There are some things I love to eat more than anything else; foods and dishes that get me pausing, closing my eyes, savouring. Good bread is one of them.
Nothing is finer to me than a great loaf of bread, sliced up and eaten with butter and cheese, or good olive oil. Throw in a bottle of wine and some of my favourite people and the picture is pretty much perfect.
When I first moved to the States, I have to say that I had a hard time with bread. I wish I knew what the elemental difference is but bread here tastes sweet and that’s something I had never experienced before and did not particularly enjoy. I got used to it, because palates and taste buds adapt but I still longed for the fully savoury, truly wheaty taste of European bread.
Luckily, having lived here and explored for a few years, I’ve found bread that I like. I’ve also happened upon some bread that I love so much it’s worth sharing with you here and that bread is from Rustica.
Rustica bakery makes some dang good bread. Their levain loaf is the best dunked in hot soups; their baguettes have just the right texture (crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside) that so many others lack; their multigrain tastes so perfect with rich butter and cheese. I could go on…
I’ve been buying those loaves on occasion from my my local co-op for a while but I’ve never actually been to the bakery itself until now. So, for the love of bread (and blogging), I popped over there this week during lunch to take some photos and buy some of their beautiful goods.
For a mid-week afternoon, Rustica was pretty bumping but their lovely staff were more than happy for me to take some pictures and nose around.
Best discoveries about Rustica?
Their chocolate croissants. They have the exact buttery-ness that you would hope for, are completely messy and flaky, and have the perfect little rectangles of chocolate wedged throughout them. All in the name of blogging…
My second favourite discovery was that they serve Dogwood coffee.
Dogwood happens to be some of my favourite coffee in the city. Hallelujah to good partnerships.
Are you passionate about bread? I’d love to hear about your favourite loaf or bakery – and hope I you’ll try some of Rustica’s bread/baked goods if you can!
For more on Rustica, check out the Perennial Plate and Daniel Klein’s video from Episode 43.
Rustica Bakery
3220 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55416
612.822.1119
