On my weekly pilgrimage to the Upper West Side greenmarket behind the Museum of Natural History, I noticed a new stand: She Wolf Bakery. They had a case full of miches, a brown sourdough (levain) bread similar to the famous Pain Poilâne made in Paris and marketed throughout the world. I bought a quarter loaf and couldn't wait to try it at home (the piece below is substantially carved down from the quarter miche). It is intensely sour but gives full reign to the flavors of the white, whole wheat and rye flours of which it is made. In short, a revelation, better in my opinion than the renowned Parisian loaf. The crust is crispy and the crumb delightfully moist, a triumph of the baker's art, as you can see below.
Based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, She Wolf makes other breads, but I didn't see any of them today. The bakery has a stand at the Union Square Market on Mondays, so I will have to check it out. They are also at the Greenpoint market for those who live in or near that neighborhood.
 |
| Miche from She Wolf Bakery |
 |
| She Wolf Bakery's stand at Upper West Side greenmarket |
(Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, I am reading Michael Pollan's
new book:
Cooking: A Natural History of Transformation, nearly a quarter of which is devoted to bread, more specifically a natural levain bread
from Chad Robertson that is the subject of his brilliant
Tartine Bread. I plan to write more about Pollan's book in an upcoming post.)
Get this bread if you can!
Bobby Jay
2 comments:
It really looks delicious! Any good butter to go with it?
I used Plugra European Style unsalted butter, which is my butter of choice in the US.
Post a Comment