I want to say that back in my day you could pick up a loaf of bread, some milk and a dozen eggs for a fiver, but I might be remembering it wrong.
You certainly could for a tenner. I recently bought a loaf of chocolate sourdough bread for $12.
It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, mind, and I suppose the inclusion of chocolate in a weighty, rustic loaf of 100 per cent made-by-hand levain puts the item in a radically different camp than your typical commercial sliced bread, but still. 12 bucks.
But here’s the thing: most readily available bread now is mass produced using wheat products that were heavily assisted in their growth processes.
A record number of people can’t tolerate bread anymore due to digestive issues and even more are proactively avoiding it for perceived dietary benefits. So taking great pains to deliver a premium bread product that captures the spirit of craft in this market is kind of a big deal and comes with a cost.
Personally, I’d rather eat much less of an excellent bread product than lots of one that is shelf stable for three weeks and has the texture of Play-Doh.
Good thing, then, that in addition to the North Shore’s better-known bread emporiums, there are some boutique shops that turn out some pretty spectacular specialty loaves.
Among them is the new co-occupant of the old Ethical Kitchen space, Bad Dog Bread. Bad Dog shares the venue with an exciting new pasta-focused restaurant, Orto (to be considered in another upcoming column) and bakes up an assortment of killer organic breads and cookies that will reinvigorate your love of toast and sandwiches no matter how far down the Paleo Diet rabbit hole you have ventured.
Owner Vadim Mugerman (who is currently working 18 hours a day to meet demand) mills his grain on-site for his naturally leavened breads, a labour of love that ultimately translates into some of the freshest loaves money can buy.
The shop opens at 7 a.m. I dropped in shortly after opening one recent weekday morning and waited anxiously as the breads I wished to try finished baking in the oven.
I watched as a smattering of other patrons sipped coffee and ate toast from the modest breakfast menu, which includes hearty, toasted slices of the daily bread of your choice with toppings like almond butter, butter, sugar and cinnamon, cream cheese, black pepper and sea salt, or house-made hummus.
Loaves range in price from $7.50 to $10, open-faced breakfast sarnies are $3.50.
Mugerman’s breads are extraordinary, rustic and dense with a notable weight to them. His Whole Wheat with Coriander and Raisin is perfect with just a slathering of butter, but also works well in either savoury or sweet applications; I topped a slice of it with a wedge of aged goat Gouda from The Cheese Man and found the pairing to be delicious.
Chocolate Chip and Sea Salt cookies were rich, chewy treats and a big hit with the kids, though for my taste the sprinkling of sea salt was superfluous.
I’m excited to see Bad Dog Bread open in this location, which, with Baker and Baron down the street, Hearthstone across the street, Orto in the same space, and a new barbecue joint opening soon in the very recently shuttered, long-running Hurricane Grill space at the end of the block, is rapidly becoming a little foodie enclave in its own right.
Bad Dog Breads. 1600 Mackay Rd., North Vancouver. baddogbread.com. 778-970-0346. Closed Mondays.
Then there’s well-established Bon Ami Bakery Cafe, with its thoughtful lineup of baked goods that aim to be as inclusive as possible for all palates and digestive abilities (gluten-free almond granola and vegan muffins co-exist with roast beef and caramelized onion sandwiches and pavlova), a venue that may be something of an overlooked treasure if you don’t often head out towards Deep Cove.
Located on Forester Avenue just off Old Dollarton Highway, Bon Ami is a charming little space that fully embraces the notion of craft production.
Ridiculously delicious cinnamon buns baked three days a week pair well with strong coffee, while pies, scones, cookies, muffins, beautifully decorated cakes, and holiday treats like butter tarts, stollen and Yule logs provide strong incentive to pop in next time you do your Superstore run or growler fill at Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers.
Parents might also wish to consider a Bon Ami cake decorating party for a novel birthday celebration idea. I grabbed some truly spectacular Bon Ami carrot cake recently and regressed to childhood as I fended off my kids for the last bite of it.
Bon Ami Bakery.173 Forester St., North Vancouver. bonamibakery.ca. 778-340-0944. Closed weekends.
Finally, newly renovated Saman Bakery down on West 16th Street just off Pemberton Avenue bakes up a mix of both traditional Persian fare (excellent, springy and light Barbary bread, chickpea cookies) and popular treats like chocolate or marzipan macaroons.
I’d wager that you have seen their fare in grocery stores across the North Shore, as their signature flatbread crackers and macaroons (also available for direct sale within the bakery itself) are popular in local bakery sections.
For my money, Saman makes some of the best sangak bread in North Vancouver. Sangak, for the uninitiated, is an ultra-thin, hand-stretched, rustic bread that typically comes in an impressive three-foot sheet wrapped in plastic.
It is the ideal bread for tearing into and mopping up hummus and other dips, and it makes a great foundation upon which to place grilled, skewered meats. In my home, it is commonly preferred as a next-day snack, toasted and then topped with jam.
Saman Bakery. 1185 West 16th St., North Vancouver. samanbakery.com. 604-990-9000. Closed weekends.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
