Best Bread in the USA
 

Here in Cincinnati, I have to go to the outdoor markets to get bread baked by Blue Oven-they do organic wood oven breads that are just wonderful. Our visitors from Germany thought it was some of the best bread they had ever eaten! Since we will be taking a winter holiday in Florida, I thought I would look fora bread bakery like that . No luck so far and I am beginning to thinkthat really great bread is not as usual as I had hoped. Where do you get your wonderful bread ?

Arthur Avenue Bread from the Bronx, NYC.

My oven. :D It is not wood fired but I control every ingredient that goes into it and never have to leave the house.

My everyday "wonderful" bread comes from Acme, on San Pablo @ Cedar, Berkeley, CA. There is plenty of other wonderful bread around here, and Acme isn't my favorite for all varieties, but if there was "I'd be distraught if it closed" sort of place, this is it.

Wirelessly posted (Nokia E71-2: Opera/9.80 (S60; SymbOS; Opera Mobi/499; U; en-US) Presto/2.4.18 Version/10.00)

Do people still line up on Saturday mornings to buy Acme from the storefront on San Pablo? I went there many a Saturday in the late '80s when I lived in Albany. The sweet batard was my all-time favorite :)

Saturday, Sunday, and every other day. Between that, Cafe Fanny, and Kermit Lynch all in the same building, it should be illegal.

Acme is just okay
 

I agree. I have eaten a lot of Acme bread. I always have that anticipation that it's going to be great, like the kind of french bread you get in Paris and it makes you wish, "God, why can't all french bread be like this?" But I am always disappointed when I bite into a piece of Acme bread.

Acme is just okay.

It's better than most bread that is out there, and for us bay area foodies, it's all we've got. However, I do not think it's amazing bread that you have to drive far & away for or that you have to order on-line. It's pretty good bread that's just okay. Personally, I do not think it's worth the money.

You can get some great, fresh-baked stuff, at Costco (yes, Costco). The fresh stuff they have is just delicious, much cheaper than Acme, and my my opinion, it tastes better than Acme. :eek: But it's that stuff that is fresh from the oven; that stuff is so good.

The stuff that comes out of their San Pablo Ave. ovens seems to be better than that which comes out of their West Berkeley ovens which are sent for distribution. I think most of their bread is a lot better than "just okay" but most of it I get "oven fresh" and it has never been on a truck.

Cranberry-pecan loaf from Balthazar's bakery, NYC...has to be fresh from the bakery instead of the ones available at corner bodegas.

The sourdough at Tadich - apparently a special recipe for them and not otherwise available.

Gotta go to Frisco for the sour dough.

I'm partial to the bread you can get from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor MI. Mail order almost as good as fresh.

This gets my vote, too, though Martin's potato rolls are pretty darn great.

+1 ^

Blue Dog Bakery in Louisville makes some great bread (and consequently, great sandwiches as well!)

http://www.rubschlagerbaking.com/

Met the owners in the RC at the Churchill in London late Aug.

Dudley's Bakery (Santa Ysabel, CA)

My favorite east coast bakeries for bread are Amy's Bread on 9th Avenue between 46th and 47th Street in NY. Just 2 blocks away on 47th and 11th is Sullivan Street Bakery. I give Amy's the edge. I spend lots of time in South Florida. A bread wasteland. There are no bakeries worthy of a person's hard earned money. Fortunately I bake using either the no knead bread method or recipes from the Cheese Board in Berkeley. Homemade Sourdough Cheese Rolls. Wow. I have not bought bread for myself in South Florida since 2004.:)

Though I have always loved the sourdough in San Francisco, La Brea Bakery makes out of this world breads. They have become very commercialized and you can find them at many grocery stores and Costcos now. Even better, eat at Campanile Restaurant next door where they serve the bread fresh as well.

Some of my favorites:

Breadhaus in Grapevine, Tejas http://breadhaus.com/

Hofers bakery in Helen, Georgia http://hofers.com/

Great European breads and Pretzels ^

La Brea Bakery?
 

SFflyer: Costco's bread, while acceptable, is actually brought to the Costco's as frozen dough. It is thawed and proofed at the Costco, then baked. Again, it is good (I picked up the two pack of the multi-grain loaves there on Thursday), but it ain't no artisan bread!

In the Bay Area, by my order of preference:

1) Grace Baking
2) Metropolis
3) Acme

Semifreddi's has gotten a lot better than they used to be. Have you ever tried a Judy's Breadstick? Non-traditional, but delicious! I prefer the sunflower seed over sesame.

Last - I don't know where you live in the Bay Area... But come to the Marin County Farmer's Market on Sunday morning. About 10 different small artisan bakeries sell their bread there, and they bring lots of excellent fresh loaves! If you have never been, I highly recommend it. (plus of course all the great farms that are there...)

And, you are right there at one of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces...

http://www.agriculturalinstitute.org...5091943.active

'The Sunday Marin Farmers Market is AIM’s largest market and the third largest farmers market in California. At summer’s peak, nearly 200 local farmers, specialty food purveyors and artisans come together to celebrate a vibrant local food movement. This market has grown tremendously since it opened in 1987, and has long been considered one of the premier markets in the state. Still, the market maintains its community roots, welcoming local eaters who religiously come to the market to take home the freshest foods of the season and to thank their farmers.'

I'm always amazed at how bad bread is in the USA. The bread you will get from an average bakery in France is better than 99.9% of the bread in the United States. It's surprising, given that food in the United States is generally quite good (the only other major food group we don't take much of an interest in is cheese).

Perhaps influenced by this bias, the best bread I've found in America is at Le Panier outside the Pike Market in Seattle. I stop there every time I'm in Seattle. It's like a Paris boulangerie to me.

Pecoraro Bakery, Jersey City, NJ
 

279 Newark St,
Jersey City, NJ

This place is one of, perhaps the only, holdout of what was once a vibrant "Little Italy" in J.C. Their oven has been doing it's thing for 100 years. Don't let the name fool you. All they do is bread. No cakes or cookies. This is the place the old Italian grandmas's would go for bread. It's authentic and only accepts cash. I'm not even sure they have a cash register because the guy working there keeps the till in a canvas sleeve. A fine specimen of a dying breed! Prices are reasonable, too. ^

My favorite is 'When Pigs Fly Breads': http://www.sendbread.com/

Have never ordered their breads, but have been to the Somerville (Boston) location many times.

While I don't dispute your statement, even French bread isn't what it was.

The Fall and Rise of French Bread

My personal experience in France is that there is a lot of mediocre bread in France as well.

There is also the aspect of personal preference. When I look for bread, I want bread, not a loaf gussied up with nuts or fruit or cheese or olives that are often put there to hide the essential lack of character of the bread itself. Others love bread with these additions.

If you are in DC, try: The Bread Line at Pennsylvania Ave and 18th St NW.

There may be much mediocre bread in France, but I think their mediocre bread is still much better than the vast majority of American bread. And, for about a euro, you can get excellent bread in France. Try doing that in the USA!

And I agree with you: I want my bread "plain," not gussied up. I can gussy it up myself with spreads, if I like. :)

Speaking of Jersey....

iirc, that's where 2nd Ave Deli and many other delis get their rye bread.

and speaking of both rye bread & NJ, I'd love to know if anyone can tell me if any of the great bread bakeries that were in or around Trenton still exist?

Many decades ago, Trenton is where my family would trek to stock up on some damn fine corn rye.

after all, "What Trenton Makes, The World Takes" ;)

I agree 100% and have asked numerous times who their supplier is but to date I have yet to get an answer. I love everything about that great restaurant.

MisterNice

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The Tadich website states that Parisian was their supplier for many decades. No word on who the current supplier is, though.

Those in the SF Bay Area.

Try Madera in Menlo Park at the Rosewood Hotel. Yeah, it's a posh trendy restaurant and the food is a bit overpriced because of the location next to all the venture capitalists of Silicon Valley. BUT. Their bread basket, specifically, the focaccia in the bread basket is the best bread I can remember having. This from someone who frequents Paris and other international venues.

Now, a good baguette in Paris... ahhh.... and some brie...

For me it is Sourdough with Clam Chowder in it.

For suburban east coasters, Wegmans has the best selection of bread I've ever seen, so I'm glad I live 5 miles away from one. Costco breads are good, too.

As far as chains go Wegmans, Costco and Panera all have fairly nice quality bread.

MisterNice

Nothing better than a still warm loaf of La Brea multi-grain with a slice of sharp cheddar or slathered with butter. That woman who started the bakery must me rolling in dough (OMG, where do I come up with these? :D)! BTW, she was a judge on Top Chef Just Desserts this past week.

Panera makes a tasty baguette.

“Tuscan Bread” from the Black Crow Bakery in Litchfield Maine
(Please note my posting here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/423...s;results_list )
Two medium thick (1/3”) slices of this Artisan Bread,
Several slices (total of 3 oz.) of ‘Abraham’s German Prosciutto (Schwarzwaelder Schinken)
Two ounces ‘Dodonis’ brand Greek Feta Cheese
A sprinkling of Herbs de Provence,
Two Tbsp. French Country Butter.

Place bread on a sheet of parchment paper. Spread butter on one side of both slices. Evenly place the ham on both unbuttered sides of the bread. Place the cheese evenly on the ham and sprinkle the herbs on top. Close Sandwich and grill on both sides in a medium preheated cast iron pan, turning twice until brown and cheese starts oozing out. Serve with imported German “Senfgurken”

Addeo , seeded italian
 

its baked on Hughes ave , with another location (block away on Arthur ave) in bronx . Addeo's seeded italian u dont need olive oil , butter or anything , get it while still warm , good luck not trying to eat all .
"Casa" bread is pretty impressive too.

There's a LOT of mediocre baguettes in Paris. I don't buy the "all bread is better in Paris" thinking anymore. The style of breadmaking is changing...some good...some very bad. Some bakers are doing super long/cold ferments, and some bakers are baking their loaves not long enough (for my tastes).

Anyways, in the states, Acme (I'm only grading their sweet baguette) is kind of..."good for the US". It's approaching mass-made status in the Bay Area and the quality is dipping a bit. The crust is okay (not as thin and crunchy), the crumb is okay (not consistently airy), and the flavor is okay (some batches seem to be better than others). Compared to 99% of "french bread" available at supermarkets Acme is very good though.

I've actually come to like Bouchon's (Yountville location) baguettes. The crust, crumb, and flavor are all very good.

Somebody long ago in this thread mentioned Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. I agree.

IMHO, the only edible food in the State of Michigan is at Zingerman's. Luckily it is not too far away from an airport to get me out of Michigan!

I have a right to make such a comment. I graduated from high school in Michigan. Zingerman's and Vernors. That's it for Michigan.

You clearly haven't seen the right parts of Michigan :D Fellow escapee, but there's a lot of good food to be found if you know where to look for it. Most of the stuff I find memorable is in pretty working-class areas, though.

There's quite a lot of good bread in the Boston area -- Clear Flour in Brookline and Iggy's being my two favorites, though with Iggy's I only *really* like it when I buy it from their bakehouse in Cambridge. Have never warmed up to Hi-Rise, but others swear by it.

The other place I *adore* is Wild Flour Bread in Occidental, CA (Sonoma County). http://www.wildflourbread.com/ . Way off the beaten path, but so worth the trip...

bread basket at del posto here in nyc is the best, imo