physical appearance of the breads and pastries, specifically the color. Everything is brown to dark brown. It looks burned beyond all hope. The croissants appear as if a single bite will cause the pastry to crumble into dust. There is no "golden" colored anything. The color comes from the whole grains and oils from the entire wheat kernel. That deep brown croissant that looks dry is "OMG this is the best crossant I have ever tasted" as my lovely wife stated oafter her first bite. Cut one in half and it is extraordinary in its lightness, with hundred of airy pockets in between buttery (Trickling Springs) rich dough. Just amazing.

You can say the same about the cookies, bialy's, financiers, foccacia, etc. The District is incredibly lucky to have Seylou, and it is a bakery worth a special trip into DC, just as Metier or Komi are. Go. Buy a loaf of bread or as much as you can afford. This place should be a landmark in DC for years to come.*

*Climbs down from soapbox.

As someone who no longer lives in DC but comes back “home” to visit quite a bit...I agree 100% with all of this. Seylou was the only place I wanted to/cared to/and did visit upon my last trip home. The bread, the pastries, everything was top notch. And their passion, talent and commitment are worthy of our support.

[ryant68]

FYI - I've seen them at Dupont Farmers Market recently.  Which will increase their visibility and make it more convenient for many.  Hopefully good news all around.

[B.A.R.]

9 minutes ago, ryant68 said:

FYI - I've seen them at Dupont Farmers Market recently.  Which will increase their visibility and make it more convenient for many.  Hopefully good news all around.

Correct. They have been sending out notifications on their Instagram.

[Tweaked]

They also participate in the Thursday afternoon/early evening Penn Quarter Market. 

[B.A.R.]

Congratulations to Jonathan and Jessica! 

Seylou took Best Overall and Best Whole Wheat in the Tiptree World Bread USA competition last evening. If you have not gone yet, go. Extraordinary bread and well deserved accolades. BEST IN THE COUNTRY!!!!

http://www.worldbreadawardsusa.com/competition/winners/

 

[deangold]

We are recent converts to Seylou, mainly buying loaves at Penn Quarter Farmer's Market.  Their bread is super distinctive, with a very dark, near burnt but definitely not burnt quality. I am surprised that it would win in a competition as it is fairly eccentric. But I am glad for them to get recognition.  I love their independent spirit.  The only quibble I ever have is some of the loaves have a damp feel, but no matter, we love the bread. I am now trudging thru a soft, namby-pamby loaf from another "artisan" producer purchased at a local farmer's market which tastes much like the "artisan" bread from Giant.  

I need to find a good bakery closer to Annandale for those times when a long drive for bread is just not in the cards. The Korean bakeries all have soft breads. I was at the new Super H Mart and went to Paris Baguette which has all of 3 baguettes as their total bread offering and they were soft and doughy.

[seanvtaylor]

We've enjoyed the loaves that we've had from Seylou, but are less enthusiastic about the pastries (including a few cannele that looked great on the outside, but were completely unbaked inside). Eccentric is a great word to describe the breads; with a nice butter they are splendid, in my opinion.

[deangold]

13 hours ago, seanvtaylor said:

with a nice butter they are splendid, in my opinion.

Don't forget the salt. Even though our favorite Cabot butter is salted, adding a sprinkle of sel gris Tamise or fleur de sel lifts it to the sublime.  

[turbogrrl]

Seylou is my local bakery/coffee shop. I'm just lucky that way  

They've really stepped up their weekend game this year. Weekend mornings are the only time to get a cinnamon roll with its topping of mascarpone icing, or bialy with cream cheese. (During the week you can get the plain raisin bun, or bialy with sauteed onion.) Weekend mid-mornings and afternoon brings Roman Pizza, which is a rectangle of thin whole wheat crust generously spread with tomato sauce and olive oil. Basically Pan Con Tomate gone super-sized. Friday and Saturday nights they do regular pizzas-- these vary, but the mushroom tends to knock my socks off. 

For bread, I'm happiest with the baguette and levain... I am pretty sure that one set of our friends only invite us over regularly because they know we will bring Seylou bread with us for dinner.

They do not have uncaffeinated coffee, just full-strength. They do have butter coffee, and chai, and matcha lattes. It's a cute and welcoming spot.

[B.A.R.]

15 hours ago, turbogrrl said:

They do have butter coffee, and chai, and matcha lattes. It's a cute and welcoming spot.

The owner, Jessica, used to personally blend the herbal teas, which were quite good

[deangold]

On 3/27/2020 at 4:22 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Thought it might give each other ideas based on where and what you're ordering for take-out or delivery.  

Seylou Bakery has online ordering for pickup. 48 hous notice. We are picking up Sunday after we pick up our pre-orders from DUpont. Will report back.

Seylou order page

Super easy to order from them. Forgot to add they offer flours of many types. Their pastries seem to all come in groups of three for $15. 

[Rhone1998]

On 4/9/2020 at 7:16 PM, deangold said:

Seylou Bakery has online ordering for pickup. 48 hous notice. We are picking up Sunday after we pick up our pre-orders from DUpont. Will report back.

Seylou order page

Super easy to order from them. Forgot to add they offer flours of many types. Their pastries seem to all come in groups of three for $15. 

They deliver, too (maybe limited area?).  We got a delivery from them today, exactly at the time we specified last weekend when we put the order in.

[Pat]

1 hour ago, Rhone1998 said:

They deliver, too (maybe limited area?).  We got a delivery from them today, exactly at the time we specified last weekend when we put the order in.

It is a limited area. I tried and they don't deliver to Capitol Hill. I'm not surprised but I thought I'd try.

[DonRocks]

On 11/30/2018 at 9:27 AM, Marty L. said:

Whole pies are selling for . . . wait for it . . . twenty-eight dollars.  

Happy Gyro's are $32!

[Marty L.]

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Happy Gyro's are $32!

and they're about 32 times better ...

[DonRocks]

3 hours ago, Marty L. said:

and they're about 32 times better ...

I've never had Seylou's pizza - have you had both? If so, would you mind writing a mini-comparison-and-contrast?

I look at Seylou as more of a miller/bakery (unique to this region, and world class in what it does), and Johnny Monis as more of a God-like being, running a Michelin-starred-quality, largely vegetarian takeout with pizza that matches the Michelin-starred-quality cuisine (yep, this pizza deserves a *solid* Michelin star, even if it was in France or Italy - think about that: a $32 meal for two at this level).

[turbogrrl]

On 8/3/2020 at 1:38 AM, DonRocks said:

I've never had Seylou's pizza - have you had both? If so, would you mind writing a mini-comparison-and-contrast?

Spouse and I got the white squash and pepperoni pizza from Happy Gyro-- it *was* really good, and Spouse even ate a bunch of the squash rather than picking it all off. (Tangentially, the "steak" and cheese on a hoagie knocked my socks off.) But the pizza, while great, still doesn't compare to the margharita with intense basil microgreens that Komi served at lunch that first year they were open. The crust on the white pizza is pretty thin.

Seylou is serving a pizza made with their more robust whole wheat flour-- much like their whole wheat croissants, if whole wheat isn't your bag, you aren't going to be particularly happy. The margharita is good. The mushroom is excellent. Sometimes their specials are amazing and sometimes not so much. I really miss the roman pizza pieces they used to do on the weekends, which is the thinnest crust they do. Sometimes the crust on their pies is too thick, and when that happens it means the tangy/dough whole wheat can overwhelm the pizza as a whole.

Both pizzas are pretty time/distance critical. we live around the corner from seylou, but can't get back from komi any quicker than 10 minutes, and sometimes its more like 15-20. we heat the slices in a hot, dry cast-iron skillet to reanimate, but I will eat leftover pizza cold out of the fridge. The Happy Gyro pizza was inedible the next day, though I frequently will eat next-day Seylou pizza.  

In terms of local to me pizza, we are more likely to order a seylou pizza than an all-purpose pizza, though the latter is very good-- it's just that if I'm ordering from all-purpose I usually want their eggplant parm.