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dmaddox

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I stopped at Marvelous Market to pick up a baguette of some sort to have with some meats and cheeses tonight. I saw along their bread wall a sign that read "Palladin," which surprised me, since I didn't think they had those any more. I bought one, and it looks beautiful. Looks perfect for my intentions :(. Maybe they've had them all along and I've just been too inattentive and/or vision-impaired to notice?

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I'm a little late here, but am surprised no one mentioned Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe in Arlington. They specialize in German breads. They use tons of whole grains and seeds and even use imported German flour. They list their breads on their website. To me, the HPS breads taste so much better than the breads you find at Whole Foods. I think their 6-grain bread is a good one to start with. Other favorites of mine are Krautiner, Aachener Brot, and Pumpernickel. All their breads can last for almost a week - especially if you buy it unsliced and just slice it right before you use it.

If you're more into French bread, I think the baguettes and croissants at Patisserie Poupon are as close to authentic as you'll get in the US.

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Went to Paul bakery last week. On a steamy, hot, humid day they managed to turn out perfect baguettes and boules.

I was there when they opened on Sunday and stopped in for breakfast on the way to the Dupont farmers market. They had not yet brought out the full size croissante, so I had them cut off a quarter of one of the fresh baguettes I had bought and put it on a plate with pots of excellent soft butter and strawberry preserve. This, along with a perfect double espresso were my breakfast. I sat in the bakery's outside seating area with the Sunday NY Times and enjoyed a petit dejeuner that only needed a Gauloises to be the perfectly balanced French eye opener.

In addition to bringing home a baguette and boules, I brought home a couple of mini croissante that were excellent; better than Bonaparte's, as were the baguettes, but only by a small margin and perhaps only because Bonaparte's baked goods often suffer from the humidity they are subjected to at the farmers market. The other items from Pau's were a mixed bag; the custard in the quiche and the lemon tart were not nearly as good as the amazing custard from Bonaparte. I also bought a tart tartin that was wonderful.

Bottom line is that I would not pass up doing any of my shopping for French baked goods from Bonaparte when at the farmers market (except for bread on very humid days), but that Paul is a wonderful 7 day a week boulangerie. Thank goodness they did not open in Mclean....I'd end up weighing 300 lbs

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How about Great Harvest Bread Company? I haven't tried their breads, except for the cinnamon, which is darn addictive. Where do folks see their breads in comparison to what else is out there? Better than WF or HT?

I really want to like them. Unfortunately, their breads have no real crust to them. All of their breads have a soft crust which has the same texture as the inside of the bread.

Well, I guess they are popular enough to open a branch out in Arlington now. It's in the plaza on Wilson where there is a forgettable Chinese carry out place in the Dominion Hills area.

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19 minutes ago, DaveO said:

Have been stopping at the wholesale bakery for Balthazar located in Englewood NJ for 2 days.  Wonderful breads plus amazing tarts which might be more like spectacular toppings the likes of which I’ve never had.

The bread at Central from Panorama in Alexandria is called "Palladin Loaf". It was originally made by Mark Furstenberg at the original Marvelous Market, now it is made by Loic at Panorama. 

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4 hours ago, Mark Slater said:

The bread at Central from Panorama in Alexandria is called "Palladin Loaf". It was originally made by Mark Furstenberg at the original Marvelous Market, now it is made by Loic at Panorama. 

The Balthazar breads and Marvelous Market breads are real similar.  I think breadFurst’s crusty breads are quite similar

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